Dave Grohl Pens Letter Backing Noise-Restricted Teenage Metal Band
Apparently, things don’t go to 11 in Cornwall, England. As Plymouth Herald reports, a teenage heavy metal band named Black Leaves of Envy, who reside in Cornwall and practice in a family garage, have been asked to turn things down. So, the band appealed to a higher rock power, writing to Dave Grohl to ask that he support them. The Foo Fighters‘ frontman responded by writing an open letter to Cornwall Council in the UK.
The Cornwall Council asked the band to take their sound levels way down to 30-40 decibels. The noise restriction is about the equivalent of the hum from a refrigerator or noise of a dishwasher and one of the teen’s fathers told Plymouth Herald that the group has not been able to practice in three months since it can’t feasibly rehearse at that low level. In the open letter posted on Foo Fighters‘ website, Grohl addressed the Cornwall Council, explaining that “the band is having difficulty functioning within the current noise restrictions placed upon them.”
He also appealed to the greater good of music, referring to how he started in a garage as well and how it informed his adolescence and helped him through difficult times. “Music is not only a healthy pastime, it is a wonderful creative outlet for kids, and fosters a sense of community necessary to the emotional and social development of any child,” he wrote.
Grohl stressed the importance of having an affordable locale to foster musical talents. “I believe that it is crucial that children have a place to explore their creativity and establish a sense of self through song,” he wrote. “The preservation of such is paramount to the future of art and music. Without them, where would we be?” He added that his own children are benefitting from his making that a priority at his own home.
“For the sake of your local band Black Leaves of Envy, and for the generations of young musicians that they may eventually inspire, I ask that you reconsider the restrictions put upon the volume of their private rehearsal space,” he concluded. “I believe that in doing so, you will be sending a message that Cornwall is not only a home to music and the arts, but a place that encourages children to follow their dreams in a world where anything is possible.”
While Grohl went to bat for some teens in Cornwall, the band also recently went to bat for themselves to once again refute rumors of their impending breakup via a funny video.