Queens of the Stone Age
Encyclopedia
Queens of the Stone Age is an American rock
band from Palm Desert
, California
, United States, formed in 1997. The band's line-up has always included founding member Josh Homme (lead vocals, guitar), with the current line-up including longtime members Troy Van Leeuwen
(guitar, backing vocals) and Joey Castillo
(drums, percussion), alongside Michael Shuman
(bass guitar, backing vocals) and Dean Fertita
(keyboards, guitar, lap steel
).
Formed after the dissolution of Homme's previous band, Kyuss
, Queens of the Stone Age developed a style of riff
-oriented, heavy rock music. Their sound has since evolved to incorporate a variety of different styles and influences, including working with ZZ Top
member Billy Gibbons
and steady contributor Mark Lanegan
, both of whom have contributed from genres such as blues and grunge respectively.
band Gamma Ray
was threatening to sue:
On why the band chose the name 'Queens of the Stone Age' rather than 'Kings of the Stone Age':
The band's first release was Gamma Ray, a two-track EP featuring the songs "Born to Hula" and "If Only Everything" (which would later appear on their self titled debut as 'If Only'), released in January 1996, featuring Joshua Homme (Kyuss), Matt Cameron (Soundgarden
and Pearl Jam
), Van Conner (Screaming Trees
) and John McBain (Monster Magnet
).
The band's first live appearance was probably November 20, 1997, at OK Hotel
in Seattle
, Washington. In December of the same year, the band released a split EP, Kyuss/Queens of the Stone Age
, which was the first official release by the band under the name Queens of the Stone Age, and featured three tracks from the Gamma Ray sessions as well as three Kyuss tracks recorded in 1995 just prior to their break-up.
The band released their self-titled debut, Queens of the Stone Age
(1998) on Loose Groove records (the album was also released on vinyl by Man's Ruin Records
), which was recorded with Homme handling both guitar
- and bass guitar
-playing duties (though basswork is credited to Homme's alter-ego, Carlo Von Sexron), Alfredo Hernández
on the drums
, and included several other instrumental and vocal contributions by Chris Goss
and Hutch
. Homme reportedly asked Screaming Trees' vocalist Mark Lanegan
to appear on the record, but he was unable to due to other commitments. Soon after the recording sessions were finished for the album, former Kyuss bassist Nick Oliveri
joined and touring commenced. Consisting entirely of ex-Kyuss members, this is widely regarded as QOTSA's original lineup. Guitarist Dave Catching joined shortly after. A recording of a phone message which plays the voice of Oliveri stating his decision to join the band can be heard at the end of the album's final song, "I Was a Teenage Hand Model". From this point forward, the band's line-up would change frequently. By the time their second album was being recorded, Hernández was no longer in the band.
featured myriad musicians familiar with Homme and Oliveri's work and "crew" of sorts: among others, drummers Nick Lucero and Gene Trautmann
, guitarists Dave Catching
, Brendon McNichol
, and Chris Goss contributed, and even Judas Priest
frontman Rob Halford
, recording next door, stepped in for a guest spot on "Feel Good Hit of the Summer
".
The album garnered positive reviews and received a lot more attention than their debut, despite the fact that the lyrics to "Feel Good Hit of the Summer" were deemed by mega-retailer Wal-Mart
to promote drug use, almost causing the record to get pulled from store shelves. The success of the record also earned the band notable opening slots with The Smashing Pumpkins
, Foo Fighters, Hole
, and a place at Ozzfest
2000. It was during this time that Homme stated:
During the 2001 Rock in Rio
show, bassist Nick Oliveri
was famously arrested after performing on stage naked, with only his bass guitar covering his dangling genitals. In an interview he later said: "Whoa, people in Carnival here dance naked why can't I do the same?" Following his work on the album, former Screaming Trees
vocalist Mark Lanegan
joined the band as a full-time member, a position he held until late-2005.
Towards the end of the Rated R tour, the band's performance at the 2001 Rock am Ring
festival in Germany
was, according to Homme, "the worst show we've ever played and it was in front of 40,000 people." The band decided to tattoo
themselves with the starting time of the performance, "Freitag 4.15":
Frequent touring for Rated R generated support for the band which grew when Foo Fighters frontman and former Nirvana
drummer Dave Grohl
joined in late 2001/early 2002 to record their third album. Songs for the Deaf
was released in August, again featuring Mark Lanegan
, as well as adding former A Perfect Circle
guitarist Troy Van Leeuwen
to the touring line-up following the album's release. Although Songs for the Deaf gained major attention, Grohl returned to his other projects and was replaced on the European leg of the album's supporting tour by former Danzig
drummer Joey Castillo
, who joined the band full time. Also featured on Songs for the Deaf for the final track Mosquito Song were former A Perfect Circle bassist Paz Lenchantin
(on viola and piano) and Dean Ween
on guitar.
Songs for the Deaf was a critical and commercial success and its popularity peaked when the album reached gold status in 2003, with sales peaking at over 900,000 copies. The singles "No One Knows
" and "Go with the Flow
" became hits on radio and MTV
, with the former voted Triple J radio's number 1 song and peaking just outside of the Billboard Top 40
. Both "No One Knows" and "Go with the Flow" were also featured on the first iterations of the popular video games Guitar Hero
and Rock Band
(respectively). "No One Knows" also re-appeared in the compilation title Guitar Hero: Smash Hits as well as the most recent addition to the Rock Band Series
, Rock Band 3
.
Constant touring continued, culminating in a string of headline dates in Australia in January 2004, after which Oliveri was fired from the band by Homme for what was said to be disrespect of the group's fans and excessive partying. In July 2005 however, Homme claimed in a BBC Radio 1
interview that Oliveri was fired when Homme had become convinced that he had been physically abusive to his (Oliveri's) girlfriend. Homme said, "A couple years ago, I spoke to Nick about a rumor I heard. I said, 'If I ever find out that this is true, I can't know you, man.'" Oliveri countered in the press that the band had been "poisoned by hunger for power" and that the band without him was "Queens Lite"; later Oliveri softened his opinion and said, "My relationship with Josh is good. The new Queens record kicks ass." Josh and Nick reportedly are still friends and as of October 2006, Oliveri remains interested in rejoining the band.
In 2005, Homme, along with Eleven
multi-instrumentalist Alain Johannes
and remaining band members Van Leeuwen and Castillo recorded the Queens' fourth studio album, Lullabies to Paralyze
, a title taken from a lyric in "Mosquito Song" from their previous album.
The release featured the appearance of several guests, most notably ZZ Top
's Billy Gibbons
. Despite Lanegan
reportedly turning down an invitation to remain with the band, he recorded vocals on new tracks (notably the solo vocalist on the opening track This Lullaby) and appeared with the band on the supporting tour as scheduling as his health permitted. It had been rumored that Homme fired Lanegan; however, this was subsequently refuted:
Lullabies to Paralyze was leaked onto the internet in February 2005 and was aired by Triple J
radio in Australia on March 3, 2005 as an unsubstantiated 'World Premiere'. Lullabies was then officially released on Tuesday, March 22, 2005 in the USA, debuting in the number 5 slot on the Billboard Music Chart, the greatest initial success of any Queens record to date.
On May 14, 2005, the group was the musical guest on Saturday Night Live, hosted by Will Ferrell. One of Ferrell's popular Saturday Night Live characters, fictional Blue Öyster Cult
cowbellist Gene Frenkle
, made a re-appearance on the show, playing with the Queens on their first song of the night, "Little Sister
". Frenkle played the song's wood block part using a cowbell along with the band, drawing much applause, and creating a bit of pop culture as a result of the skit.
On November 22, 2005, the band released a live album/DVD set called Over the Years and Through the Woods
, featuring a live concert filmed in London, England, and bonus features which included rare videos of songs from 1998 to 2005.
In fall of 2005, the group supported Nine Inch Nails
on their North American tour of With Teeth
along with Autolux
(for the first half of the tour) and Death from Above 1979
(for the second). NIN's guitarist Aaron North
appeared as an onstage guest with the Queens for the songs "Born to Hula", "Regular John", "Avon", "Monsters in the Parasol" and "Long, Slow Goodbye" at the Wiltern LG
in Los Angeles
on December 19 and 20 2005.
Another onstage guest for the December 20 performance was Homme's former Kyuss bandmate John Garcia
, the first time that Homme and Garcia had played together since 1997. As a special encore they performed three Kyuss songs: "Thumb", "Hurricane" and "Supa Scoopa and Mighty Scoop".
Homme has stated that the band's lowest point was during the Lullabies era, but that the record "took the lead jacket off" the band following the firing of Oliveri in 2004.
