Foo Fighters: Sonic Highways
A documentary miniseries exploring American music history.
HBO · via Wikipedia: Foo Fighters: Sonic Highways · Fair use
Foo Fighters: Sonic Highways is an American documentary miniseries from 2014. Dave Grohl directed it, and Mark Monroe wrote it. The project ran alongside the band's eighth studio album, also called *Sonic Highways*, and aired on HBO. Grohl called it "a love letter to the history of American music." Each of the eight episodes follows Grohl as he interviews musicians in a different U.S. city, exploring that city's musical past. The band then uses what they learn from those conversations to write and record a new song in or near that city. The series first aired on October 17, 2014.
After his 2013 documentary *Sound City* did well, Grohl told *Billboard* he wanted to try something similar. He said that pairing music with documentary worked because the stories gave songs more depth and emotional weight. He wanted to travel across the country and tell its story, rather than just focus on one studio. On May 15, 2014, the band announced their eighth album would come out in fall 2014, and that they would mark both the album and their 20th anniversary with a TV series. Each song on the album was recorded in a different city, with local legends contributing and lyrics inspired by the experiences, interviews, and personalities involved. A 20-second teaser video appeared on YouTube on May 31, 2014, and a 3-minute-31-second trailer followed on August 21, 2014, showing many of the interviewees.
The eight episodes follow the Foo Fighters as they travel to eight legendary studios in eight U.S. cities to write and record *Sonic Highways*. The cities are Chicago, Washington, D.C., Nashville, Austin, Los Angeles, New Orleans, Seattle, and New York. Studios include Electrical Audio in Chicago, Rancho De La Luna in California, Robert Lang Studios in Seattle, Inner Ear Studios in Arlington County, Virginia, and the Magic Shop in New York City. Each episode features interviews with artists who recorded at those studios, including Dolly Parton, Daniel Lanois, Ian MacKaye, Paul Stanley, Joe Walsh, Duff McKagan, Nancy Wilson, Rick Nielsen, Zac Brown, and Gary Clark Jr. In New Orleans, the band worked with the Preservation Hall Jazz Band and performed live with Trombone Shorty. Each episode opens with a quote from a song recorded at that location and closes with a music video for that same song, with animated lyrics in the background.
The band also played surprise concerts.
- Director
- Dave Grohl
- Writer
- Mark Monroe
- Network
- HBO
- Premiere date
- October 17, 2014
- Number of episodes
- 8
- Associated album
- Sonic Highways
- Genre
- Documentary miniseries
Lore & Background
After the success of Grohl's 2013 documentary film Sound City, he expressed interest in doing something similar. Grohl stated, 'After making Sound City, I realized that the pairing of music and documentary works well because the stories give substance and depth to the song, which makes for a stronger emotional connection. So I thought, ‘I want to do this again, but instead of just walking into a studio and telling its story, I want to travel across America and tell its story.' On May 15, 2014, it was announced that the Foo Fighters' eighth album would be released in the fall of 2014, and that the band would commemorate the album and their 20th anniversary with the TV series. Each song on the new album was recorded in a different city, featuring 'local legends' on each song and lyrics inspired by the 'experiences, interviews and personalities that became part of the process.'
Reader's Guide
The series consists of eight episodes showing the Foo Fighters traveling to eight legendary studios in eight cities across the United States to write and record their album Sonic Highways. The cities visited were Chicago, Washington, D.C., Nashville, Austin, Los Angeles, New Orleans, Seattle, and New York. Studios involved include Steve Albini's Electrical Audio in Chicago; Rancho De La Luna in California; Robert Lang Studios in Seattle; Inner Ear Studios in Arlington County, Virginia; and the Magic Shop in New York City. Each episode features interviews with artists such as Dolly Parton, Daniel Lanois, Ian MacKaye, Paul Stanley, Joe Walsh, Duff McKagan, Nancy Wilson, Rick Nielsen, Zac Brown, and Gary Clark, Jr. The episodes begin with a quote from a song recorded in that location and end with a music video for that same song with animated lyrics. The series aired in the UK on BBC Four starting October 26, 2014, and in Australia on GO! hours after its US broadcast.
Did You Know?
- The series was made concurrently with Foo Fighters' eighth album, Sonic Highways.
- Each of the eight episodes explores the musical history of a different American city.
- Surprise concerts were held in Washington D.C., Nashville, and New Orleans in May 2014.
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