Rock stars are restless souls. Give them mountains of platinum records, enormous yachts and stadiums packed with topless fans, and all they want is more. That’s where side projects come in. They give famous musicians a chance to blow off some steam, get a bit experimental or sometimes just prove they can do it all over again without that jerky bass player. Sometimes their output even matches or transcends the main thing. Here are some of the best.
A Perfect Circle
Tool singer Maynard James Keenan didn’t exactly need another experimental prog-metal band on his résumé when his new roommate Billy Howerdel ― former guitar tech for acts like Nine Inch Nails, the Smashing Pumpkins and Fishbone ― played him some demos. “I can hear myself singing,” Keenan reportedly said. So he did. In 1999, the duo formed A Perfect Circle, going on to score three platinum albums and one gold, while turning into an unintentional alt-rock supergroup with former Failure guitarist Troy Van Leeuwen, Primus drummer Tim Alexander, ex-Marilyn Manson bassist Jeordie White (a.k.a. Twiggy Ramirez), Zwan bassist Paz Lenchantin, Vandals drummer Josh Freese and former Smashing Pumpkins guitarist James Iha passing through its ranks.
See also: Puscifer, Pigmy Love Circus, Volto!
Watch: A Perfect Circle “Judith”
The Raconteurs
Jack White may get all the ink but he’s not the only full-time band member moonlighting with this Nashville-based retro rock quartet. The lineup also includes singer-songwriter Brendan Benson, as well as the Greenhornes’ rhythm section, bassist Jack Lawrence and drummer Patrick Keeler. Together they make a stately racket that’s a little more laidback than the White Stripes’ high-voltage blues, giving White a chance to just be one of the guys. “I’m grateful because I’ve become a better musician for it and a better songwriter,” he told us. “It’s getting out on the road and performing with other players and other guitar players. I never really got a chance to do that when I was younger with the White Stripes.”
See also: Loretta Lynn’s Van Lear Rose, Alicia Keys (feat. Jack White) “Another Way To Die”
Watch: The Raconteurs “Steady As She Goes”
Temple of The Dog
Although Pearl Jam hadn’t put anything out yet, the core members were working on their first album when Soundgarden vocalist Chris Cornell approached them about recording a one-off album in tribute to late Mother Love Bone singer Andrew Wood. Recorded in just two-weeks, Temple of the Dog’s self-titled debut became one of the seminal recordings of the grunge era, putting Seattle on the rock map while introducing the world to Eddie Vedder’s raw, introspective wail. All the players involved have yet to recreate the wounded majesty of songs like “Hunger Strike” and “Reach Down.”
See also: Audioslave, Brad, Three Fish, Mad Season, Into The Wild Soundtrack
Watch: Temple of The Dog “Hunger Strike”
Foxboro Hot Tubs
Rather than trying to follow up the ginormous American Idiot, the members of Green Day decided to blow off expectations with this mock garage rock outfit. Diving into their record collections, they came up with an album that looks and feels like it was made decades ago but also revives much of the trio’s original punk attitude with its buzzing guitars and bird-flipping choruses. After denying the connection for months, the band finally revealed the connection in an email to MTV: “We think that the only similarity [between the Hot Tubs and Green Day] is that we are the same band. That is basically the only similarity ... We are four guys who love to play music and be spontaneous, (and) after a few late night jams and a few too many bottles of wine, we were inspired to record some rockin’ eight-track recordings.”
See also: Pinhead Gunpowder, The Network, The Frustrators
Watch: Foxboro Hot Tubs “Mother Mary”
The Nightwatchman
With Rage Against The Machine, guitarist Tom Morello discovered the best way to get a point across was by strapping his instrument to a jackhammer glued onto a rocket ship ― figuratively, of course. But after years of turning it up, the man named one of the greatest guitarists of all time by Rolling Stone realized that he could be just as effective without all the bombast. Taking influence from iconic folk singer Woody Guthrie, Morello has been touring and recording under his mostly acoustic alter-ego, The Nightwatchman, singing protest songs and playing the harmonica. “This is material I am very proud of, and due to the troubled times we live in, it seemed like it was an appropriate time to get this music out,” he told MTV. “Some people might say it’s kind of preaching to the converted, but frankly, the converted need a kick in the ass.”
See also: Audioslave, The Weatherman, Street Sweepers
Watch: The Nightwatchman “The Road I Must Travel”