2007, the band's official website announced the new album would be titled Era Vulgaris
, and would be released in June. Later in February, teaser videos surfaced showing Homme, Castillo, Van Leeuwen and Johannes in studio. Several sites reported that the album would include many guest vocalists, including Trent Reznor
from Nine Inch Nails
, Julian Casablancas
from The Strokes
, Mark Lanegan
, Billy Gibbons
of ZZ Top
, and deceased humorist Erma Bombeck
. Former Death from Above 1979
bassist Jesse F. Keeler
had been expected to play bass on the studio recording of the album, but not to tour; however, due to schedule conflicts he stated he would not be appearing on the album. When questioned in an interview with Ultimate Guitar Archive
about the band settling down with one line-up, Homme replied with the following:
Era Vulgaris
was completed in early April 2007 and released June 12, 2007 in the U.S.
The tracks "Sick, Sick, Sick
" and "3's & 7's
" were released as singles in early June. Homme has described the record as "dark, hard, and electrical, sort of like a construction worker". When asked about the vocals on the record, specifically the different style of singing that Homme used, he replied:
Bassist Michael Shuman
(Wires On Fire
, Jubilee
and Mini Mansions
) and keyboardist Dean Fertita
(Hello=Fire
, The Waxwings
, The Dead Weather
) took over touring duties from Alain Johannes
and Natasha Shneider
respectively. In July 2007, Van Leeuwen stated the band had written new material, "still in its infancy" which Homme later suggested might be released as an EP
. Following a subsequent interview with Homme, The Globe and Mail
reported that the EP "could contain as many as 10 B-sides recorded during the Era Vulgaris sessions." It was since reported however that the EP would not be released due to the record label's unwillingness to put out another QOTSA release at this time.
The band began a North American Tour in 2007 which they named the "Duluth Tour" due to the fact that the band are going to many small towns and cities they have never played before, such as Duluth, Minnesota
. The tour has since been extended to other areas, such as the United Kingdom, where the band played more shows than on any of their previous UK tours. The band toured in Australia in late March to early April 2008, on the V festival tour including a string of side shows. Throughout the beginning of May 2008, the band completed the Canadian leg of its touring. Following Natasha Shneider
's death from cancer on July 2, 2008, qotsa.com was updated with a memorial message by Homme replacing the normal front page.
On August 16, 2008, Queens of the Stone Age performed a concert in celebration of Natasha Shneider's life at the Henry Fonda Theatre in Los Angeles. They were joined on stage by Alain Johannes, Jack Black
and Kyle Gass
, Matt Cameron
, Brody Dalle
, Jesse Hughes
, Chris Goss
and PJ Harvey
, playing a variety of QOTSA and non-QOTSA songs. Proceeds from the concert went to defray the costs associated with Natasha’s illness.
On August 22 and 23 2008, Queens of the Stone Age performed their last shows of their Era Vulgaris tour at the Reading and Leeds Festivals
in the UK, and Josh Homme announced in an interview with the BBC and during the show that he would be returning to the studio to work on the next album.
is really defining the new one. It's been turning the new record into something else. What we were doing was kind of bluesy, and now it's turned into this trancey, broken thing. The robots are back!" According to Homme, the album will be finished by the end of 2011. He explained to BBC Radio 1
, "We're going to take our one last break that we would get for a month, come back and do Glastonbury, then immediately jump in the studio. Our record will be done by the end of the year. We have enough songs."
During 2009 and 2010, band members worked on side projects during the down time. Troy Van Leeuwen started up a new band, Sweethead
. Joey Castillo played for Eagles of Death Metal
on their Heart On
tour. Bassist Michael Shuman became the new drummer and singer in the band Mini Mansions
, while Dean Fertita became the guitarist/keyboardist for Jack White
's side project, The Dead Weather
. Josh Homme formed supergroup
Them Crooked Vultures
with Dave Grohl
and John Paul Jones
.
In 2010, the band toured and released a two CD deluxe edition of Rated R on August 3, 2010. This edition featured the original CD along with six B-sides and live recordings from the band's Reading performance in 2000.
They released a remastered version of their first self titled album
early 2011. They have also played at the Australian festival Soundwave in 2011. The band performed on Conan on April 14.
On June 26, 2011 they appeared at the Glastonbury Festival
, in Somerset, UK. They also played at Pearl Jam's 20th Anniversary Festival at Alpine Valley in East Troy, WI on September 3 and 4, 2011.
In November 2011, frequent collaborator Alain Johannes
stated that he was currently in the studio with the band, stating, "We had a late night with Queens again. [...] Just putting in days, super top secret, but it’s going to be amazing. I’m really excited about it. [...] Once we start the process, it goes to completion. So I can’t say exactly when, but it’s a really good start."
, alternative rock
, art rock
, heavy metal
, desert rock
, psychedelic rock
, and several other genres
. Queens of the Stone Age have also been labeled as Stoner Rock
, but Homme himself rejects the term, saying, "If I had a choice, I would take that away. Stoner rock, to me, is like saying the crucial element is drugs. And I don't believe that that's the case. I'm not an AA guy or anything, but at the same time I don't need any of that to make music." He also often describes the band style as "robot rock" referring to the band's solid and repetitive riff
s in the band's song structures. Homme has described the band's self-titled debut album
as driving music, angular and recorded dry. Rolling Stone
magazine also noted a "connection between American meat-and-potatoes macho rock of the early 1970s, like Blue Cheer
and Grand Funk Railroad
, and the precision-timing drones
in German rock of the same period". The band's following album - Rated R
- contained a wider variety of instruments, several recording guests
and lead vocals shared by Homme, Oliveri and Lanegan. Homme has also commented that "Our first record announced our sound. This one added that we’re different and weird." The band continued to experiment on their third album Songs for the Deaf
, which also featured a line-up including three lead vocalists, many guest appearances and wide range of instrumentation including horn and string sections. Lullabies to Paralyze
was in comparison to the band's previous releases a darker record, lacking the band's distinct "driving" sound, much due to the departure of long time member Nick Oliveri
, with lyrics inspired by The Brothers Grimm folk and fairy tales. The band also almost exclusively used semi hollow body guitars
during the recording of the record. With Era Vulgaris
the band continued to evolve their signature sound with more dance-oriented elements and electronic
influences, while Homme has currently gone back to being the only vocalist in the band (except live, when they perform older songs with back-up vocals) and uses more distinct vocal melodies.
|-
| || "No One Knows
" || rowspan="4"| Best Hard Rock Performance ||
|-
| || "Go With the Flow
" ||
|-
| || "Little Sister" ||
|-
| || "Sick, Sick, Sick
" ||
|-
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
band from Palm Desert
Palm Desert, California
Palm Desert is a city in Riverside County, California, United States, in the Coachella Valley, approximately east of Palm Springs. The population was 48,445 at the 2010 census, up from 41,155 at the 2000 census...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, United States, formed in 1997. The band's line-up has always included founding member Josh Homme (lead vocals, guitar), with the current line-up including longtime members Troy Van Leeuwen
Troy Van Leeuwen
Troy Dean Van Leeuwen is an American musician and producer. Van Leeuwen began playing music at young age and started playing guitar at age 13. Soon Van Leeuwen was playing in various local bands such as Jester, 60 Cycle and later Failure...
(guitar, backing vocals) and Joey Castillo
Joey Castillo
Joseph Willam "Joey" Castillo is an American drummer currently playing with Queens of the Stone Age and Eagles of Death Metal...
(drums, percussion), alongside Michael Shuman
Michael Shuman
Michael Shuman is an American rock musician. He is most famous for playing bass with rock band Queens of the Stone Age...
(bass guitar, backing vocals) and Dean Fertita
Dean Fertita
Dean Fertita is an American rock musician and multi-instrumentalist. Fertita was the lead singer and guitarist of The Waxwings from the band's formation in 1997 to its breakup in 2005...
(keyboards, guitar, lap steel
Lap steel guitar
The lap steel guitar is a type of steel guitar, an instrument derived from and similar to the guitar. The player changes pitch by pressing a metal or glass bar against the strings instead of by pressing strings against the fingerboard....
).
Formed after the dissolution of Homme's previous band, Kyuss
Kyuss
Kyuss is a rock band, originally from Palm Desert, California. After forming in the late 1980s and releasing an EP under the name Sons of Kyuss in 1990, the band shortened its name to Kyuss. Over the next five years the band released four full-length albums, and one last split EP in 1997 with...
, Queens of the Stone Age developed a style of riff
RIFF
The Resource Interchange File Format is a generic file container format for storing data in tagged chunks. It is primarily used to store multimedia such as sound and video, though it may also be used to store any arbitrary data....
-oriented, heavy rock music. Their sound has since evolved to incorporate a variety of different styles and influences, including working with ZZ Top
ZZ Top
ZZ Top is an American rock band, sometimes referred to as "That Little Ol' Band from Texas". Their style, which is rooted in blues-based boogie rock, has come to incorporate elements of arena, southern, and boogie rock. The band, from Houston Texas, formed in 1969...
member Billy Gibbons
Billy Gibbons
William Frederick "Billy" Gibbons is an American musician, actor and car customizer, best known as the guitarist of the Texas blues-rock band ZZ Top. He is also the lead singer and composer for many of the band's songs. Gibbons is known for playing his Gretsch Billy Bo guitar and his famous 1959...
and steady contributor Mark Lanegan
Mark Lanegan
Mark Lanegan is an American rock musician and songwriter. Lanegan began his music career in the 1980s, forming the grunge group Screaming Trees with Gary Lee Conner, Van Conner and Mark Pickerel. During his time in the band Lanegan would start a low-key solo career...
