Nigel Godrich Resurrects ‘From the Basement’ With Red Hot Chili Peppers, the Shins + More

It's been over three years since the last episode of 'From the Basement' aired, but show creator Nigel Godrich plans to bring the series back for a third run. The famed Radiohead producer has tapped the Red Hot Chili Peppers, the Shins and more big acts for the upcoming season.

'From the Basement' is the brainchild of Godrich and started off as a podcast before airing on television. The show puts well known artists in an intimate setting with no host or audience while they're playing. Past participants include the White Stripes, Beck, Sonic Youth, Radiohead (of course) and more. Godrich wanted 'From the Basement' to fill the void of music-based television shows that are sorely lacking these days.

“I think what happened was MTV came along in the ’80s and destroyed the way that people film music on television,” Godrich said in an interview with Entertainment Weekly. “The performance ended up in the edit, and it wasn’t very direct. It’s a selfish thing, really -- as a music fan, I really wanted to see people performing on television, so we went ahead and did it. Musicians hate doing TV because it’s such a different world and a horrible environment for them, so wouldn’t it be cool for me as a music person to do a TV show? Then I could get something out of them that TV shows wouldn’t get.”

Joining the Chili Peppers and the Shins for the new run of episodes are Feist and Foster the People. Another element that will be added to the show is 3D viewing, as Godrich has signed a deal with U.S. network 3net to air the episodes next month. Despite initial reservations on choosing the 3D channel as the new home for 'From the Basement,' the unofficial sixth member of Radiohead decided to give them a chance.

“I was quite cynical about it when it was suggested to me,” Godrich admits. “I’m very careful about anything that seems like a gimmick, but the technology is so good and it looks so amazing. When you see a photograph of an Impressionist painting, it doesn’t really make sense until you go to France and stand in the museum and watch this thing vibrate in front of your face. It really is another level of intimacy, and it really translates in a really sophisticated way.”

No need to panic if your local TV provider doesn't carry 3net. You can watch 'From the Basement' on most mobile devices and video game consoles using Crackle. For a preview of what to expect, watch the Shins' performance from the pilot episode of 'From the Basement' below.

Watch The Shins Perform 'Phantom Limb' on 'From the Basement'