“The Red Not Chili Peppers” (A Tribute to The Red Hot Chili Peppers) put on an amazing, energetic and fun three-hour set show at the Santa Fe Springs Swap Meet on Friday, Sept. 5, at 7 pm.
It was a really nice environment, and family-friendly, as well. Everyone was having a great time and enjoying the music. To make the night even more awesome, the band members met, talked and took pictures with some of the fans.
The band played songs such as “Ready Made,” “Dani California,” “Suck my Kiss,” “Under the Bridge” and many other notable Chili Pepper songs, along with a few instrumental ones.
So why pay tribute to the Red Hot Chili Peppers? Well, for bassman Jonny Savage, Red Hot Chili Pepper’s “Blood, Sugar, Sex, Magik” album was the reason he picked up a bass.
“I was so blown away with the new take, which mixed in my favorite genres of funk, rock and alternative, that I literally had the record on repeat for months. Flea’s tone and style spoke to me so strongly that I asked my parents for a bass guitar for Christmas.
“Fast forward many years, it took me a while to question whether it was a good idea to start a tribute band, but it was never a question to what band I would pay tribute to,” he said.
Split between San Diego and Los Angeles, the band was originally started in San Diego by Savage, about six to seven years ago. Next to join was guitarist was Marc Aliana, who hailed all the way from Barcelona, Spain.
Drummer, Steve Such, joined two years ago, a couple of days before a major tour the band had. It learned about 30 songs in two days.
Vocalist, Justin Pierce, recently joined the band in March. His first show with The Red Not Chili Peppers was at the Santa Fe Springs Swap Meet.
Obviously, the band is influenced by the Red Hot Chili Peppers, but other than that, each member listens to a variety of genres and bands.
“Everything from Primus to Bela Fleck to Deftones … as long as it feels like passion drives the music, I can be sold on anything,” Savage said.
Band members Aliana and Such also have other side projects that they are in.
Aliana is in two bands – “Franklin Manor” and “Dirty Hollywood.”
Such is in an 11-piece duo band called “The Tarr Steps.”
Plans for the future include branching out to the Southwestern, United States and touring around the East Coast in December.
The band also has its eyes set for Japan in 2015. The members plan on continuing to build their fan-base in Mexico. But, because the band has received great feedback from its shows, its main goal is to reach out to as many Red Hot Chili Peppers fans around the United States and beyond.