, both of whom have contributed from genres such as blues and grunge respectively.
Early career (1996–1999)
Queens of the Stone Age began with Josh Homme in 1996. After the breakup of Kyuss in 1995, Homme had briefly joined The Screaming Trees as a touring guitarist, before deciding to form a new band of his own. Originally naming his new project 'Gamma Ray', Homme was forced to change the name in 1997, as German power metalPower metal
Power metal is a style of heavy metal combining characteristics of traditional metal with speed metal, often within symphonic context. The term refers to two different but related styles: the first pioneered and largely practiced in North America with a harder sound similar to speed metal, and a...
band Gamma Ray
Gamma Ray (band)
Gamma Ray is a power metal band from Hamburg, northern Germany, founded and fronted by Kai Hansen after his departure from the German power metal Helloween. Hansen is the current lead vocalist, guitarist as well as the chief songwriter of Gamma Ray. The band is known as one of the most prominent...
was threatening to sue:
On why the band chose the name 'Queens of the Stone Age' rather than 'Kings of the Stone Age':
The band's first release was Gamma Ray, a two-track EP featuring the songs "Born to Hula" and "If Only Everything" (which would later appear on their self titled debut as 'If Only'), released in January 1996, featuring Joshua Homme (Kyuss), Matt Cameron (Soundgarden
Soundgarden
Soundgarden is an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington in 1984 by singer Chris Cornell, lead guitarist Kim Thayil, and bassist Hiro Yamamoto...
and Pearl Jam
Pearl Jam
Pearl Jam is an American rock band that formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1990. Since its inception, the band's line-up has included Eddie Vedder , Jeff Ament , Stone Gossard , and Mike McCready...
), Van Conner (Screaming Trees
Screaming Trees
Screaming Trees was an American rock band formed in Ellensburg, Washington in 1985 by vocalist Mark Lanegan, guitarist Gary Lee Conner, bass player Van Conner and drummer Mark Pickerel. Pickerel had been replaced by Barrett Martin by the time the band reached its most successful period...
) and John McBain (Monster Magnet
Monster Magnet
Monster Magnet is an American stoner rock band. Hailing from Red Bank, New Jersey, the group was founded by Dave Wyndorf , John McBain and Tim Cronin...
).
The band's first live appearance was probably November 20, 1997, at OK Hotel
OK Hotel
The OK Hotel was a bar and music venue located under the viaduct in Seattle's Pioneer Square district. The club's 15-year-plus life span came to an end with the Nisqually earthquake of February 28, 2001, which damaged numerous buildings in the historic district.Most widely recognized as a prominent...
in Seattle
Seattle, Washington
Seattle is the county seat of King County, Washington. With 608,660 residents as of the 2010 Census, Seattle is the largest city in the Northwestern United States. The Seattle metropolitan area of about 3.4 million inhabitants is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the country...
, Washington. In December of the same year, the band released a split EP, Kyuss/Queens of the Stone Age
Kyuss/Queens of the Stone Age
Kyuss/Queens of the Stone Age is a split compilation EP which was released in December 1997. The first three songs are performed by Kyuss and the last three songs by guitarist Josh Homme's next band, Queens of the Stone Age....
, which was the first official release by the band under the name Queens of the Stone Age, and featured three tracks from the Gamma Ray sessions as well as three Kyuss tracks recorded in 1995 just prior to their break-up.
Queens of the Stone Age (album)
-Re-release track listing:All tracks written by Alfredo Hernández and Joshua Homme, except where noted.Tracks 6, 11 & 13 are tracks that were included in the re-release. "The Bronze" & "These Aren't the Droids You're Looking For" were included in the 1998 EP The Split CD with the band Beaver...
(1998) on Loose Groove records (the album was also released on vinyl by Man's Ruin Records
Man's Ruin Records
Man's Ruin Records was an independent record label, owned and founded by Bay Area artist Frank Kozik. After the 1994 release of Man's Ruin's first record, entitled Experimental Audio Research : Delta 6, Kozik worked with artists who he wanted to release; he also designed all of the sleeve art for...
), which was recorded with Homme handling both guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
- and bass guitar
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
-playing duties (though basswork is credited to Homme's alter-ego, Carlo Von Sexron), Alfredo Hernández
Alfredo Hernandez
Alfredo Hernández is an American drummer best known as a member of desert rock bands Kyuss, Queens of the Stone Age, Brant Bjork and the Bros and Yawning Man. He is jazz trained.- Career :...
on the drums
Drum kit
A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
, and included several other instrumental and vocal contributions by Chris Goss
Chris Goss
Christopher Ryan Goss, born August 17, 1958, is an American record producer and musician.-Selected discography:Throughout his career Goss has worked with a wide range of musicians in various genres.* 1988 - Masters of Reality by Masters of Reality...
and Hutch
Hutch (sound engineer)
Patrick Hutchinson , better known as Hutch, is a sound engineer and member of the band Queens of the Stone Age, specifically its live incarnation...
. Homme reportedly asked Screaming Trees' vocalist Mark Lanegan
Mark Lanegan
Mark Lanegan is an American rock musician and songwriter. Lanegan began his music career in the 1980s, forming the grunge group Screaming Trees with Gary Lee Conner, Van Conner and Mark Pickerel. During his time in the band Lanegan would start a low-key solo career...
to appear on the record, but he was unable to due to other commitments. Soon after the recording sessions were finished for the album, former Kyuss bassist Nick Oliveri
Nick Oliveri
Nick Steven Oliveri is an American musician from Palm Desert, California. He plays bass guitar, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, and is a vocalist...
joined and touring commenced. Consisting entirely of ex-Kyuss members, this is widely regarded as QOTSA's original lineup. Guitarist Dave Catching joined shortly after. A recording of a phone message which plays the voice of Oliveri stating his decision to join the band can be heard at the end of the album's final song, "I Was a Teenage Hand Model". From this point forward, the band's line-up would change frequently. By the time their second album was being recorded, Hernández was no longer in the band.
Rated R (1999–2001)
2000's Rated RRated R (Queens of the Stone Age album)
Rated R is the second studio album by American rock band Queens of the Stone Age. It was released on June 6, 2000 through Interscope Records. Rated R was a critical and commercial success and became the band's breakthrough album. It peaked at number 16 on the Top Heatseekers and reached high...
featured myriad musicians familiar with Homme and Oliveri's work and "crew" of sorts: among others, drummers Nick Lucero and Gene Trautmann
Gene Trautmann
Gene Trautmann is the former drummer for Queens of the Stone Age, the Eagles of Death Metal, and the Miracle Workers.- Biography :Born and raised in Portland, Oregon, Trautmann started playing along to records when he was 11 or 12...
, guitarists Dave Catching
David Catching
David Catching is an American musician from Memphis, Tennessee.-Recording career:Catching has played the guitar for well-known hard rock bands Eagles of Death Metal, Queens of the Stone Age, Tex and the Horseheads, The Ringling Sisters, earthlings?, and Mondo Generator. He is also a member of...
, Brendon McNichol
Brendon McNichol
Brendon McNichol , is a lap-steel/guitar player, who has played with bands including Queens of the Stone Age, Masters of Reality and Rattlebone. He is now working as a contractor.-Bands:...
, and Chris Goss contributed, and even Judas Priest
Judas Priest
Judas Priest are an English heavy metal band from Birmingham, England, formed in 1969. The current line-up consists of lead vocalist Rob Halford, guitarists Glenn Tipton and Richie Faulkner, bassist Ian Hill, and drummer Scott Travis. The band has gone through several drummers over the years,...
frontman Rob Halford
Rob Halford
Robert John Arthur "Rob" Halford is an English singer-songwriter, who is best known as the lead vocalist for the Grammy Award-winning heavy metal band Judas Priest. He is nicknamed the "Metal God" as a tribute to his influence on metal, and after the Judas Priest song of the same name from 1980's...
, recording next door, stepped in for a guest spot on "Feel Good Hit of the Summer
Feel Good Hit of the Summer
"Feel Good Hit of the Summer" is a song by American rock band Queens of the Stone Age and written by band members Josh Homme and Nick Oliveri. It is the opening track of their second album, Rated R and in 2000 became the second single to be released from it. The song also accompanied the UK release...
".
The album garnered positive reviews and received a lot more attention than their debut, despite the fact that the lyrics to "Feel Good Hit of the Summer" were deemed by mega-retailer Wal-Mart
Wal-Mart
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. , branded as Walmart since 2008 and Wal-Mart before then, is an American public multinational corporation that runs chains of large discount department stores and warehouse stores. The company is the world's 18th largest public corporation, according to the Forbes Global 2000...
to promote drug use, almost causing the record to get pulled from store shelves. The success of the record also earned the band notable opening slots with The Smashing Pumpkins
The Smashing Pumpkins
The Smashing Pumpkins are an American alternative rock band that formed in Chicago, Illinois in 1988. Formed by Billy Corgan frontman and James Iha , the band has included Jimmy Chamberlin , D'arcy Wretzky , and currently includes Jeff Schroeder Mike Byrne , and Nicole Fiorentino The Smashing...
