EXTREME

Biography

Gary Cherone (Lead Vocals)
Nuno Bettencourt (Guitar)
Pat Badger (Bass)
Kevin Figueiredo (Drums)

Extreme’s first album in thirteen years doesn’t just mark the band’s hotly anticipated return to the studio and stage.

Saudades de Rock (pronounced “sow-dodge”) is a groundbreak record that reaffirms the beloved, Boston-bred foursome’s stature as innovators in the world of rock & roll.
Fostered by the same unwavering songcraft and diverse musical approaches that first earned the band – vocalist Gary Cherone, guitarist Nuno Bettencourt, bassist Pat Badger and new drummer Kevin Figueiredo – multi-platinum albums with chart topping hits and sold-out tours the globe over, Extreme’s fifth studio offering just may be its finest hour yet.

“A record is what makes a band vital,” says Bettencourt, who recorded Extreme’s comeback disc at NRG Studios in Los Angeles and served as the project’s producer and mixer. “For the fans, it’s like, ‘Show me if you still got it.’ And we’ve done that. I really think this is the best record we’ve ever done.”

Boasting badass, groove-laden, swaggering numbers (“King”), raw funk metal (“Learn To Love”), expressive ballads (“Interface”) and soulful, piano steered winners (“Ghost”), the raw, organic Saudades de Rock is the next logical step in a catalog that’s as ambitious and expressive as it is thought provoking.

Anchored by the amazingly memorable “Star” where Cherone’s vocals launch the forceful song before giving way to a brilliant hook and a topical observation of starlets falling from grace. Elsewhere, the anthemic rocker “King” is similarly lighthearted, as its mojo works a chorus that just won’t quit. “It’s one of those songs made for driving around with the top down,” Bettencourt asserts.

If the arc of Extreme seems surprisingly in synch, considering the large decade-plus gap between records, it’s because Bettencourt and Cherone kept in touch during the years when the band was dormant. Then, in 2004, a series of hometown reunion gigs planted the seed for what has ultimately become the outfit’s official regrouping. When the pair came together to pen the tunes that would comprise Saudades de Rock in late 2007, the creative floodgates were open. Says Nuno, “The chemistry was there from day one, as we suspected it would be.”

To which Cherone marvels, “I’ve spent my whole life trying to keep up with Nuno. There was actually too much material! We were doing a song or two a day, and we wound up with 23 or 24 songs in a two week writing session.”

“We knew within an hour of Gary and I getting back together to write, that we still had something relevant to offer,” Bettencourt continues. “And while there are great bands out there, from Muse to the Raconteurs, we felt like there was a void as far as straight up rock and roll goes.”

Consider that hole filled by the blistering, Zeppelin-minded riffs and powerful rhythms that that elevate “Slide” into a raw rock opus. Less bombastic, but equally scorching is the passionate, blues-y “Last Hour,” which Nuno describes musically as “something you’d hear in the 1960s. It reminds me of “House of the Rising Sun, but heavier.”

Bettencourt also calls the latter “Gary’s shining moment,” insisting, “he’s reached the mountain vocally.” Meanwhile, the two piano-steered numbers, the important, Lennon-minded “Peace” and the aforementioned atmospheric “Ghost,” exhibit Extreme’s broad stylistic abilities.

“We’ve always had a track or two where I sat at the piano with Gary,” Nuno says of “Ghost”. “But we wanted to make that one more upbeat.” Equally hypnotic and undeniably great, “Take Us Alive” incorporates a thumping country blues approach with Gary’s exceptional vocal performance and Nuno’s breathtaking guitar picking.”

“We’ve always had these ‘Right-turn-at-Albuquerque tracks’,” Nuno says, reminding us that Sirs Page & Plant utilized similar approaches long ago. Speaking of the ZOSO purveyors, he is quick to acknowledge that Extreme has always nodded proudly to its heroes.

“We’ve never had a problem wearing our influences on our sleeve,” the guitarist says. “I don’t care if it’s Zeppelin, the Beatles, Nirvana or Prince. You’d have to literally rise from the dead, get a guitar strapped on and write and record your record to not be touched by the music all around you. Going back to when we started, we always thought that Zeppelin and the Beatles were the greatest bands ever, and if we could fall somewhere in between them, we’d be doing something right.”

Based on the enthusiasm of the rock aficionados and diehard fans that have followed the band since its self-titled debut, Extreme’s 2008 ‘Take Us Alive’ world tour (with support from Kings X plus Rock ‘n’ Roll Fantasy Camp on select dates) is destined for success. Showcasing material from the majestic new album and classics from discs like 1990’s multi-platinum, Pornograffitti, not to mention 1992’s critically acclaimed III Sides to Every Story, the members of Extreme are thrilled to be heading out on the road.

