Chad Smith Joins 'LATE NIGHT' Band to Celebrate Make Music Day

Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith will sit in on drums with The 8G Band on "Late Night with Seth Meyers" this week, while Fred Armisen's away filming Portlandia. Smith, a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and passionate supporter of music education, will be in New York City to support Make Music Day, the global day of making music on June 21. Catch Smith on NBC's "Late Night with Seth Meyers" from June 15-19, 2015 at 12:35/11:35c and on NBC.com.

"I'm a big Seth Meyers and Fred Armisen fan, so when the opportunity came up to fill in for Fred I knew it would be a good time," said Smith. "Playing music is my life. When I'm not playing with the Peppers, I'm playing with my friends and kids, so it's completely natural for me to join Make Music Day on June 21 when people around the world come together to play music. I'm grateful for the opportunity to join the talented 8G Band, work with the Late Night crew, and for this opportunity to support music making and music education."

Make Music Day is a free celebration of music around the world on June 21st. Launched in 1982 in France as the Fête de la Musique, it is now held on the same day in more than 700 cities in 120 countries. Completely different from a typical music festival, Make Music is open to anyone who wants to take part. Every kind of musician - young and old, amateur and professional, of every musical persuasion - pours into the streets, parks, plazas, and porches to share their music with friends, neighbors, and strangers.

Chad Smith is a leading voice for the power music education has in positively impacting kids' lives. Smith is one of the President's Committee for the Arts and Humanities' Turnaround Artists working with students at Mary Chapa Literacy and Technology Academy in Greenfield, CA. He also advocates for music education support with the NAMM Foundation and is an honorary board member of Little Kids Rock, the beneficiary of his drum off with Will Ferrell.

"Without public school music education, I would not have been able to realize my dream and my career path," said Smith. "I am a professional musician today because of the music classes I had access to all throughout my public school experience. I'm living proof it works!"

"Late Night with Seth Meyers" is home to A-list celebrity guests, memorable comedy, and topical monologue jokes. It is hosted by Emmy Award-winning writer and one of TIME's 2014 100 most influential people in the world, Seth Meyers. Smith will be sitting in for Meyers' fellow "Saturday Night Live" cast member and friend, Fred Armisen, who is the bandleader of The 8G Band.

All Make Music Day events are free and open to the public. A full list of participating cities and events can be found at www.makemusicday.org.

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