, Foo Fighters, Hole
Hole (band)
Hole is an American alternative rock band that originally formed in Los Angeles in 1989. The band is fronted by vocalist/songwriter and rhythm guitarist Courtney Love, who co-founded Hole with former songwriter/lead guitarist Eric Erlandson...
, and a place at Ozzfest
Ozzfest
Ozzfest is an annual festival tour of the United States featuring performances by many heavy metal and hard rock musical groups. It was founded by Ozzy Osbourne and his wife Sharon Osbourne, both of whom also organize each yearly tour with their son Jack Osbourne...
2000. It was during this time that Homme stated:
During the 2001 Rock in Rio
Rock in Rio
Rock in Rio is a series of music festivals held in three cities: Rio de Janeiro in Brazil, Lisbon in Portugal and Madrid in Spain.Four incarnations of the festival were in Rio de Janeiro, in 1985, 1991, 2001 and 2011, four in Lisbon, in 2004, 2006, 2008 and 2010, and two in Madrid in 2008 and 2010....
show, bassist Nick Oliveri
Nick Oliveri
Nick Steven Oliveri is an American musician from Palm Desert, California. He plays bass guitar, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, and is a vocalist...
was famously arrested after performing on stage naked, with only his bass guitar covering his dangling genitals. In an interview he later said: "Whoa, people in Carnival here dance naked why can't I do the same?" Following his work on the album, former Screaming Trees
Screaming Trees
Screaming Trees was an American rock band formed in Ellensburg, Washington in 1985 by vocalist Mark Lanegan, guitarist Gary Lee Conner, bass player Van Conner and drummer Mark Pickerel. Pickerel had been replaced by Barrett Martin by the time the band reached its most successful period...
vocalist Mark Lanegan
Mark Lanegan
Mark Lanegan is an American rock musician and songwriter. Lanegan began his music career in the 1980s, forming the grunge group Screaming Trees with Gary Lee Conner, Van Conner and Mark Pickerel. During his time in the band Lanegan would start a low-key solo career...
joined the band as a full-time member, a position he held until late-2005.
Towards the end of the Rated R tour, the band's performance at the 2001 Rock am Ring
Rock am Ring
The Rock am Ring and Rock im Park festivals are two simultaneous rock music festivals held annually in Germany....
festival in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
was, according to Homme, "the worst show we've ever played and it was in front of 40,000 people." The band decided to tattoo
Tattoo
A tattoo is made by inserting indelible ink into the dermis layer of the skin to change the pigment. Tattoos on humans are a type of body modification, and tattoos on other animals are most commonly used for identification purposes...
themselves with the starting time of the performance, "Freitag 4.15":
Songs for the Deaf (2001–2004)
Nirvana (band)
Nirvana was an American rock band that was formed by singer/guitarist Kurt Cobain and bassist Krist Novoselic in Aberdeen, Washington in 1987...
drummer Dave Grohl
Dave Grohl
David Eric "Dave" Grohl is an American rock musician, multi-instrumentalist, and singer-songwriter who is the lead vocalist, guitarist, and primary songwriter for Foo Fighters; the former drummer for Nirvana and Scream; and the current drummer for Them Crooked Vultures...
joined in late 2001/early 2002 to record their third album. Songs for the Deaf
Songs for the Deaf
-Production and release:In September 2002, Josh Homme explained the band's goals with the release of the album:In the same month, Nick Oliveri explained the band's aims in an interview with retail company HMV:...
was released in August, again featuring Mark Lanegan
Mark Lanegan
Mark Lanegan is an American rock musician and songwriter. Lanegan began his music career in the 1980s, forming the grunge group Screaming Trees with Gary Lee Conner, Van Conner and Mark Pickerel. During his time in the band Lanegan would start a low-key solo career...
, as well as adding former A Perfect Circle
A Perfect Circle
A Perfect Circle is an American rock supergroup formed in 1999 by guitarist Billy Howerdel and Tool vocalist Maynard James Keenan. The original incarnation of the band also included Paz Lenchantin on bass, Troy Van Leeuwen on guitar, and Tim Alexander on drums...
guitarist Troy Van Leeuwen
Troy Van Leeuwen
Troy Dean Van Leeuwen is an American musician and producer. Van Leeuwen began playing music at young age and started playing guitar at age 13. Soon Van Leeuwen was playing in various local bands such as Jester, 60 Cycle and later Failure...
to the touring line-up following the album's release. Although Songs for the Deaf gained major attention, Grohl returned to his other projects and was replaced on the European leg of the album's supporting tour by former Danzig
Danzig (band)
Danzig is an American heavy metal band, formed in 1987 in Lodi, New Jersey. The band serves as a musical outlet for the singer/songwriter Glenn Danzig. Danzig can be seen as the third stage in Glenn Danzig's musical career, preceded by the horror punk bands The Misfits and Samhain...
drummer Joey Castillo
Joey Castillo
Joseph Willam "Joey" Castillo is an American drummer currently playing with Queens of the Stone Age and Eagles of Death Metal...
, who joined the band full time. Also featured on Songs for the Deaf for the final track Mosquito Song were former A Perfect Circle bassist Paz Lenchantin
Paz Lenchantin
Paz Lenchantin is an American musician of French ancestry. She came to Los Angeles, California with her family at the age of four....
(on viola and piano) and Dean Ween
Dean Ween
Dean Ween is the stage name of Michael "Mickey" Melchiondo, Jr., American guitarist and half of the alternative rock group Ween.-Biography:...
on guitar.
Songs for the Deaf was a critical and commercial success and its popularity peaked when the album reached gold status in 2003, with sales peaking at over 900,000 copies. The singles "No One Knows
No One Knows
"No One Knows" is a song by American rock band Queens of the Stone Age written by band members Josh Homme and Mark Lanegan. It was the first single and second track from their third album, Songs for the Deaf, and was released on November 26, 2002. "No One Knows" was a chart success, becoming the...
" and "Go with the Flow
Go with the Flow
"Go with the Flow" is a song by Queens of the Stone Age from the album Songs for the Deaf, released as a single in 2003. At the 46th Grammy Awards, the song was nominated for Best Hard Rock Performance.-Music video:...
" became hits on radio and MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
, with the former voted Triple J radio's number 1 song and peaking just outside of the Billboard Top 40
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
. Both "No One Knows" and "Go with the Flow" were also featured on the first iterations of the popular video games Guitar Hero
Guitar Hero
Guitar Hero is a music video game developed by Harmonix Music Systems and published by RedOctane for the PlayStation 2 video game console. It is the first entry in the Guitar Hero series. Guitar Hero was released on November 8, 2005 in North America, April 7, 2006 in Europe and June 15, 2006 in...
and Rock Band
Rock Band
Rock Band is a music video game developed by Harmonix Music Systems, published by MTV Games and Electronic Arts. It is the first title in the Rock Band series. The PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions were released in the United States on November 20, 2007, while the PlayStation 2 version was...
(respectively). "No One Knows" also re-appeared in the compilation title Guitar Hero: Smash Hits as well as the most recent addition to the Rock Band Series
Rock Band
Rock Band is a music video game developed by Harmonix Music Systems, published by MTV Games and Electronic Arts. It is the first title in the Rock Band series. The PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions were released in the United States on November 20, 2007, while the PlayStation 2 version was...
, Rock Band 3
Rock Band 3
Rock Band 3 is a music video game, developed by Harmonix Music Systems. The game was initially published and distributed by MTV Games and Electronic Arts, respectively, with Mad Catz taking over both roles a year later. It is the third main game in the Rock Band series...
.
Constant touring continued, culminating in a string of headline dates in Australia in January 2004, after which Oliveri was fired from the band by Homme for what was said to be disrespect of the group's fans and excessive partying. In July 2005 however, Homme claimed in a BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation which also broadcasts internationally, specialising in current popular music and chart hits throughout the day. Radio 1 provides alternative genres after 7:00pm including electronic dance, hip hop, rock...
interview that Oliveri was fired when Homme had become convinced that he had been physically abusive to his (Oliveri's) girlfriend. Homme said, "A couple years ago, I spoke to Nick about a rumor I heard. I said, 'If I ever find out that this is true, I can't know you, man.'" Oliveri countered in the press that the band had been "poisoned by hunger for power" and that the band without him was "Queens Lite"; later Oliveri softened his opinion and said, "My relationship with Josh is good. The new Queens record kicks ass." Josh and Nick reportedly are still friends and as of October 2006, Oliveri remains interested in rejoining the band.
