Foo Fighters Guitarist Launches New Country Band

Chris Shiflett, guitarist with Foo Fighters, has revealed details of a new side project. The Dead Peasants, as Shiflett's new band are called, allow Shiflett to indulge his love of Americana and classic country.

The Dead Peasants' eponymous debut album will be released on July 12 and was recorded in Foo Fighters' California Studio 606 over December and January, and features the Mavericks' guitarist Eddie Perez.

"One of my favourite kinds of music is old country and old rockabilly and modern Americana like Son Volt, Wilco and Ryan Adams, I love all that stuff," Shiflett told the NME. "There's really no real big loud Les Paul pumping through a Marshall amp kind of moments on this record. It is so far from anything I've been a part of with Foo Fighters and it was just really fun to do."

Although the album has its roots in country, Shiflett described the lyrical content as that of a "goth record."

"I always write from personal experience so there's a lot of love songs on there and there's a lot of songs about death because a few friends and relatives of mine have died over the last few years," he said. "Melodically it is not dark but lyrically it's pretty sad."

The album also includes a cover version of the relatively obscure Joe Strummer song 'Burning Lights'.