Dave Grohl revisits Bad Brains with members of Anthrax
Dave Grohl joined forces with Charlie Benante and Scott Ian, drummer and guitarist respectively for Anthrax, to form an impromptu group, simply called GBI, (Grohl Benante Ian) and record a cover of a Bad Brains song for charity.
The Foo Fighters frontman and his associates have chosen to reinterpret “The regulator”, a song originally published in 1982 on the eponymous debut album of the original Washington formation, known for having made the encounter between hardcore punk speed and reggae its own trademark.
The reinterpretation recorded by the new project by Grohl, Benante and Ian will be released as a single in a limited edition of only three thousand copies on the occasion of “Record Store Day 2024” next April. Proceeds will go towards medical and living expenses incurred by Bad Brains frontman HR (Paul D. Hudson). At the moment it is not known whether, at a later time, the cover of “The regulator” will also be made available on digital platforms.
The genesis of the collaboration with Dave Grohl and his partner Charlie Benante, recorded in November at the Foo Fighters leader’s Studio 606 in California, was told by Scott Ian in a note taken on Instagram and on the official RSD website: “Anthrax they were recording the new album at Studio 606 and, at the same time, the Foos were there rehearsing,” the guitarist wrote:
“Dave had come to the studio to hear what we were doing and we had gone to listen to the Foos rehearse. So I texted Dave the next morning and said, ‘Hey! It was great seeing you the other day. Rehearsals today? I’ll be there to play a bit. Do you want to record a Minor Threat song? Or Bad Brains?’ He immediately responded with the Spotify link for ‘The Regulator’.”
And again: “I wrote to him that I would be in the studio at 12.30 and he simply replied: ‘See you at 1’. AND it was that simple. We recorded at Studio 606. Charlie and I asked Dave if he wanted to play drums and sing as well. He accepted. Charlie played bass and I played guitar: GBI. The motivation for doing so was also to raise funds for HR healthcare, to which all proceeds will be donated. And what better day to do it than Record Store Day, so as to also help independent record stores?”.