Lullabies to Paralyze (2004–2006)
Eleven (band)
Eleven was a hard rock band from Los Angeles, California, formed in 1990 by Alain Johannes , Natasha Shneider , and Jack Irons .-History:...
multi-instrumentalist Alain Johannes
Alain Johannes
Alain Johannes Moschulski is a guitarist and, along with his late partner Natasha Shneider and drummer Jack Irons, a founding member of the band Eleven...
and remaining band members Van Leeuwen and Castillo recorded the Queens' fourth studio album, Lullabies to Paralyze
Lullabies to Paralyze
Lullabies to Paralyze is the fourth studio album by hard rock band Queens of the Stone Age, released on March 21, 2005. The album debuted at #5 on the Billboard 200, and sold 97,000 copies in America during its first week of release, eventually topping over 342,000 copies as of March, 2007...
, a title taken from a lyric in "Mosquito Song" from their previous album.
The release featured the appearance of several guests, most notably ZZ Top
ZZ Top
ZZ Top is an American rock band, sometimes referred to as "That Little Ol' Band from Texas". Their style, which is rooted in blues-based boogie rock, has come to incorporate elements of arena, southern, and boogie rock. The band, from Houston Texas, formed in 1969...
's Billy Gibbons
Billy Gibbons
William Frederick "Billy" Gibbons is an American musician, actor and car customizer, best known as the guitarist of the Texas blues-rock band ZZ Top. He is also the lead singer and composer for many of the band's songs. Gibbons is known for playing his Gretsch Billy Bo guitar and his famous 1959...
. Despite Lanegan
Mark Lanegan
Mark Lanegan is an American rock musician and songwriter. Lanegan began his music career in the 1980s, forming the grunge group Screaming Trees with Gary Lee Conner, Van Conner and Mark Pickerel. During his time in the band Lanegan would start a low-key solo career...
reportedly turning down an invitation to remain with the band, he recorded vocals on new tracks (notably the solo vocalist on the opening track This Lullaby) and appeared with the band on the supporting tour as scheduling as his health permitted. It had been rumored that Homme fired Lanegan; however, this was subsequently refuted:
Lullabies to Paralyze was leaked onto the internet in February 2005 and was aired by Triple J
Triple J
triple j is a nationally networked Australian radio station intended to appeal to listeners between the ages of 18 and 30. The government-funded station is a division of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation...
radio in Australia on March 3, 2005 as an unsubstantiated 'World Premiere'. Lullabies was then officially released on Tuesday, March 22, 2005 in the USA, debuting in the number 5 slot on the Billboard Music Chart, the greatest initial success of any Queens record to date.
On May 14, 2005, the group was the musical guest on Saturday Night Live, hosted by Will Ferrell. One of Ferrell's popular Saturday Night Live characters, fictional Blue Öyster Cult
Blue Öyster Cult
Blue Öyster Cult, often abbreviated BÖC, is an American rock band, most of whose members first came together in Long Island, NY in 1967 as the band Soft White Underbelly...
cowbellist Gene Frenkle
More Cowbell
"More cowbell" is an American pop culture catchphrase originally derived from an April 8, 2000, Saturday Night Live comedy sketch which fictionalized the recording of the song " The Reaper" by Blue Öyster Cult...
, made a re-appearance on the show, playing with the Queens on their first song of the night, "Little Sister
Little Sister (song)
"Little Sister" was the first single released by the rock group Queens of the Stone Age from their fourth album Lullabies to Paralyze. The song was recorded live in the studio in one take....
". Frenkle played the song's wood block part using a cowbell along with the band, drawing much applause, and creating a bit of pop culture as a result of the skit.
On November 22, 2005, the band released a live album/DVD set called Over the Years and Through the Woods
Over the Years and Through the Woods
Over the Years and Through the Woods is the title of a live album and video by Queens of the Stone Age.The release features material on audio CD as well as video DVD — both recorded at London's Brixton Academy on Monday August 22, 2005 and KOKO on Tuesday August 23, 2005...
, featuring a live concert filmed in London, England, and bonus features which included rare videos of songs from 1998 to 2005.
In fall of 2005, the group supported Nine Inch Nails
Nine Inch Nails
Nine Inch Nails is an American industrial rock project, founded in 1988 by Trent Reznor in Cleveland, Ohio. As its main producer, singer, songwriter, and instrumentalist, Reznor is the only official member of Nine Inch Nails and remains solely responsible for its direction...
on their North American tour of With Teeth
With Teeth
With Teeth is the fourth studio album by American industrial rock act Nine Inch Nails, released on May 3, 2005, by Interscope Records. The album was produced by Nine Inch Nails frontman Trent Reznor and long-time collaborator Alan Moulder. It was Reznor's first original studio album since The...
along with Autolux
Autolux
Autolux is an avant-garde rock group consisting of Eugene Goreshter , Greg Edwards and Carla Azar...
(for the first half of the tour) and Death from Above 1979
Death from Above 1979
Death from Above 1979 are a Toronto-based Canadian dance-punk/noise rock duo. Their album, You're a Woman, I'm a Machine, was released in late 2004. The band broke up in 2006, but announced a reunion in 2011.-History:...
(for the second). NIN's guitarist Aaron North
Aaron North
Aaron Wright North, born March 22, 1979 is the co-founder and former guitarist of punk band The Icarus Line, the former lead guitarist of the industrial rock group Nine Inch Nails and currently the vocalist and guitarist of the band Jubilee...
appeared as an onstage guest with the Queens for the songs "Born to Hula", "Regular John", "Avon", "Monsters in the Parasol" and "Long, Slow Goodbye" at the Wiltern LG
Wiltern Theatre
The Wiltern Theatre and adjacent 12-story Pellissier Building are Art Deco architectural landmarks located on the corner of Wilshire Boulevard and Western Avenue in Los Angeles, California. The entire complex is commonly referred to as the Wiltern Center...
in Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
on December 19 and 20 2005.
Another onstage guest for the December 20 performance was Homme's former Kyuss bandmate John Garcia
John Garcia (singer)
John Garcia is a vocalist who has been a member of Kyuss, Slo Burn, Unida and Hermano. His vocals have become synonymous with modern stoner rock and the desert rock sound.-Kyuss:...
, the first time that Homme and Garcia had played together since 1997. As a special encore they performed three Kyuss songs: "Thumb", "Hurricane" and "Supa Scoopa and Mighty Scoop".
Homme has stated that the band's lowest point was during the Lullabies era, but that the record "took the lead jacket off" the band following the firing of Oliveri in 2004.
Era Vulgaris (2006–2008)
On Valentine's DayValentine's Day
Saint Valentine's Day, commonly shortened to Valentine's Day, is an annual commemoration held on February 14 celebrating love and affection between intimate companions. The day is named after one or more early Christian martyrs named Saint Valentine, and was established by Pope Gelasius I in 496...
2007, the band's official website announced the new album would be titled Era Vulgaris
Era Vulgaris (album)
Era Vulgaris is the fifth full length studio album by American hard rock band Queens of the Stone Age. The album was completed in early April 2007 and released on June 8, 2007 in some countries, June 11, 2007 in the United Kingdom and June 12, 2007 in the United States...
, and would be released in June. Later in February, teaser videos surfaced showing Homme, Castillo, Van Leeuwen and Johannes in studio. Several sites reported that the album would include many guest vocalists, including Trent Reznor
Trent Reznor
Michael Trent Reznor is an American multi-instrumentalist, composer, record producer, and leader of industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails. Reznor is also a member of How to Destroy Angels alongside his wife, Mariqueen Maandig, and Atticus Ross. He was previously associated with bands Option 30,...
from Nine Inch Nails
Nine Inch Nails
Nine Inch Nails is an American industrial rock project, founded in 1988 by Trent Reznor in Cleveland, Ohio. As its main producer, singer, songwriter, and instrumentalist, Reznor is the only official member of Nine Inch Nails and remains solely responsible for its direction...
, Julian Casablancas
Julian Casablancas
Julian Fernando Casablancas is an American singer-songwriter and musician of The Strokes. Casablancas pursued a solo career during The Strokes' hiatus, releasing the album Phrazes for the Young on November 3, 2009....
from The Strokes
The Strokes
The Strokes are an American indie rock band formed in 1999 in New York City. Consisting of Julian Casablancas , Nick Valensi , Albert Hammond, Jr. , Nikolai Fraiture and Fabrizio Moretti ....
, Mark Lanegan
Mark Lanegan
Mark Lanegan is an American rock musician and songwriter. Lanegan began his music career in the 1980s, forming the grunge group Screaming Trees with Gary Lee Conner, Van Conner and Mark Pickerel. During his time in the band Lanegan would start a low-key solo career...
, Billy Gibbons
Billy Gibbons
William Frederick "Billy" Gibbons is an American musician, actor and car customizer, best known as the guitarist of the Texas blues-rock band ZZ Top. He is also the lead singer and composer for many of the band's songs. Gibbons is known for playing his Gretsch Billy Bo guitar and his famous 1959...
of ZZ Top
ZZ Top
ZZ Top is an American rock band, sometimes referred to as "That Little Ol' Band from Texas". Their style, which is rooted in blues-based boogie rock, has come to incorporate elements of arena, southern, and boogie rock. The band, from Houston Texas, formed in 1969...
