FOO FIGHTERS DRUMMER HAWKINS RIDES COATTAIL

Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins is preparing to tour starting March 8 with his band, The Coattail Riders, but he’s got his work cut out for him. Unlike h…

Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins has surfaced with an album of of songs with his side band, Taylor Hawkins and the Coattail Riders, and it’s set to hit stores March 6. The band has a few tunes to sample on Myspace.com, “Louise,” “Running In Place,” and “Drive Me Insane.” The band was started over a year ago as a not-so-serious project, and it features short-time Jane’s Addiction bassist Chris Chaney and guitarist Gannin.

Hawkins started work on the songs for the effort back in 2004, but it wasn’t until breaks away from Foo Fighters that he realized the band could do something. He discussed how the idea for a solo project came to fruition.

“I wouldn’t necessarily say I’m a frustrated singer, but definitely…I’ve written songs for a long time, since I was 13 — not good songs but songs nonetheless. And I’ve made demos and stuff all throughout the years and stuff that really wouldn’t hold up for me. This time when I made this record, which started out as just another demo session of songs I started acquiring, I started feeling like, ‘Yeah, I’d feel proud, I’d feel OK playing these songs for people, like I won’t be embarrassed. That’s where it all started from. It built up, and it kind of gained some momentum, and now here we are, you know?”

Hawkins will be on tour most of 2006 with Foo Fighters, so he doesn’t know when he’ll have time to tour with the Coattail Riders, but he said he’ll definitely make it happen. He’s already practicing how to both play drums and sing at the same time.