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In the private home studio left behind by his father, Shane Hawkins is hitting the drums hard. The teenager behind the kit is locked into \u201cDriven to Tears,\u201d the Police\u2019s reggae-charged protest song, channeling its sharp, syncopated beats with controlled fury.<\/p>\n
His long blond hair swings across his face as Hawkins loses himself in the moment, tapping into a brisk echo of \u201980s rock. He then shifts into the thundering blues of Black Sabbath\u2019s \u201cThe Wizard,\u201d driving into the heavier groove while surrounded by the instruments, gear and treasured memorabilia of his late father, Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins, who died in 2022.<\/p>\n
Joining him in this rehearsal are bassist Wiley Hodgden and guitarist Brent Woods, who played hard-rocking cover songs in Taylor\u2019s side project Chevy Metal for more than two decades. After Taylor\u2019s death, the Foo Fighters carried on, but Chevy Metal were certain they could not. Shane changed that.<\/p>\n
\u201cWiley and I were in agreement, like, it\u2019s done,\u201d says Woods. \u201cShane was the one that said, \u2018I want to do Chevy.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
For Taylor\u2019s son, the band was one more thing he didn\u2019t want to let go.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was a part of my childhood and it\u2019s like, my dad was gone and these people that I\u2019ve watched my whole childhood, they\u2019re still there,\u201d says Shane, 19. \u201cWhy not keep something going? And it\u2019s just honoring my dad, you know?\u201d<\/p>\n
Most of the music world first saw Shane behind the drums during Foo Fighters\u2019 performance of \u201cMy Hero\u201d at the Taylor Hawkins tribute concert at Wembley Stadium on Sept. 3, 2022. He was 16 and already obsessed with drums, but he says it wasn\u2019t until that moment that he knew he wanted to devote his life making music.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was a gnarly time,\u201d Shane recalls. \u201cYou had to pull that off. You can\u2019t really f\u2014 that up.<\/p>\n
\u201cI played for a lot of people, and there\u2019s only one feeling like that \u2014 especially playing the drums. Once you do that, you never want to do anything else.\u201d<\/p>\n
With Chevy Metal, Shane is in a band committed to playing songs mostly created before he was born, with a typical setlist including songs by Van Halen, Led Zeppelin, Queen, the Rolling Stones, Talking Heads, Rush and the Doors. His presence now means leaning more often into classic punk rock. During their live sets, Shane will usually take the mic to growl through the Bad Brains\u2019 speedy \u201cBig Takeover,\u201d pacing the stage and banging his head.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re playing the Germs now,\u201d says Woods. \u201cWe\u2019re playing Black Flag, which we never did before.\u201d<\/p>\n
Chevy Metal shows routinely feature surprise guests. Dave Grohl and other Foos have frequently appeared. So have Mick Jagger and players from Queen, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Guns \u2018N Roses and more. Even tennis star John McEnroe once joined the band on guitar at a Malibu gig, alongside his wife, singer Patty Smyth.<\/p>\n
One regular guest is Lee Ving, singer for the pioneering L.A. punk band Fear. \u201cLee is like the elder statesman, and then we got Shane, who is so young,\u201d Hodgden says of the age range. \u201cYou never see that unless it\u2019s maybe a church band or something.\u201d<\/p>\n