, and deceased humorist Erma Bombeck
Erma Bombeck
Erma Louise Bombeck was an American humorist who achieved great popularity for her newspaper column that described suburban home life from the mid-1960s until the late 1990s...
. Former Death from Above 1979
Death from Above 1979
Death from Above 1979 are a Toronto-based Canadian dance-punk/noise rock duo. Their album, You're a Woman, I'm a Machine, was released in late 2004. The band broke up in 2006, but announced a reunion in 2011.-History:...
bassist Jesse F. Keeler
Jesse F. Keeler
Jesse Frederick Keeler is a Canadian musician. He is known as the bassist of Canadian dance punk duo Death from Above 1979, and for being one half of the electronic music duo MSTRKRFT....
had been expected to play bass on the studio recording of the album, but not to tour; however, due to schedule conflicts he stated he would not be appearing on the album. When questioned in an interview with Ultimate Guitar Archive
Ultimate Guitar Archive
Ultimate Guitar Archive, also known as Ultimate-Guitar.com or simply UG, is a large guitarist community website known for its large amount of guitar and bass tablature, reviews of music and equipment, interviews with notable musicians, online written and video lessons, and forums...
about the band settling down with one line-up, Homme replied with the following:
Era Vulgaris
Era Vulgaris (album)
Era Vulgaris is the fifth full length studio album by American hard rock band Queens of the Stone Age. The album was completed in early April 2007 and released on June 8, 2007 in some countries, June 11, 2007 in the United Kingdom and June 12, 2007 in the United States...
was completed in early April 2007 and released June 12, 2007 in the U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
The tracks "Sick, Sick, Sick
Sick, Sick, Sick
"Sick, Sick, Sick" is a Grammy nominated single released by Queens of the Stone Age from their 2007 album Era Vulgaris. It was released on May 8, 2007 as a digital download only from the U.S. iTunes Store...
" and "3's & 7's
3's & 7's
"3's & 7's" is the second single by Queens of the Stone Age from their 2007 album Era Vulgaris. It was released on June 4, 2007 and followed the digital download-only "Sick, Sick, Sick"....
" were released as singles in early June. Homme has described the record as "dark, hard, and electrical, sort of like a construction worker". When asked about the vocals on the record, specifically the different style of singing that Homme used, he replied:
Bassist Michael Shuman
Michael Shuman
Michael Shuman is an American rock musician. He is most famous for playing bass with rock band Queens of the Stone Age...
(Wires On Fire
Wires On Fire
The Los Angeles-based band Wires on Fire, formed in 2004 by Jeff Lynn, Dash Hutton, Michael Shuman and Evan Weiss. The band has released titles such as Homewrecker EP , Wires on Fire/Mean Reds split and their self-titled LP , which sold particularly well in the United Kingdom...
, Jubilee
Jubilee (band)
Jubilee is an Indie rock band from Hollywood, California. The band was started in late 2007 by Aaron North who is the chief songwriter, and singer in the band. He plays guitar as well. Also on guitar, is Tony Bevilacqua...
and Mini Mansions
Mini Mansions
Mini Mansions are a Los Angeles band founded by Michael Shuman, Zach Dawes and Tyler Parkford.-History:Mini Mansions was founded in 2009 after the Queens of the Stone Age decided to take a break after touring in support of Era Vulgaris. Their self-released EP from 2009 contains nine tracks...
) and keyboardist Dean Fertita
Dean Fertita
Dean Fertita is an American rock musician and multi-instrumentalist. Fertita was the lead singer and guitarist of The Waxwings from the band's formation in 1997 to its breakup in 2005...
(Hello=Fire
Hello=Fire
Hello=Fire is the debut album of Dean Fertita's solo project with the same name. The album was recorded at various studios while Fertita was on tour with Queens of the Stone Age. The album features guest appearances by band members from Queens of the Stone Age, Brendan Benson who also produced the...
, The Waxwings
The Waxwings
The Waxwings are a rock band from Detroit, Michigan, United States, formed in 1997.The band's lineup consists of Dean Fertita on vocals and guitar, James Edmunds on drums and percussion, and Kevin Peyok on bass guitar...
, The Dead Weather
The Dead Weather
The Dead Weather is an American alternative rock supergroup, formed in Nashville, Tennessee in 2009. Composed of Alison Mosshart , Jack White , Dean Fertita and Jack Lawrence , The Dead Weather debuted at the opening of Third Man Records' Nashville...
) took over touring duties from Alain Johannes
Alain Johannes
Alain Johannes Moschulski is a guitarist and, along with his late partner Natasha Shneider and drummer Jack Irons, a founding member of the band Eleven...
and Natasha Shneider
Natasha Shneider
Natasha Shneider was a Russian musician. She was most notably the keyboardist and vocalist in the musical group Eleven, and was the partner of bandmate Alain Johannes...
respectively. In July 2007, Van Leeuwen stated the band had written new material, "still in its infancy" which Homme later suggested might be released as an EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
. Following a subsequent interview with Homme, The Globe and Mail
The Globe and Mail
The Globe and Mail is a nationally distributed Canadian newspaper, based in Toronto and printed in six cities across the country. With a weekly readership of approximately 1 million, it is Canada's largest-circulation national newspaper and second-largest daily newspaper after the Toronto Star...
reported that the EP "could contain as many as 10 B-sides recorded during the Era Vulgaris sessions." It was since reported however that the EP would not be released due to the record label's unwillingness to put out another QOTSA release at this time.
The band began a North American Tour in 2007 which they named the "Duluth Tour" due to the fact that the band are going to many small towns and cities they have never played before, such as Duluth, Minnesota
Duluth, Minnesota
Duluth is a port city in the U.S. state of Minnesota and is the county seat of Saint Louis County. The fourth largest city in Minnesota, Duluth had a total population of 86,265 in the 2010 census. Duluth is also the second largest city that is located on Lake Superior after Thunder Bay, Ontario,...
. The tour has since been extended to other areas, such as the United Kingdom, where the band played more shows than on any of their previous UK tours. The band toured in Australia in late March to early April 2008, on the V festival tour including a string of side shows. Throughout the beginning of May 2008, the band completed the Canadian leg of its touring. Following Natasha Shneider
Natasha Shneider
Natasha Shneider was a Russian musician. She was most notably the keyboardist and vocalist in the musical group Eleven, and was the partner of bandmate Alain Johannes...
's death from cancer on July 2, 2008, qotsa.com was updated with a memorial message by Homme replacing the normal front page.
On August 16, 2008, Queens of the Stone Age performed a concert in celebration of Natasha Shneider's life at the Henry Fonda Theatre in Los Angeles. They were joined on stage by Alain Johannes, Jack Black
Jack Black
Jack Black , is an American actor and musician, notably of Tenacious D.Jack Black may also refer to:* Jack Black , late 19th - early 20th Century author and hobo* Jack Black , drummer for 1970s UK punk band The Boys...
and Kyle Gass
Kyle Gass
Kyle Richard Gass , also known as KG or Kage, is an American rock musician, singer-songwriter and actor. He is a member of the bands Tenacious D and Trainwreck. In Tenacious D , Gass plays lead guitar and sings backup vocals, and also plays the role of Black's comic foil in most of their comedy...
, Matt Cameron
Matt Cameron
Matthew David "Matt" Cameron is an American musician who serves as the drummer for the American rock bands Pearl Jam and Soundgarden...
, Brody Dalle
Brody Dalle
Brody Dalle is an Australian-born American singer, songwriter and guitarist. She rose to fame as lead singer/guitarist for the punk rock band The Distillers and currently fronts Spinnerette....
, Jesse Hughes
Jesse Hughes (musician)
Jesse "The Devil" Hughes is an American musician from Greenville, South Carolina. Hughes is known for his role as frontman of the California-based rock band, Eagles of Death Metal. He cites Little Richard as his biggest musical influence and inspiration.-Early life:At age 7, Hughes' mother, Jo...
, Chris Goss
Chris Goss
Christopher Ryan Goss, born August 17, 1958, is an American record producer and musician.-Selected discography:Throughout his career Goss has worked with a wide range of musicians in various genres.* 1988 - Masters of Reality by Masters of Reality...
and PJ Harvey
PJ Harvey
Polly Jean Harvey is an English musician, singer-songwriter, composer and occasional artist. Primarily known as a vocalist and guitarist, she is also proficient with a wide range of instruments including piano, organ, bass, saxophone, and most recently, the autoharp.Harvey began her career in...
, playing a variety of QOTSA and non-QOTSA songs. Proceeds from the concert went to defray the costs associated with Natasha’s illness.
