Who is Josh Freese, the new drummer for the Foo Fighters?

The new percussionist for the Foo Fighters, and replacement for the late Taylor Hawkins has been unveiled by the band. Josh Freese will appear in his first show with his new bandmates on May 24, the beginning of their world tour which will run until later this year. But who exactly is this new drummer and what did his career look like before signing on with the Foo Fighters?

What bands has Josh Freese played in?

Freese has been in the music industry for quite some time; which makes sense considering his whole family have connections to music. He’s had a relatively long and successful career so far as the 50-year-old has been drumming for over 30 years in a number of high-profile bands. He started playing the drums at just eight years old and by 12 he was already playing professionally in a top 40 band in Disneyland. 

Since then he’s never been short of work as he started drumming for multiple different bands as well as juggling solo projects. Many of the bands he’s worked with he continues to play with even now. Just a quick glance over his work since 1985 will prove beyond a doubt that he’s an incredibly talented drummer and that he has the experience necessary to fill in for Hawkins. 

The Vandals 1989 – Present

After his time drumming for bands in Disneyland, Freese joined a punk rock group known as The Vandals in 1989, he would have been only 14 at the time. Since then he’s appeared on pretty much all of the band’s albums bar one and he still frequently performs with them even now. 

Devo 1996 – Present

The next major band Freese found himself a part of was Devo in 1996, after their five-year-long hiatus. Devo are a new wave band known mostly for their 1980 hit single “Whip It”. Freese, credited the band for being the reason he learned to play the drums after listening to their 1980 album Freedom of Choice. Just like The Vandals, Freese somehow finds the time in his increasingly busy schedule to perform with the band; most recently, he returned to drum with them in 2021 during a short USA tour.

Other projects

He signed a two-year contract to join Guns N’ Roses from 1997 to 1999, replacing the former drummer Matt Sorum. He’s also performed with a huge range of other bands like Weezer, Sting, Nine Inch Nails, and Evanescence and he’s even drummed for K-Pop bands. Freese has co-written some songs too, alongside the likes of Queens of the Stone Age, and other talented musicians.

In his three decade long career, Freese has been an incredibly prolific drummer. He’s been all over the industry for years collaborating with, it seems, almost every musician out there. It’s likely if you hadn’t heard of him until now; you’ll have definitely heard his drumming before. He seems to get on just great slotting into already established bands and there’s no doubt he’ll be a great addition to the Foo Fighters.