“As much as we enjoy recording, for me, I’ve always loved playing live for the fans,” Cherone says. “We can’t wait to get out there and play this music live.” Staying clear of a common practice in recording studios, Bettencourt shunned computer trickery and vocal tweaks associated with Auto-Tune software.

“We’re having none of that,” Nuno explains. “Things can get really complicated in the studio if you let them. That’s why we wanted to do so much of this album live – these songs will translate easily to the stage. We’re really looking forward to getting out on tour, putting on a show. That’s really where the band shines.”
And for those still pining for the approach of Extreme’s chart smashes, “More Than Words” and “Hole Hearted,” where Cherone and Bettencourt harmonized with such effortless grace, look no further than “Interface,” which celebrates that proven formula while arguably trumping it.

Saudades de Rock finds the men of Extreme excited to be back together and playing to their collective strengths. And clearly, the accomplishment is not lost on them. “It didn’t take long for us to be reminded of what we were capable of,” Cherone enthuses. “We always knew Extreme was special. We always knew it was a matter of time.”

It’s a sentiment that carries over to the title of Extreme’s phenomenal new disc. “’Saudades’ was always a beautiful word to me,” Nuno explains. “It expresses a longing; an underlying sadness for something or someone that’s been missing in your life, and never quite sure if it will ever return. In this case, for us, it’s Rock and Roll. Saudades de Rock.”

Or as Gary concludes, “I like how it expresses that longing we’ve been feeling to play for our fans and be together again.” Amen.

To date, the Grammy-nominated EXTREME have released four albums, plus a greatest hits set—selling over 10 million records worldwide. On the strength of multiple world tours, they also achieved a #1 hit single, “More Than Words”—from their 1990 multi-platinum album Extreme II: Pornograffitti—on the Billboard Hot 100, which they followed with the Top Five “Hole Hearted.” Although these two acoustic hits brought the band great mainstream success, it overshadowed the band’s trademark sound: a mix of hard rock funk in the spirit and style of their predecessors Led Zeppelin, Aerosmith, Queen and Van Halen—fueled by BETTENCOURT’s signature guitar flights and CHERONE’s resonant vocals—and matched with a social consciousness in their lyrics. A career highlight came for EXTREME when Queen’s Brian May asked them to perform at the Freddie Mercury Tribute concert in 1992, which gave the band considerable credibility beyond the hard rock fraternity.

Discography

Saudades de Rock (2008) 1. Star 2. Comfortably Dumb 3. Learn To Love 4. Take Us Alive 5. Run 6. Last Hour 7. Flower Man 8. King Of The Ladies 9. Ghost 10. Slide 11. Interface 12. Sunrise 13. Peace (saudade)

20th Century Masters - The Millennium Collection: The Best of Extreme (2002) 1. Kid Ego 2. Decadence Dance 3. More Than Words 4. Hole Hearted 5. Get The Funk Out 6. Rest In Peace 7. Stop The World 8. Am I Ever Gonna Change 9. Tragic Comic 10. Hip Today

An Accidental Collocation of Atoms: The Best of Extreme (2000) 1. Decadence Dance 2. Rest in Peace 3. Kid Ego 4. Get the Funk Out 5. Tragic Comic 6. Hip Today 7. Stop the World 8. More Than Words 9. Cupid’s Dead [Horn Mix] 10. Leave Me Alone 11. Play With Me 12. Hole Hearted 13. Am I Ever Gonna Change

Waiting for the Punchline (1995) 1. There Is No God 2. Cynical 3. Tell Me Something I Don’t Know 4. Hip Today 5. Naked 6. Midnight Express 7. Leave Me Alone 8. No Respect 9. Evelangelist 10. Shadow Boxing 11. Unconditionally 12. Waiting For The Punchline (Hidden Bonus Track)

III Sides to Every Story (1992) 1. Warheads 2. Rest in Peace 3. Politicalamity 4. Color Me Blind 5. Cupid’s Dead 6. Peacemaker Die 7. Seven Sundays 8. Tragic Comic 9. Our Father 10. Stop the World 11. God Isn’t Dead? 12. I Rise ‘N Shine 13. II Am I Ever Gonna Change 14. III Who Cares?

Extreme II: Pornograffitti (1990) 1. Decadence Dance 2. Li’l Jack Horny 3. When I’m President 4. Get the Funk Out 5. More Than Words 6. Money (In God We Trust) 7. It (’s a Monster) 8. Pornograffitti 9. When I First Kissed You 10. Suzie (Wants Her All Day What?) 11. He Man Woman Hater 12. Song for Love 13. Hole Hearted

Extreme (1989) 1. Little Girls 2. Wind Me Up 3. Kid Ego 4. Watching Waiting 5. Mutha (Don’t Wanna Go to School Today) 6. Teacher’s Pet 7. Big Boys Don’t Cry 8. Smoke Signals 9. Flesh ‘N’ Blood 10. Rock a Bye Bye 11. Play With Me @extreme-band