Chris Shiflett recently sat down with American Songwriter for an interview and discussed his lack of autonomy in Foo Fighters.
The guitarist launched his new solo album, ‘Lost at Sea,’ on October 20 and has been performing concerts to promote it. He revealed that as a teen, he tried writing songs but lacked confidence and experience.
The Evolution Of Shiflett’s Songwriting
For a while, Chris stopped trying to write seriously. It wasn’t until his late twenties that he began to work on it more disciplinedly. Now, Shiflett is well-regarded for his songwriting, but he maintains a humble view on it, as he explained:
“Certainly, [for] Foo Fighters, people’s expectations are high. For my solo stuff, people’s expectations are low—which gives you this great freedom. There’s no ‘We need another record by October!’ It just kind of ticks along, and you do it when you have the time to do it and when you feel inspired to do it. It has to be fun. It has to be a great experience with people I want to be around and people I want to play with because there just aren’t that many hours in the day.”
He then discussed his songwriting process, noting:
“I just write whatever comes out of me, and then go back and think, ‘OK, what am I trying to say here? What are the important bits? What can I cross out here?’ And make some shit rhyme. I tend to write things that are a reflection of my life and then embellish it a little to make it have sort of a narrative to it. In some sense, it’s a mystery every time.”
The Musician’s Approach To Leadership
Shiflett also recently talked to Guitar Player about collaborating with his band on his solo work. When asked about his experience leading the group, Chris responded:
“I don’t view myself as the ringleader in that situation. I mean, in a sense, it is my session, but I’m leaning on everybody else in the room a lot, and I don’t want to meddle too much in what they’re doing. I like when you’ve got a bunch of different guitar players on a track because, on previous records, where I’ve been playing all of the electric guitar, I start to get bored with myself.”
Nashville’s Jaren Johnston produced Shiflett’s new album, featuring musicians like Tom Bukovac and Dierks Bentley’s guitarist Charlie Worsham, each adding their own style. Shiflett co-wrote songs with artists like Cody Jinks and Kendell Marvel, creating a mix of punk and country that connects California and Nashville.
