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Flea (musician)

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Flea

For other uses, see Flea (disambiguation)

Michael Peter Balzary (born October 16, 1962 in Melbourne, Australia), better known by his nickname/stage name Flea, is an Australian-American bassist for the alternative rock/funk rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers and a frequent session musician for other music acts. He has also acted in a number of movies.

Early life

Michael Balzary lived a relatively conventional childhood in Melbourne, Australia, until his father Mick, a customs officer, was posted to New York in March 1967. Mick Balzary relocated his entire family to New York, including wife Patricia, his daughter Karen, and 5-year-old Michael.

In 1971, only four years after arriving in the U.S., Balzary's mother, Patricia, fell in love with jazz musician Walter Urban, Jr. and filed for divorce from Mick Balzary. Michael Balzary, his mother, sister, and soon-to-be-stepfather moved to Los Angeles in 1972. [citation needed]

Balzary developed an affinity for music at a very early age. He first played the drums, then he began the trumpet at age nine. Balzary displayed strong natural aptitude for the instrument and swiftly earned a place in the Los Angeles Junior Philharmonic Orchestra.

Watching his stepfather playing with his bebop jazz band profoundly affected the eleven-year-old Balzary. His stepfather's musicianship inspired a lifelong love of jazz and the leading exponents of the genre, such as Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie, and Ornette Coleman. On VH1's Behind the Music, Balzary said that he had no original interest in rock and roll, and that his initial ambition was to become a jazz musician like his stepfather.

Fairfax High School

Balzary was an avid trumpeter and jazz fan when he began attending Fairfax High School in September 1976. On his first day at Fairfax, Balzary was "play-fighting" with fellow tenth-grade student Tony Shurr in the quadrangle, when Balzary's future bandmate, Anthony Kiedis, came to Shurr's defense. Despite the initial enmity between Balzary and Kiedis, the two swiftly became best friends. As their friendship grew, Balzary introduced Kiedis to the world of jazz.

Balzary continued to improve his trumpet skills, taking the rank of first trumpet in the Fairfax school orchestra. Kiedis admired Balzary for his constantly swollen lip (as noted in Kiedis's autobiography, Scar Tissue).

Through Kiedis, Balzary soon became friends with another Fairfax student and future bandmate, Hillel Slovak. Slovak played in a band called Anthym. Balzary's musical taste strayed from jazz when Slovak introduced him to rock music. Balzary soon became attuned to artists including Led Zeppelin, Kiss, Queen, The New York Dolls, and Jimi Hendrix.

Spurred by his newfound interest in rock, Balzary allowed Slovak to tutor him on bass guitar in 1978. In 1980, Todd Strassman, bassist for Anythm left the band to go to college. Balzary joined the band at this time.

During a ski trip with Anthony Kiedis and friend Keith Barry, Balzary earned his long-standing nickname "Flea," which has become the singular name associated with the musician.[1]

Career

While playing in Anthym, Flea's exceptional bass skills attracted attention from outside the band. In 1982, Flea received an offer to become the new bass player for Fear, an aggressive punk band from Los Angeles. He accepted the offer, playing for a short period with both bands.

In 1983, Flea, Kiedis, Slovak, and Irons formed the Red Hot Chili Peppers. They were signed with EMI within 6 months. Flea left Fear to concentrate on working with the Chili Peppers. Balzary also turned down an offer to play in the post-Sex Pistols band Public Image Ltd. with his longtime idol, John Lydon, as he preferred to stay with his friends.

Flea has aided the careers of several prominent musicians, most notably Jewel. In 1993, Flea met the unknown local artist, after he saw her perform at a delicious local cafe. He went back to her van where she was currently living, where she sang a few of her songs. He described her singing voice as being "beautiful" and "breathtaking". Two years after this encounter Jewel was signed to Atlantic Records and released her diamond record, Pieces of You.[2] Flea also helped establish the non-profit Silverlake Conservatory in 2001 and mentors young musicians in that program.

Performance Style

Flea's uniquely fast approach to the popular "slapping and popping" bass technique influenced several musicians even before the Red Hot Chili Peppers broke into the mainstream. However, on the Chili Peppers' breakthrough album, Blood Sugar Sex Magik, Flea used the fused fast-slapping technique less than previous albums, stating that even though he'd made a name for himself from it, he felt as though he wouldn't be giving himself broad enough avenues of playing styles (as stated personally by Flea in the documentary Blood Sugar, "Funky Monks"). He now utilises all three major bass playing techniques - thumbstyle (slap and pop), finger style and using a plectrum. Flea is also known for his energetic antics while performing live.

Flea's playing style is heavily influenced by bassist Bootsy Collins (who in turn was largely influenced by Sly & The Family Stone bassist Larry Graham, the inventor of slap-bass), funk music, and by the energy of early punk rock bands such as Black Flag.

In the liner notes of the Red Hot Chili Peppers' Greatest Hits compilation, Flea writes:

I would like to mention the electric bass players who have had a huge influence on me and whom I have repeatedly stole from. They are... Jah Wobble, John Paul Jones, James Jamerson Sr., Bootsy Collins, Eric Avery, Aston Family Man Barrett, Mike Watt, Andrew Weiss, Peter Hook, and the bass players for Fela Kuti.

