Foxboro Hot Tubs
Garage rock side project of Green Day.
Naomi Lir · via Wikipedia: Foxboro Hot Tubs · CC BY-SA 2.0
Foxboro Hot Tubs is a garage rock side project that grew out of Green Day in 2007. Every member of Green Day is in the band, along with touring musicians Jason White, Jason Freese, and Kevin Preston (who also plays in Prima Donna). So far, the group has released just one album, *Stop Drop and Roll!!!*, which came out on April 22, 2008. The name "Foxboro Hot Tubs" is the alias Green Day uses whenever they want to book secret shows without drawing attention.
The project first came to light in December 2007, when a handful of Green Day’s fan club members received messages pointing them to three songs on a website. According to the band, the idea came from a love of playing music on the fly: after some late-night jam sessions and a fair amount of wine, they decided to record a batch of rough eight-track tracks. Although the band’s full backstory remains unclear, the lineup is essentially Green Day plus their regular backing players (except Preston), all performing under a fake name. As speculation grew, Green Day confirmed the connection. Billie Joe Armstrong explained that the only thing the two bands have in common is that they are the same people, and he traced the name to a housing development in Hercules, California—a place where the band used to sneak in booze and company late at night.
On December 8, 2007, Green Day’s site offered six tracks for free streaming and download. Five days later, the MP3s disappeared, replaced by a clock. They returned on December 16, then vanished again, and eventually the site redirected to the band’s Myspace page. All but one of those tracks—"Highway 1"—ended up on *Stop Drop and Roll!!!*, with the original samples trimmed. "Mother Mary" became a hit on alternative rock radio, reaching No. 16 on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart. "The Pedestrian" followed as the album’s second single. The band made its television debut on *Last Call with Carson Daly* during a weeklong Green Day takeover in June 2009, performing a medley of "Stop Drop and Roll" and "Mother Mary."
In April 2010, Foxboro Hot Tubs played a new song called "Fuck Time" at a New York City show. Earlier, on Halloween 2009, during Green Day’s 21st Century Breakdown tour, the band surprised the Manchester crowd by playing a short set as Foxboro Hot Tubs before the support act.
Quick Facts
- Landscape
- yes
- Origin
- San Francisco Bay Area – Oakland, California, U.S.
- Genre
- Garage rock revival / indie rock / garage punk / punk rock
- Years Active
- 2007–present
- Label
- Jingle Town
- Spinoff Of
- Green Day
- Current Members
- Reverend Strychnine Twitch / Michelangelo / The Professor / Frosco Lee / Jason Freese / Chinatown Jukebox
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The band was brought to the attention of Green Day fans through messages sent to a select few members of the Idiot Club in December 2007, with three songs on their website. They formed with the idea that they 'love to play music and be spontaneous, and after a few late-night jams and a few too many bottles of wine, we were inspired to record some rockin' eight-track recordings'. Although the band's history is, as yet, unknown, they comprise the official and backing members of Green Day (with the exception of Preston), who are performing 'garage' music under a nom de plume.
As speculation started to peak, Green Day confirmed that they were the Foxboro Hot Tubs, with Billie Joe Armstrong stating, 'The only similarity between Foxboro Hot Tubs and Green Day is that we are the same band'. He explained the name came from 'a place we used to sneak booze and chicks into late at night'. On December 8, 2007, the Green Day site released six tracks free of charge; these were later removed and reinstated. The song 'Mother Mary' became a hit on alternative rock radio, hitting No. 16 on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart.
Reader's Guide
Foxboro Hot Tubs represents a deliberate departure for Green Day, allowing the band to explore a looser, garage rock sound under a pseudonym. Their sole album, Stop Drop and Roll!!!, was released in 2008 and spawned the radio hit 'Mother Mary'. The project enabled Green Day to play secret shows and surprise fans, as seen in a Halloween 2009 performance during the 21st Century Breakdown World Tour. The band continued sporadic activity, including a 2013 secret show in Oakland and a 2014 SXSW performance. Their significance lies in demonstrating the members' versatility and desire for spontaneity outside the main Green Day brand, while also serving as a creative outlet for side material. The alias has been used for booking unannounced gigs, adding an element of mystery and intimacy to their live performances.
Did You Know?
- When performing as Foxboro Hot Tubs, Billie Joe Armstrong goes by the name Reverend Strychnine Twitch.
- The name 'Foxboro Hot Tubs' comes from a housing development in Hercules, California.
- Their debut album Stop Drop and Roll!!! was released on April 22, 2008.
- The band performed a secret show at Eli's Mile High Club in Oakland, California on October 26, 2013.
More in Band Members & Collaborators
Elsewhere in Green Day
Spotted an error? Know more?
Reader corrections go straight into our review queue. Suggest an edit · How this site is sourced