On August 22 and 23 2008, Queens of the Stone Age performed their last shows of their Era Vulgaris tour at the Reading and Leeds Festivals
Reading and Leeds Festivals
The Reading and Leeds Festivals are a pair of annual music festivals that take place in Reading and Leeds in England. The events take place simultaneously on the Friday, Saturday and Sunday of the August bank holiday weekend, sharing the same bill. The Reading Festival is held at Little John's Farm...
in the UK, and Josh Homme announced in an interview with the BBC and during the show that he would be returning to the studio to work on the next album.
Sixth album (2009–present)
Plans of recording a follow-up to Era Vulgaris had been mentioned since 2008, but recording would not begin until January 2011. In March 2011, Homme stated, "Doing the rehearsals for the first recordQueens of the Stone Age (album)
-Re-release track listing:All tracks written by Alfredo Hernández and Joshua Homme, except where noted.Tracks 6, 11 & 13 are tracks that were included in the re-release. "The Bronze" & "These Aren't the Droids You're Looking For" were included in the 1998 EP The Split CD with the band Beaver...
is really defining the new one. It's been turning the new record into something else. What we were doing was kind of bluesy, and now it's turned into this trancey, broken thing. The robots are back!" According to Homme, the album will be finished by the end of 2011. He explained to BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation which also broadcasts internationally, specialising in current popular music and chart hits throughout the day. Radio 1 provides alternative genres after 7:00pm including electronic dance, hip hop, rock...
, "We're going to take our one last break that we would get for a month, come back and do Glastonbury, then immediately jump in the studio. Our record will be done by the end of the year. We have enough songs."
During 2009 and 2010, band members worked on side projects during the down time. Troy Van Leeuwen started up a new band, Sweethead
Sweethead
Sweethead is an American alternative rock group formed in 2008. The group's lineup consists of singer Serrina Sims, guitarist Troy Van Leeuwen , bassist Eddie Nappi and drummer Norm Block .To date, Sweethead have...
. Joey Castillo played for Eagles of Death Metal
Eagles of Death Metal
Eagles of Death Metal is an American rock band from Palm Desert, California, formed in 1998 by Jesse Hughes and Josh Homme. Despite their band name, Eagles of Death Metal are not a death metal band. Hughes stated that a friend was introducing Josh Homme to the death metal genre...
on their Heart On
Heart On
Heart On is the third studio album from American rock band Eagles of Death Metal, released on Oct 28, 2008.When asked about the album, lead singer Jesse Hughes stated: "EODM's latest fabulous weapon, a top-secret music missile, a sonic warhead sexually tipped for her pleasure, shot from the deck of...
tour. Bassist Michael Shuman became the new drummer and singer in the band Mini Mansions
Mini Mansions
Mini Mansions are a Los Angeles band founded by Michael Shuman, Zach Dawes and Tyler Parkford.-History:Mini Mansions was founded in 2009 after the Queens of the Stone Age decided to take a break after touring in support of Era Vulgaris. Their self-released EP from 2009 contains nine tracks...
, while Dean Fertita became the guitarist/keyboardist for Jack White
Jack White (musician)
Jack White , often credited as Jack White III, is an American musician, songwriter, record producer and occasional actor...
's side project, The Dead Weather
The Dead Weather
The Dead Weather is an American alternative rock supergroup, formed in Nashville, Tennessee in 2009. Composed of Alison Mosshart , Jack White , Dean Fertita and Jack Lawrence , The Dead Weather debuted at the opening of Third Man Records' Nashville...
. Josh Homme formed supergroup
Supergroup (music)
In the late 1960s, the term supergroup was coined to describe "a rock music group whose performers are already famous from having performed individually or in other groups"....
Them Crooked Vultures
Them Crooked Vultures
Them Crooked Vultures is a rock supergroup formed in Los Angeles in 2009 by John Paul Jones , Dave Grohl , and Josh Homme . The group also includes guitarist Alain Johannes during live performances...
with Dave Grohl
Dave Grohl
David Eric "Dave" Grohl is an American rock musician, multi-instrumentalist, and singer-songwriter who is the lead vocalist, guitarist, and primary songwriter for Foo Fighters; the former drummer for Nirvana and Scream; and the current drummer for Them Crooked Vultures...
and John Paul Jones
John Paul Jones (musician)
John Paul Jones is an English multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, composer, arranger and record producer. Best known as the bassist, mandolinist, and keyboardist for English rock band Led Zeppelin, Jones has since developed a solo career and has gained even more respect as both a musician and a...
.
In 2010, the band toured and released a two CD deluxe edition of Rated R on August 3, 2010. This edition featured the original CD along with six B-sides and live recordings from the band's Reading performance in 2000.
They released a remastered version of their first self titled album
Queens of the Stone Age (album)
-Re-release track listing:All tracks written by Alfredo Hernández and Joshua Homme, except where noted.Tracks 6, 11 & 13 are tracks that were included in the re-release. "The Bronze" & "These Aren't the Droids You're Looking For" were included in the 1998 EP The Split CD with the band Beaver...
early 2011. They have also played at the Australian festival Soundwave in 2011. The band performed on Conan on April 14.
On June 26, 2011 they appeared at the Glastonbury Festival
Glastonbury Festival
The Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts, commonly abbreviated to Glastonbury or even Glasto, is a performing arts festival that takes place near Pilton, Somerset, England, best known for its contemporary music, but also for dance, comedy, theatre, circus, cabaret and other arts.The...
, in Somerset, UK. They also played at Pearl Jam's 20th Anniversary Festival at Alpine Valley in East Troy, WI on September 3 and 4, 2011.
In November 2011, frequent collaborator Alain Johannes
Alain Johannes
Alain Johannes Moschulski is a guitarist and, along with his late partner Natasha Shneider and drummer Jack Irons, a founding member of the band Eleven...
stated that he was currently in the studio with the band, stating, "We had a late night with Queens again. [...] Just putting in days, super top secret, but it’s going to be amazing. I’m really excited about it. [...] Once we start the process, it goes to completion. So I can’t say exactly when, but it’s a really good start."
Musical style
Throughout its career the band has been described as hard rockHard rock
Hard rock is a loosely defined genre of rock music which has its earliest roots in mid-1960s garage rock, blues rock and psychedelic rock...
, alternative rock
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
, art rock
Art rock
Art rock is a subgenre of rock music that originated in the United Kingdom in the 1960s, with influences from art, avant-garde, and classical music. The first usage of the term, according to Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, was in 1968. Influenced by the work of The Beatles, most notably their Sgt...
, heavy metal
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
, desert rock
Desert rock
Desert rock can refer to:* Palm Desert Scene, a music culture in Southern California* Dubai Desert Rock Festival* Desert Rock exercises, a series of exercises conducted by the U.S. military in conjunction with atmospheric nuclear tests...
, psychedelic rock
Psychedelic rock
Psychedelic rock is a style of rock music that is inspired or influenced by psychedelic culture and attempts to replicate and enhance the mind-altering experiences of psychedelic drugs. It emerged during the mid 1960s among folk rock and blues rock bands in United States and the United Kingdom...
, and several other genres
Music genre
A music genre is a categorical and typological construct that identifies musical sounds as belonging to a particular category and type of music that can be distinguished from other types of music...
. Queens of the Stone Age have also been labeled as Stoner Rock
Stoner rock
Stoner rock or stoner metal is a subgenre of heavy metal, combining elements of psychedelic rock, blues rock, traditional heavy metal and doom metal. Stoner rock is typically slow-to-mid tempo and features a bass-heavy sound, melodic vocals, and 'retro' production...
, but Homme himself rejects the term, saying, "If I had a choice, I would take that away. Stoner rock, to me, is like saying the crucial element is drugs. And I don't believe that that's the case. I'm not an AA guy or anything, but at the same time I don't need any of that to make music." He also often describes the band style as "robot rock" referring to the band's solid and repetitive riff
RIFF
The Resource Interchange File Format is a generic file container format for storing data in tagged chunks. It is primarily used to store multimedia such as sound and video, though it may also be used to store any arbitrary data....
s in the band's song structures. Homme has described the band's self-titled debut album
Queens of the Stone Age (album)
-Re-release track listing:All tracks written by Alfredo Hernández and Joshua Homme, except where noted.Tracks 6, 11 & 13 are tracks that were included in the re-release. "The Bronze" & "These Aren't the Droids You're Looking For" were included in the 1998 EP The Split CD with the band Beaver...
as driving music, angular and recorded dry. Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
magazine also noted a "connection between American meat-and-potatoes macho rock of the early 1970s, like Blue Cheer
Blue Cheer
Blue Cheer was an American psychedelic blues-rock band that initially performed and recorded in the late 1960s and early 1970s and was sporadically active until 2009...
and Grand Funk Railroad
Grand Funk Railroad
Grand Funk Railroad is an American rock band that was highly popular during the 1970s. Grand Funk Railroad toured constantly to packed arenas worldwide. A popular take on the band during its heyday was that, although the critics hated them, audiences loved them...
