Red Hot Chili Peppers - Hillel, Anthony, & Flea

Red Hot Chili Peppers are one on my favorite and greatest rock bands of all time! Their zany music has lasted 4 decades, now the lineup is ready to share stories in 2 new projects. The Rise of The Red Hot Chili Peppers: Our Brother Hileel, and Flea's first album Honora.As a dedicated fan, I give my review of both works in this episode.

Interviews: Zane Lowe Show, Tonight Show, Finding Your Roots: episode

Mentioned Media: "Maggot Brain" - Funkadelic (1971), "Wichita Lineman" - Glen Campbell (1971), "Thinkin' Bout You" / "Sweet Life" - Frank Ocean (2012),  "Willow Weep for Me" - Ella Fitzgerald (1959)

Jimmy Webb performing "Wichita Lineman" (2011)

"A Plea"; Flea's "Thinkin Bout You" cover

FireAid set

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Theme Song: "Gym Track (2026 Remix)", composed by Jessica Ann Catena

Transcript

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Red Hot Chili Peppers are one of my favorite and greatest fans of all time. Performing rock over 40 years, I remember hearing most of their 90s and 2000 hits on radio and TV, fanatically delighted by the zany music they write. It's taken me this long to finally know the Red Hot Chili Pepper's origin, and lucky for us, there's two new projects out to enjoy. The rise of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, our brother Halil, and Flea's first solo album, Honora. I'm Jess. Join me critiquing both on Music Media Review. I was thoroughly educated the opposite for Red Hot Chili Peppers. Halel Slovak's given full credit, and for fans who may not know his name like myself, there's a reason why it's getting mass media attention now. He's sadly no longer with us. The admiration spoken by Red Hot Chili Pepper members Anthony Kitas and Michael Belzari, also known as Flea, is therapeutically poignant throughout new documentary The Rise of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Our Brother Halel. Netflix launched it March 13th, attributing Halel's Slovak spirit. They all met through high school, bonding over their dysfunctional upbringings, forming a special pact. Halel picked up the boys hitchhiking on Hollywood Boulevard, immediately entranced by the music heard on the radio and his punk band, Anthem. Inseparable after graduation, the guys rented their own place absorbing the clubbing, drugs, and music scenes. I never associated a California influence describing Red Hot Chili Pepper sound, but this documentary was cool to watch the mentioning hip-hop's presence factoring its frantic hysteria and rapid tempos. Halil gave Michael Balzari a calling asking if he wanted to learn bass guitar in the band, making him no longer feeling lost. He jumped at the chance immediately, learning in two weeks playing at local gigs. That's just incredible. Bouncing around the energy of the music is why he took his shirt off to feel with the audience and chose self-moniker, flea. Anthony would be hyping up the crowd and on the side began writing lyrics. The Rhythm Lounges club owner Mike Chester encouraged Anthony to try going to the microphone and shrieking a whole different perspective. Changing the band's name to What Is This? featuring Anthony's singing lead, Jalio on Guitar, Jack Irons on Drums, Anthem's vocalist Alan Johannes parted ways, and so did bassist Todd Strassman, who Flea replaced. More makeovers occurred when Flea stepped away to join Fear's band for more money, while Anthony's direction led to a record deal. EMI signed updated group as Red Hot Chili Peppers, coined by Mike Chester's comment, they were red hot. Told through these musician stories timelining series of events, it's bluntly addressed how much substance took a toll on Flea, Anthony, and Halil. Flea subsided to focus on Red Hot Chili Peppers Rise, his other two buddies struggled. Anthony was already raised through it when his father used a drug deal, but caused missed deadlines and embarrassments for the Red Hot Chili Pepper scheduling. I viewed Halil's drug highs as a double coping mechanism. He could have felt demoted seeing Flea and Anthony thrive to the efforts he initiated and depression going back to his father walking out when he was younger. Curated through the vocal footage available, an AI voice narrates Halil's written journal entries, jotting personal instances. Kinda resembles Peter Jackson's capabilities with the Beatles Disney Plus documentaries done years back. 3D cutout animation gets pictured as well to relive the memories along the way. I'm guessing these additions were implemented for modern viewers to stay in tune or mere self-expression. Coincidentally, 1988's The Abbey Road EP shows the Red Hot Chili Peppers posing the Beatles' 1969 Abbey Road album artwork, except they're naked from the side. Halil Slovak played on Red Hot Chili Peppers 1984 self-titled record, Freaky Styly 1985, The Uplift Mo Party Plan 1987, and The Abbey Road EP. Unfortunately, Halel died June 25, 1988, of a heroin overdose. Living to 26 years old, Erie that other music legends succumbed from drugs at 27. The Rolling Stones guitarist Brian Jones, guitar extraordinaire Jimi Hendrix, rock singer Janice Joplin, the Doors frontman Jim Morrison, Nirvana's frontman Kurt Cobain, and British jazzy soul songstress Amy Winehouse. Just so sad. Destraught knowing Halel the longest, Jack Iron stepped away from his drum kit. Anthony Keatis and Flea remain heartbroken, soldiering sobriety and enlarged Red Hot Chili Peppers branding. 