Josh Freese has taken to Instagram to confirm his departure from the Foo Fighters, just two years after he was selected as the permanent successor to the late Taylor Hawkins.
He joined Dave Grohl and co. with a hefty resume that boasted stints with Guns N’ Roses, Nine Inch Nails, and Devo, and his appointment was announced with a little help from Chad Smith, Tommy Lee, and Danny Carey. Now, though, Freese's time with the rock heavyweights has come to a somewhat unexpected end.
“The Foo Fighters called me Monday night to let me know they’e decided to go in a different direction with their drummer. No reason was given,” he says in his post, not wanting to skirt around the facts. “Regardless, I enjoyed the past two years with them, both on and off stage, and I support whatever they feel is best for the band.”
His dismissal may feel like unfamiliar territory, as Freese goes on to reveal: “In my 40 years of drumming professionally, I've never been let go from a band.”
“I'm not angry – just a bit shocked and disappointed,” he expands. “But as most of you know I've always worked freelance and bounced between bands so, I'm fine. Stay tuned for my ‘Top 10 possible reasons Josh got booted from the Foo Fighters’ list.”
A look at Freese's career shows that he's never been short of an opportunity, and never shy to take them up.
He's worked with Dweezil and Ahmet Zappa, A Perfect Circle, and Weezer, and recorded for Good Charlotte, Avril Lavigne, and Kelly Clarkson as a session artist. Though being axed from Dave Grohl's global force will be a shock to his system, he will likely be back in action again very soon.
Freese had joined the band after the release of their first post-Hawkins album, 2023's But Here We Are, on which Dave Grohl played drums. That means he never had the chance to record with the band, but did enjoy a world tour that saw him jam Hot For Teacher with Wolfgang Van Halen.
It did, conversely, also include “the saddest thing that's ever happened” in Dave Grohl's life, after his guitar stopped working in front of 50,000 people.
Freese’s last show was reportedly a humble affair last September. The band had played a private event at House Of Blues Anaheim for Anaheim Duck owners, Henry & Susan Samueli.
As for the Foo Fighters, it will be interesting to see what the change of direction Freese has alluded to will mean. Aside from playing with the Foos, Grohl has played a handful of Nirvana reunion shows recently, including one with a revolving cast of superlative female talents.
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