Who is Josh Freese? All you need to know about Foo Fighter's new drummer

Josh Freese, the long-time drummer for acts such as Guns N’ Roses and Nine Inch Nails, will not take the place of the late Taylor Hawkins as the new Foo Fighters drummer. Freese first joined the band for their Hawkins tribute concerts last year. Taylor Hawkins passed away in 2022, at the age of 50, while touring in Colombia.

Josh Freese will be playing with the band on their upcoming USA tour, which starts on May 24, 2023, with a show at the Bank of New Hampshire Pavillon in Gilford, New Hampshire.

The drummer was recently on tour with The Offspring and played the drums for singer-songwriter Danny Elfman. Freese has been replaced by Ilan Rubin as Elfman's drummer.

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Josh Freese followed in the footsteps of his family

Josh Freese was born on December 25, 1972, into a musician family. His father, Stan Freese, was a conductor with the Disney World (Florida) and Disneyland (California) band and his mother was a classical pianist. The drummer began his career at the age of 16, touring alongside Dweezil Zappa, followed by The Vandals.

The drummer first gained prominence with his work with The Vandals, with whom he remained till 2004, playing on 10 albums, including Hollywood Potato Chip. After the release of the album, the band found itself in a years-long legal tussle with Variety over the album's cover, which was a parody of the magazine's typeset, a commentary on the materialistic culture prevalent in Hollywood.

Josh Freese played for Guns N' Roses between 1998 and 1999, with his most notable performance with the band being to the song Oh My God, which was used in the soundtrack of the 1998 film End of Days.

After leaving The Vandals in 2004, the drummer joined the industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails, replacing Rob Sheridan. The drummer achieved his first major chart success with the band's 2007 album, Year Zero. The album, which was released on April 17, 2007, peaked at number 2 on the Billboard 200 album chart, as well as at number 3 on the Canadian album chart.

The drummer worked with The Offspring on their eighth studio album, Rise and Fall, Rage and Grace, which was released on June 11, 2008. The album peaked at number 10 on the Billboard 200 album chart. The drummer has also worked with the band on their ninth studio album, Days Go By, which was released on June 26, 2023.

The drummer has also worked with artists such as Katy Perry, Sting, 100 gecs, Bruce Springsteen, Melissa Auf der Maur, and Queens of the Stone Age, among others.

Josh Freese is also known for his film and TV soundtracks. He has worked on the soundtrack of films like Freeway, 200 Cigarettes, and the TV series Buffy the Vampire Slayer.