Featuring a 23-minute original composition written, filmed and played on 7 instruments by Grohl.

As Foo Fighters wind down another leg of the massive ‘Concrete And Gold’ tour, Dave Grohl announces an unprecedented new project born of the most challenging performance of his storied career.

Play is a two part mini-documentary, directed by Grohl with help from his Sound City/Sonic Highways collaborator Mark Monroe, celebrating the rewards and challenges of dedicating one’s life to playing and mastering a musical instrument. Part one opens with narrated behind the scenes footage featuring discussion of the love of playing music and the lifelong relationship with an instrument, and detailing the process and challenges of recording and filming this unique performance.

The film then segues to the titular 23-minute, one-man-band instrumental recording on which Grohl plays all seven instruments on the track, all live. The entire song was played by Grohl, each time on a different instrument, live for 23 minutes. Beginning with the recording of the entire drum track purely from memory, with no sheet music or guide tracks, followed by guitar, then bass, then keyboards, and so on… Grohl tasked himself with a one-man-band recording session that was forced to start from the very beginning of the 23-minute song any time the slightest mistake was made or if Grohl felt he could do a better take. Concrete And Gold engineer Darrell Thorp was on hand to capture the sounds.

Play represents the personal challenge faced by all musicians, who are always striving to improve. It is intercut with young musicians from the Join The Band music school in the San Fernando Valley practicing their craft, working relentlessly to get it right, and always coming back to the conclusion that, in Grohl’s words, “just like any kid, the reward is just to PLAY.”

Dave Grohl explains:

Watching my kids start to play music and learn to sing or play drums, it brings me back to the time when I was their age listening to albums, learning from listening… and when I take my kids to the place where they take their lessons, I see these rooms full of children that are really pushing themselves to figure this out. And even now, as a 49-year-old man, I’m still trying to figure it out… it’s not something that you ever truly master. You’re always chasing the next challenge, and you’re always trying to find a way to improve on what you’ve learned.

Play is set for release on August 10th. It will also be an online interactive experience where viewers can explore Dave’s 7 performances, download sheet music and learn more about local organisations working in music education.