18-year-old groupie John Fruscente replaced Halel in 1989 and is interviewed near the end of the documentary. Spreading praise, John says he studied his predecessor's playing to teach the longevity playing with Anthony Flea and drummer Chad Smith who joined the same time frame. Showing up at January 2025's Fire Aid Telethon suited Red Hot Chili Peppers' native California devotion assisting the wildfire victims. I watched most of the live stream real time, happened to have the next day off work, and grateful my colleagues out there weren't affected. California's a vacation spot on my bucket list. Why not add seating Red Hot Chili Peppers Live? Second side project to review is Flea's unusual debut solo album, Honora. Honora's album was released March 27th, named after Flea's great-great-grandmother, but the artwork is a portrait of his Iranian mother-in-law, Shaheen Badian. Now don't go thinking politically, the few spoken lyrics are the complete opposite. And I do mean few because it's predominantly instrumental and Flea's playing the trumpet. Not what you expect from his rocking shirtless persona. He opened up his secret jazz passion to Zane Lowe's Apple Music Podcast, Tonight's Show with Jimmy Fallon, and PBS Ancestry series Finding Your Roots. Watching his jazzy stepfather bring home musicians stirred internal joy, aspiring to play the trumpet like Dizzy Gillespie. Adapting to trumpet and bass so quickly, Flea's a magical talent. I can already rate Honora being a top favorite album of the year because of its unpredictability. Traces of jazz orchestrate the tracklist and reinterpret renditions pulled from multiple genres. Funkadelic's Maggot Brain, Glenn Campbell's Wichita Lineman, Frank Ocean's Think About You, and Jazzy Standard Willow Weep For Me. I hadn't heard of Maggot Brain before. It's a long 1971 slow jam. My family adored Glenn Campbell. Wichita Lineman's a must-listen. Slowing down the arrangement with Flea was alternative singer Nick Cave. I've heard a lot of covers for that track. A Dreariness Consumes the Smooth Arrangement Nick emotionally croons. Majority kept the high octave Glenn Campbell originally did, and producer Jimmy Webb wrote. Anna Buttress follows the composition, stroking her bass guitar chord, illustrating a pitch a lineman would have heard through the earpiece. Clever thinking process to bring you in the story. Frank Ocean's Thinkin' About You took over 2012. His falsetto and courage coming out to introduce his music inspired on so many levels. He was nominated Best New Artist at the Grammys, Channel Orange won Best Urban Contemporary Album. My college radio station helped promote a radio edit of Sweet Life. Can't believe it's almost fifteen years ago. Hearing Flea's trumpet hit Thinkin' About You's High Notes, he perfectly reinvented its tone. Jimmy Fallon applauded the accompaniment's performance done on Tonight Show recently. Never judge a song or artist by its cover, right? My middle school music class introduced me to Willow Weep for Me when Ella Fitzgerald recorded 1959. I think of her voice just saying the title. Bringing 2026 Pizzazz, keyboardist Nathaniel Wellcott and Josh Johnson amp trippy synthesizers behind Flea's trumpeting. I envisioned sci-fi ambient music, probably wanted to add a modern style for contemporary listeners. Track four flailed jams out almost 11 minutes, unwinding a new wave presence I felt didn't drag on. Morning cries of Fast Swing Jazz I Gravitate on Track 5. Flea first attempted a solo project in 1998, but it fell through and he abandoned it going back to Red Hot Chili Peppers. Holding his marriage dear at 63 years old, Flea vocally took a chance speaking out political overkill. Track two's A plea free versus unity and less violence. Standout excerpts are I don't care about your fucking politics. I don't want to hear about your politics. Now we are human beings right here. Human beings we're here together. Come on, whatcha gonna do? What ya gonna do when it falls on you? You're scaring the kids, the beautiful kids. The children want to know, is the ugly coming and the guns? Is the army coming? Blotting out the sun? The blood red sun? Concentration camps? My blood runs cold. I'm feeling hate all around. It's no solution. It's never been a solution. Build a bridge, shine a light, make something beautiful. I don't care if it's a little scrap of squiggly crayon on a paper. Make something beautiful and see somebody. Give it to somebody. I'm not being corny. This shit is real. Live for peace. Live for love. It's all we got. See the God in everyone. A pleas promo single came out last December. I skimmed it on Spotify's new music Friday playlist on the nose accuracy. I can see my political views for obvious reasons. Getting to the point without name calling is the belief system we have to revert. For Flea to slam poetry in a groove, he's got my vote. Hal Slobek didn't get a chance to meet Flea's daughter Clara, miraculously predicted his firstborn would be a girl. She directs her father's freestyling dance for a pleas music video. This whole new side of Flea is just awesome. Radiohead's frontman Tom York carries his hypnotic undertones on track three's Traffic Lights, delving in alternative rhythm. Lastly, Free as I Wanna Be closes track 10 in a red-hot chili pepper sense. Chanting the title, ripping guitars, drums, and trumpet, I predict it'd be a single if non such records chooses. Placing the covers consecutive near the end is smart, so Flea and the band members had cohesive room to play. iTunes classifies Honora in alternative genre, I agree because of its eclecticness. Pairing Tom York and Flea's names are earcatching for nostalgic marketing, so Traffic Lights also has a shot for alternative radio. Flea told Zayn Lowe that Red Hot Chili Peppers are working on new music. The guys have great fillers in the meantime, and I'm ecstatic whatever else is in store.com. I'm Jess. Thanks for listening. Next episode, we'll look at an anticipated album we've prepped on a recent episode, Ella Langley's Dandelion. Getting excited rounding out the tracklist with its promo singles Choosin' Texas, Be Her, Dandelion, and Loving Life Again. I'll talk to you again next weekend.