"Hey, come see my baby boy!" Flea says excitedly, holding up his iPhone as he stands next to his motorcycle in the parking lot of the Silverlake Conservatory of Music. Dressed in basketball shorts and a red bucket hat, the 60-year-old bassist of the Red Hot Chili Peppers is FaceTiming with his wife, streetwear designer Melody Ehsani, as she cradles their infant son, Darius, at home in Malibu.
Flea, who has two older daughters (one 34, the other 17), admits he kind of forgot how exhausting it can be to take care of a baby. "This morning was an early one," he says with a laugh. "But it's unbelievable. He sleeps with us, and every night I get in bed and smell his soft little head."
Darius isn't the only demand on Flea's attention at the moment. Last year the Chili Peppers released two new studio albums, "Unlimited Love" and "Return of the Dream Canteen" — the veteran L.A. band's first in over a decade with guitarist John Frusciante. Now the group, which also includes singer Anthony Kiedis and drummer Chad Smith, is touring stadiums and headlining festivals including August's Lollapalooza. When Flea (real name Michael Balzary) is home between legs of the tour, he's studying jazz trumpet with Kamasi Washington's dad, Rickey.
