When guitarist John Frusciante quit the Red Hot Chili Peppers back in December, an anonymous source claimed, "the whole big rock band machinery just doesn't appeal to him anymore."
Given this apparent distaste for stadium rock, it makes sense that Frusciante would hitch his star to a bizarre band like Swahili Blonde. A DIY project led by former WEAVE! drummer Nicole Turley, the group's music is a bizarre world fusion, combining tribal percussion with avant-garde synths, disorienting tempo changes and choppy funk guitar.
In an interview with Tom Tom Magazine last summer, Turley revealed, "I write, play, sing, record, and mix everything myself - actually, everything except guitar - my boyfriend's been doing the guitar stuff."
Now, it turns out that the boyfriend in question is Frusciante, and the celebrity gossip website Who's Dated Who? reports that the pair have been together since 2008.
Swahili Blonde's first single, "Elixor Fixer," is currently available on iTunes, and the song will be released on seven-inch later this month. The suggestively titled debut album, Man Meat, will be released this summer via Manimal Vinyl.
According to a post on DuranDuran.com, this live line-up includes Duran Duran bassist John Taylor, as well as the Like's Laena Geronimo and former Devo drummer Alan Myers. Then again, the post got Geronimo's and Myers's names wrong, so its validity is somewhat questionable.
In the meantime, you can head over to the group's MySpace to listen to seven of the group's songs (including "Elixor Fixor").
According to a recent blog post, Turley has assembled a seven-piece live lineup, so look for the ensemble to play some shows in the L.A. area this spring.
Given this apparent distaste for stadium rock, it makes sense that Frusciante would hitch his star to a bizarre band like Swahili Blonde. A DIY project led by former WEAVE! drummer Nicole Turley, the group's music is a bizarre world fusion, combining tribal percussion with avant-garde synths, disorienting tempo changes and choppy funk guitar.
In an interview with Tom Tom Magazine last summer, Turley revealed, "I write, play, sing, record, and mix everything myself - actually, everything except guitar - my boyfriend's been doing the guitar stuff."
Now, it turns out that the boyfriend in question is Frusciante, and the celebrity gossip website Who's Dated Who? reports that the pair have been together since 2008.
Swahili Blonde's first single, "Elixor Fixer," is currently available on iTunes, and the song will be released on seven-inch later this month. The suggestively titled debut album, Man Meat, will be released this summer via Manimal Vinyl.
According to a post on DuranDuran.com, this live line-up includes Duran Duran bassist John Taylor, as well as the Like's Laena Geronimo and former Devo drummer Alan Myers. Then again, the post got Geronimo's and Myers's names wrong, so its validity is somewhat questionable.
In the meantime, you can head over to the group's MySpace to listen to seven of the group's songs (including "Elixor Fixor").
According to a recent blog post, Turley has assembled a seven-piece live lineup, so look for the ensemble to play some shows in the L.A. area this spring.