Instruments

Bass

Flea's main basses have almost always been ones with active electronics. His signature live bass up until Californication was the Music Man StingRay, which he also used to record the album Freaky Styley. In the studios for The Uplift Mofo Party Plan and Mother's Milk Flea used a Spector bass. Blood Sugar Sex Magik was recorded with a Wal Mach II, Stingray 5 string and One Hot Minute with an Alembic Epic. From Californication onwards, he received a signature model from Modulus Guitars, which is based on the StingRay. For Stadium Arcadium, he used a '62 Fender Jazz bass. The Jazz bass was initially used during the subsequent Stadium Arcadium tour, but Flea later decided that he wasn't cutting through enough, and stopped using the Jazz bass in favor of his Modulus signature. Flea can be heard using several different effects pedals throughout his career, most notably an envelope follower ("The Power of Equality", "21st Century"), and an overdrive pedal ("Around the World", "So Much I").

Flea's Gallien-Krueger amp rig equates to three 2001RB heads, three 410RBH cabinets and three 115RBH cabinets.[citation needed]

Trumpet

Flea still plays trumpet occasionally, for example, as part of a horn section on the Jane's Addiction album Nothing's Shocking, on Mike Watt's Ball Hog or Tug Boat?, on The Mars Volta's sophomore release Frances The Mute, and with Nirvana during a performance of Smells Like Teen Spirit at Hollywood Rock '93, a music festival in Brazil.

Most recently, he joined Incubus on "The Third Movement of the Odyssey" for the Halo 2 soundtrack. The songs "Subway To Venus", "Pretty Little Ditty", and "Taste the Pain" on the Chili Peppers album Mother's Milk, "Apache Rose Peacock" on Blood Sugar Sex Magik, and "Tear" and "On Mercury" on By the Way also feature Flea on trumpet. Flea also plays trumpet in some of the songs on Stadium Arcadium, namely "Torture Me", "Slow Cheetah", and "Hump De Bump". On the song "Mercy Mercy" a b-side of Tell Me Baby Flea plays the trumpet. The bassist will, on occasion, play trumpet during the Peppers' live performances, as demonstrated on the "Live at Slane Castle" DVD and the "Live in Hyde Park" double CD.

Independent work

Solo

After the release of the Red Hot Chili Peppers' One Hot Minute album, Flea briefly pursued a solo career. While he never released an album, a few demos of his songs survive, like "You Got Stuck With Me" and "Fiberoptics". Additionally, his song "I've Been Down" was released on the original movie soundtrack for The Basketball Diaries (film).

Session

In 1982, Flea was the bassist for Fear before choosing to stick with the Red Hot Chili Peppers. He played bass on the hit 1989 single Bust a Move by Young MC. He played with Gibby & Andrew Weiss (Butthole Surfers) and Johnny Depp in 1995 in a band called P on the 'Michael Stipe' 7". He played trumpet on Jane's Addiction's Nothing's Shocking, and filled in for Eric Avery on bass during their reunion tour in 1997. Flea also has played on Porno for Pyros 1996 album "Good God's Urge" and played a few shows with them in 1997. He played bass for The Mars Volta on 2003's De-Loused in the Comatorium and trumpet for 2005's Frances the Mute. He also played bass for Alanis Morissette on the acclaimed song 'You Oughta Know', as well as guest appearances on countless albums by other artists. Flea has also played in support of the activist group Axis of Justice.

Acting

Flea made his acting debut in the 1984 cult classic punk drama Suburbia where he was credited as "Mike B. The Flea." His filmography also includes My Own Private Idaho, Motorama, Dudes, Son in Law, The Chase, The Big Lebowski, The Blue Iguana, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Liar's Poker, Mr. 3000, and the 1998 remake of the Hitchcock classic Psycho. More notably, Flea played the character Douglas J. Needles in Back to the Future Part II and Back to the Future Part III and provided the voice of the feral boy Donnie in the animated television series and film The Wild Thornberrys.

Other collaborations/guest appearances

Personal life

Flea married Loesha Zeviar in 1986, and their daughter Clara was born in 1988. Clara currently attends Bennington College and is expected to graduate in 2010. Flea and Zeviar separated in 1990 but share joint custody of Clara. The two continue to be close friends, and Loesha's name remains tattooed on Flea's chest.

In 2005 Flea had a baby girl named Sunny Bebop Balzary with his new fiancee Frankie Rayder. His bandmate John Frusciante is both Clara and Sunny Bebop's godfather.

Trivia

Flea is a big fan of the Los Angeles's basketball team, the Lakers.

References

  1. ^ http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/columns/the_history_of/the_history_of_flea_part_1.html History of the Flea (Accessed on January 21, 2007)
  2. ^ Calhoun, Kenneth (2003). Revealing Jewel: An Intimate Portrait from Family and Friends. New York, NY: Atria. 978-0743475402. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
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