Red Hot Chili Peppers Buttons via Anthony Kiedis' Mom

Red Hot Chili Peppers Buttons via Anthony Kiedis’ Mom

Story by Anne Erickson

Frontman’s Mom Gets into the Chili Peppers Spirit

Following the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ two-year break, Anthony Kiedis and the gang are back with a new album and posed to stir up all alternative rock conventions, spitting out a new, experimental-sounding band thanks to the trippy vibes of newbie Josh Klinghoffer’s guitar labors, Flea’s groovy bass-funk grooves, Kiedis’ rap-rock stylings and Chad Smith’s bashing rhythms. The guys were stoked to share the new songs off I’m With You in a special, live cinematic concert event Tuesday (Aug. 30), which had the Peppers playing their entire new album, front to back, plus one traditional, “Give It Away.”

Even Kiedis’ mom got in on the hoopla of last night. At a local theater in Lansing, Mich., where the concert was showing, ushers gave audience members Red Hot Chili Peppers buttons, telling them, “These were made by Anthony Kiedis’ mom, who still lives in Grand Rapids [Mich.], and she sent these to the theater this morning to hand out.” The miniature buttons carry the Red Hot Chili Peppers logo and the band’s name splashed with red, blue, yellow and green surrounding the symbol. No word on whether these buttons will be available when the show is replayed at theaters Thursday (Sept. 1).

It seems that Kiedis is really into family as of late. Speaking with On the Record with Fuse this week, Kiedis said his 3-1/2-year-old son, Everly Bear, helps energize him to keep making music.

“I think people that have fear that, ‘Oh if I have a kid, I won’t be able to do this and I won’t be able to do that.’ It’s kind of the opposite,” Kiedis said. “It really gives you energy. It makes people better.”

Smith and Flea are also fathers. Klinghoffer is the only member without a kid at the moment, but chances are, he might get pressured at some point.

“I love being a father and wanted to be a father long before I had any business being a father,” Flea told Fuse. “One could argue easily that I had no business being a father when I became a father at 25 … but I just love it. That kind of love — I have never experienced it before. That kind of unconditional, doing anything for a person love.”

Anne Erickson

Meet the expert - Author, writer and editor Anne Erickson is a Detroit-based music reporter and radio host. She has written for the USA Today Network, Consequence.net, Blabbermouth.net, Loudwire.com and many more. Anne holds a master's degree from Michigan State University. Contact Anne at anne@audioinkradio.com.