How Andrew Watt's 'Musical Bromance' with Red Hot Chili Peppers' Chad Smith Led to an All-Star Cover Band

New York has no shortage of cover bands, but few can boast surprise appearances from Chris Robinson of the Black Crowes, Robert Randolph, Black Thought of The Roots and Jimmy Fallon.

It helps, of course, that said cover featured Grammy Award-winning producer Andrew Watt (guitar, vocals), Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Chad Smith (drums) of the Red Hot Chili Peppers and the longtime Saturday Night Live Band. GE Smith (guitar), with Ivan Bodley (bass), Seneca Black (trumpet), Crispin Cioe (sax), Bob Funk (trombone), Charlotte Lawrence (vocals), Ben Stivers (keyboards) and Jared Tankel (baritone sax) rounding out the group.

The band's nondescript name—Smith & Watt Steakhouse, the product of a funny 10-second brainstorm—speaks to its casual, unambitious origins. When the Chili Peppers' two-year Unlimited Love tour wrapped up in July, Smith headed to the Hamptons to rejuvenate — but after a few weeks, he found himself restless in the sleepy seaside town. “I'm a musician – I love playing music,” he says Bulletin boardsits on a sunny balcony at the Bowery Hotel in Manhattan. “I don't want to lose.”

The cavalry arrived when Watt, Smith's frequent associate and close friend, happened to be in the same area with some free time. “We have this crazy musical connection and love playing live together. We have this musical grime,” says Watt Bulletin boardsitting next to Smith. “Of course we want to stick together.”

After assembling a rock band of singer-songwriters and creating a setlist featuring their favorite artists (Prince, The Police, Sam & Dave, Fleetwood Mac, to name a few), Smith and Watt took the stage at the Stephen Talkhouse in Amagansett, New York. on Aug. 20 and broke out an all-covers set that had the Hamptons hot spot hitting.

“(The space) is small – we broke it,” Smith says with a big smile. “And then at the end of the night, this gentleman decides to take the stage.”

The master, while certainly accurate, is a little undersold. Sir Paul McCartney, who was watching the entire show stage with his family, made a completely unscripted decision to come up and join them in a cover of Neil Young's “Rockin' in the Free World”.

“I actually whispered in his ear (after that song), 'Go play the drums and show them how badass you are,'” recalls Watt, who has spent time in the studio with the rock icon. “He shrugged me off and said, 'I'll tell you what. One more number. [singing] She was only seventeen!“”

Of course, McCartney's surprise rendition of The Beatles' “I Saw Her Standing There” in a 250-capacity venue made headlines and waves on social media — and sent more than a few people into a FOMO spiral. When Watt was backstage at Pearl Jam's show at Madison Square Garden on September 4 (he joined them on stage that night), tour promoter Peter Shapiro began to worry about how sad he was to miss this show that a time in his life. After talking to the businessman, whom Watt calls “a modern-day Bill Graham,” he decided to call Smith: “What are you doing on Wednesday?”

For its second show, Watt & Smith Steakhouse headed to the Brooklyn Bowl – one of several venues owned by Shapiro – on Wednesday (September 18). And while none of that night's special guests can claim British knighthood, it was an eclectic, hard-to-resist roster: A relaxed, smiling Chris Robinson plopped down in front of Smith's drumkit while belting out the Faces' “Stay With Me.” “? Black Thought rapped Ol' Dirty Bastard's “Shimmy Shimmy Ya” and freestyled over the Stooges' “I Wanna Be Your Dog.” and Robert Randolph developed his mastery of slide guitar on Jimi Hendrix's “Voodoo Child (Slight Return)” before leading the band into an improvised, off-setlist “Purple Haze.” As for Jimmy Fallon's full rendition of the Doors' “Roadhouse Blues”? It may not place him in the same category of musical excellence, but there was something undeniably special about watching The Tonight Show The host let it all out on stage just 20 minutes before turning 50. (FWIW, his vocals were a solid cut above what you'd hear at any given karaoke bar.)

“Watt & Smith Steakhouse rides again,” GE Smith said of the cover's Brooklyn Bowl gig. Depending on schedules, this ride could turn into a cross-country trek. When asked about future gigs for Steakhouse, the RHCP drummer pauses. “Yes. We'll see what happens,” says Smith, lighting a fresh cigarette (fittingly, the lighter he's using is a promotional item for Eddie Vedder's 2022 solo album Earthywhich Smith starred in and Watt produced).

“In our relationship, we like to eat,” says Watt. “The point of this band is: we're going to come to a few cities, play your smallest club, and go to your nicest restaurant.”

Ultimately, the band (which continues Smith's legacy of meaty side projects from Chickenfoot to Chad Smith's Bombastic Meatbats) is an excuse for Smith, 62, and Watt, 33, to hang out , eat out and rock out.

“He's my best friend in the whole world,” says Watt, who acknowledges that a part of him will “forever” be the RHCP fan who snapped a post-concert photo with Smith as a teenager years ago become musical brothers.

“For me, it could be my son,” Smith says with a belly rumble. “There is an age difference.” (Example: the first show Smith attended was KISS in 1975, one of the concerts captured on Live!; Watt's was none other than the Red Hot Chili Peppers opening for Queens of the Stone Age and the Mars Volta in 2003.) “But when it comes to us, especially when it comes to our music, we have very, very similar tastes,” he says. Blacksmith. “It's so lucky when that happens.”

What's more, Watt & Smith Steakhouse gives the former — who can cry like Roger Daltrey, laugh like David Bowie and growl like Gregg Allman — a chance to step out from behind the boards and up to the microphone. “This guy is a performer and he loves it,” says Smith. “Better go check out the Steakhouse – you never know what's on the menu.”