, and the precision-timing drones
Drone music
Drone music is a minimalist musical style that emphasizes the use of sustained or repeated sounds, notes, or tone-clusters – called drones. It is typically characterized by lengthy audio programs with relatively slight harmonic variations throughout each piece compared to other musics...
in German rock of the same period". The band's following album - Rated R
Rated R (Queens of the Stone Age album)
Rated R is the second studio album by American rock band Queens of the Stone Age. It was released on June 6, 2000 through Interscope Records. Rated R was a critical and commercial success and became the band's breakthrough album. It peaked at number 16 on the Top Heatseekers and reached high...
- contained a wider variety of instruments, several recording guests
Queens of the Stone Age contributors
Queens of the Stone Age are a rock band from Palm Desert, California, United States, formed in 1997. The band frequently changes its line-up, and its records often include guest appearances...
and lead vocals shared by Homme, Oliveri and Lanegan. Homme has also commented that "Our first record announced our sound. This one added that we’re different and weird." The band continued to experiment on their third album Songs for the Deaf
Songs for the Deaf
-Production and release:In September 2002, Josh Homme explained the band's goals with the release of the album:In the same month, Nick Oliveri explained the band's aims in an interview with retail company HMV:...
, which also featured a line-up including three lead vocalists, many guest appearances and wide range of instrumentation including horn and string sections. Lullabies to Paralyze
Lullabies to Paralyze
Lullabies to Paralyze is the fourth studio album by hard rock band Queens of the Stone Age, released on March 21, 2005. The album debuted at #5 on the Billboard 200, and sold 97,000 copies in America during its first week of release, eventually topping over 342,000 copies as of March, 2007...
was in comparison to the band's previous releases a darker record, lacking the band's distinct "driving" sound, much due to the departure of long time member Nick Oliveri
Nick Oliveri
Nick Steven Oliveri is an American musician from Palm Desert, California. He plays bass guitar, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, and is a vocalist...
, with lyrics inspired by The Brothers Grimm folk and fairy tales. The band also almost exclusively used semi hollow body guitars
Semi-acoustic guitar
A semi-acoustic guitar or hollow-body electric is a type of electric guitar with both a sound box and one or more electric pickups. This is not the same as an electric acoustic guitar, which is an acoustic guitar with the addition of pickups or other means of amplification, either added by the...
during the recording of the record. With Era Vulgaris
Era Vulgaris (album)
Era Vulgaris is the fifth full length studio album by American hard rock band Queens of the Stone Age. The album was completed in early April 2007 and released on June 8, 2007 in some countries, June 11, 2007 in the United Kingdom and June 12, 2007 in the United States...
the band continued to evolve their signature sound with more dance-oriented elements and electronic
Electronic music
Electronic music is music that employs electronic musical instruments and electronic music technology in its production. In general a distinction can be made between sound produced using electromechanical means and that produced using electronic technology. Examples of electromechanical sound...
influences, while Homme has currently gone back to being the only vocalist in the band (except live, when they perform older songs with back-up vocals) and uses more distinct vocal melodies.
Members
- Josh Homme – Founding and only permanent member of the band. He is primarily the band's lead vocalist and rhythm/lead guitarist but has occasionally played bass, keyboards, piano and drums as well as other instruments. (1997–present)
- Troy Van LeeuwenTroy Van LeeuwenTroy Dean Van Leeuwen is an American musician and producer. Van Leeuwen began playing music at young age and started playing guitar at age 13. Soon Van Leeuwen was playing in various local bands such as Jester, 60 Cycle and later Failure...
– Has been the band's lead/rhythm guitarist since the "secret tour" that preceded the release of Songs for the Deaf, has also played lap steel guitar, keyboards, piano, bass and provided backing vocals during live performances and subsequent recordings. (2002–present) - Joey CastilloJoey CastilloJoseph Willam "Joey" Castillo is an American drummer currently playing with Queens of the Stone Age and Eagles of Death Metal...
– Was called in to replace drummer Dave GrohlDave GrohlDavid Eric "Dave" Grohl is an American rock musician, multi-instrumentalist, and singer-songwriter who is the lead vocalist, guitarist, and primary songwriter for Foo Fighters; the former drummer for Nirvana and Scream; and the current drummer for Them Crooked Vultures...
for the European leg of the Songs for the Deaf tour and has been a member since. (2002–present) - Michael ShumanMichael ShumanMichael Shuman is an American rock musician. He is most famous for playing bass with rock band Queens of the Stone Age...
- Was recruited to play bass and provide backing vocals after the recording of Era Vulgaris. (2007–present) - Dean FertitaDean FertitaDean Fertita is an American rock musician and multi-instrumentalist. Fertita was the lead singer and guitarist of The Waxwings from the band's formation in 1997 to its breakup in 2005...
– Replaced the late Natasha ShneiderNatasha ShneiderNatasha Shneider was a Russian musician. She was most notably the keyboardist and vocalist in the musical group Eleven, and was the partner of bandmate Alain Johannes...
as the band's third guitarist and backing vocalist, also plays keyboards and various percussion instruments. (2007–present)
Discography
Studio albums:- Queens of the Stone AgeQueens of the Stone Age (album)-Re-release track listing:All tracks written by Alfredo Hernández and Joshua Homme, except where noted.Tracks 6, 11 & 13 are tracks that were included in the re-release. "The Bronze" & "These Aren't the Droids You're Looking For" were included in the 1998 EP The Split CD with the band Beaver...
(1998) - Rated RRated R (Queens of the Stone Age album)Rated R is the second studio album by American rock band Queens of the Stone Age. It was released on June 6, 2000 through Interscope Records. Rated R was a critical and commercial success and became the band's breakthrough album. It peaked at number 16 on the Top Heatseekers and reached high...
(2000) - Songs for the DeafSongs for the Deaf-Production and release:In September 2002, Josh Homme explained the band's goals with the release of the album:In the same month, Nick Oliveri explained the band's aims in an interview with retail company HMV:...
(2002) - Lullabies to ParalyzeLullabies to ParalyzeLullabies to Paralyze is the fourth studio album by hard rock band Queens of the Stone Age, released on March 21, 2005. The album debuted at #5 on the Billboard 200, and sold 97,000 copies in America during its first week of release, eventually topping over 342,000 copies as of March, 2007...
(2005) - Era VulgarisEra Vulgaris (album)Era Vulgaris is the fifth full length studio album by American hard rock band Queens of the Stone Age. The album was completed in early April 2007 and released on June 8, 2007 in some countries, June 11, 2007 in the United Kingdom and June 12, 2007 in the United States...
(2007)
Award nominations
Grammy awards|-
| || "No One Knows
No One Knows
"No One Knows" is a song by American rock band Queens of the Stone Age written by band members Josh Homme and Mark Lanegan. It was the first single and second track from their third album, Songs for the Deaf, and was released on November 26, 2002. "No One Knows" was a chart success, becoming the...
" || rowspan="4"| Best Hard Rock Performance ||
|-
| || "Go With the Flow
Go with the Flow
"Go with the Flow" is a song by Queens of the Stone Age from the album Songs for the Deaf, released as a single in 2003. At the 46th Grammy Awards, the song was nominated for Best Hard Rock Performance.-Music video:...
" ||
|-
| || "Little Sister" ||
|-
| || "Sick, Sick, Sick
Sick, Sick, Sick
"Sick, Sick, Sick" is a Grammy nominated single released by Queens of the Stone Age from their 2007 album Era Vulgaris. It was released on May 8, 2007 as a digital download only from the U.S. iTunes Store...
" ||
|-
See also
- Palm Desert ScenePalm Desert SceneThe Palm Desert Scene is a group of closely related bands and musicians from Palm Desert in Southern California. Their hard rock sound – which is often described as desert rock – contains elements of psychedelia, blues, Heavy metal and other genres, such as hardcore, as well as...
- KyussKyussKyuss is a rock band, originally from Palm Desert, California. After forming in the late 1980s and releasing an EP under the name Sons of Kyuss in 1990, the band shortened its name to Kyuss. Over the next five years the band released four full-length albums, and one last split EP in 1997 with...
- Mondo GeneratorMondo GeneratorMondo Generator is an American metal/punk hybrid band founded in 1997 by Nick Oliveri. The name of the band originated when Brant Bjork spray-painted the words on the side of Oliveri's Sunn amplifier. Mondo means "world" in Italian...
- Eagles of Death MetalEagles of Death MetalEagles of Death Metal is an American rock band from Palm Desert, California, formed in 1998 by Jesse Hughes and Josh Homme. Despite their band name, Eagles of Death Metal are not a death metal band. Hughes stated that a friend was introducing Josh Homme to the death metal genre...
- Them Crooked VulturesThem Crooked VulturesThem Crooked Vultures is a rock supergroup formed in Los Angeles in 2009 by John Paul Jones , Dave Grohl , and Josh Homme . The group also includes guitarist Alain Johannes during live performances...
- The Dead WeatherThe Dead WeatherThe Dead Weather is an American alternative rock supergroup, formed in Nashville, Tennessee in 2009. Composed of Alison Mosshart , Jack White , Dean Fertita and Jack Lawrence , The Dead Weather debuted at the opening of Third Man Records' Nashville...