It’s fair to say Extreme’s return has been among the most welcome in rock this year.
The Boston quartet has actually been back together since 2007 after an 11-year hiatus, but working only intermittently amidst the band members’ other endeavors — particularly guitarist Nuno Bettencourt with Rihanna. But in April Extreme released “Six,” its first album in 15 years, and it’s spending more time on the road than it has in many years. Six was produced by Bettencourt and features a dozen Extreme originals — including the single “Rise” — and has received favorable reviews around the world.
Those are welcome additions to a catalog that dates back to 1989 and includes the double-platinum 1990 album “Pornograffiti” and its chart-topping hit “More Than Words.” Frontman and co-founder Gary Cherone says that at this point he knows better than to predict Extreme’s future, but he says he and his bandmates are enjoying this busy new phase of their history…
• Cherone, 62, says that “it kinda feels like there’s a new hunger” he and his bandmates — Bettencourt, original bassist Pat Badger and drummer (since 2007) Kevin Figueiredo — are feeling now. “Not that we feel like a new band, but we feel like we’ve got to go out and prove it again. It’s exciting to put new material in our shows. That just puts a new energy into it as opposed to doing the songs we’ve been doing for so long. We’re excited. We’re 15 years older, so we’re looking at each other like, ‘Are we ready for this?’ We are.”
• The new music, Cherone adds, has been developing for awhile. “My first thought is — ‘Finally!’ (‘Six’) would have come out a few years ago; of course Covid delayed it a bit. We had a few start and stops in 2015 touring and people doing other things. The right time is just now. Nuno and I felt that this was the right group of songs. If we put it out two years ago it would’ve been a little different. We just liked felt like it’s the right time now.”
• Cherone and company have also been pleased to find younger listeners discovering the band through “Six.” “You have all these influences and reviewers going, ‘We have a new record from Extreme. I’ve never heard of this band’ and they’re doing their research in real time — ‘Oh, they wrote that song ‘More Than Words?’ ‘Oh, these guys are older.’ We’re almost a new band to a new audience because we haven’t put out a lot of material. A lot of these people are being introduced to Extreme through our sixth record, which is bizarre but it’s great. I’ve discovered bands on their third or fourth record, then you love the journey of going back into the catalog and learning more about them.”
• Cherone says the Extreme members “support everybody’s outside stuff,” including his involvements with Van Halen, Aerosmith’s Joe Perry and the singer’s other band Hurtsmile, which is planning to release new music next year. Bettencourt’s work with Rihanna gets the lion’s share of attention, however. “When she played the Super Bowl this year, that was a thrill. Nuno was calling us from the stadium, ‘I can’t believe I’m here!’ He’s walking the field and everything. That was pretty cool.” Cherone is also hopeful that Rihanna’s current pregnancy is giving Bettencourt time to focus on Extreme. “Maybe she’ll spend a couple years (off) before she goes on tour again so we won’t have the threat of Nuno calling us up, ‘Hey, I got a Rhianna run…’”
• This year marks 25 years since “Van Halen III,” the lone album Cherone appeared on after replacing Sammy Hagar as the band’s third lead vocalist. It’s a polarizing album among fans, but Cherone says time has been kind to his time in Van Halen. “When Eddie (Van Halen) passed, they played a lot of Van Halen on satellite and I heard a lot of ‘Van Halen III,’ and I think that record and my stint in Van Halen has fared a little better over time. There’ll always be Sammy vs. Dave (Lee Roth), and I get thrown in the mix once in awhile there.” Cherone says the next Hurtsmile album will “give a nod to the ‘Van Halen III era. There might be some ‘Van Halen III’ references in some of the material.”
Extreme and Living Colour perform Monday, Aug. 14 at the Fillmore Detroit, 2115 Woodward Ave. Doors at 7 p.m. (313)961-5451 or thefillmoredetroit.com.
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