Queens of the Stone Age is a band from California, which is part of the most influential rock bands on the planet. At the origins of the group is Josh Hommie. The musician formed the line-up in the mid-1990s.
The musicians play a mix version of metal and psychedelic rock. Queens of the Stone Age are the brightest representatives of stoner.
The history of the creation and composition of the Queens of the Stone Age team
Queens of the Stone Age was formed after the breakup of Kyuss in 1995. Thanks to Josh Hommy, a team was born.
After the breakup of Kyuss, the musician went to Seattle to take part in the Screaming Trees tour. Josh not only performed, but also created his own project, which included members:
- Van Conner;
- Matt Cameron;
- Mike Johnson.
Soon, the musicians presented their debut mini-album to fans of heavy music. It is interesting that initially the guys performed under the name Gamma Ray.
The debut compilation included only a few tracks, namely the tracks Born to Hula and If Only Everything. The compositions were warmly received by fans and music critics, which automatically opened the way for the guys to the stage.
After the power metal band of the same name threatened to sue Josh in 1997, the name was changed to Queens of the Stone Age:
“In 1992, when we were recording tracks for the Kyuss collective, our producer Chris Goss joked and said this: “Yes, you guys are just like the Queens of the Stone Age.” This prompted me to think of naming the new project as Queens of the Stone Age…” commented Josh.
Debut album presentation
After the musicians changed the name of Gamma Ray to the creative pseudonym Queens of the Stone Age, they replenished the discography with their debut album. The collection was called Kyuss / Queens of the Stone Age. The disc included material that was accumulated shortly before the dissolution of the Kyuss group.
Josh invited former Kyuss bandmate drummer Alfredo Hernandez to record his debut album. Hommy himself took up the guitar and bass parts.
The tracks were recorded on the popular Loosegroove label. After the presentation of the debut album, a new member, bassist Nick Oliveri, joined the Queens of the Stone Age line-up. A little later, the team was replenished with keyboardist Dave Catching.
After the presentation of Kyuss / Queens of the Stone, the musicians went on tour. At the end of the tour, Josh Hommie released The Desert Sessions for the indie label Man's Ruin with musicians from Soundgarden, Fu Manchu and Monster Magnet.
Work on recording the Rated R album
The musicians released another studio album, Rated R, in the mid-2000s. The album was recorded by drummers Nick Lacero and Ian Trautman, guitarists Dave Catching and Brandon McNicol, Chris Goss, Mark Lanegan.
The presented album was warmly received by fans. The record made more noise than the debut longplay. A wave of popularity covered the musicians, and they, without realizing it, got to the top of the musical Olympus.
“All the albums in our discography include one obligatory element - the repetition of riffs. My musicians and I wanted to record something with a lot of dynamic range. Our team does not want to be limited by any rules. If someone has a good composition (regardless of style), we should play it ... ”, Josh Hommie shared this opinion in an interview.
In 2001, the band members appeared at the Rock In Rio festival, which was held in Rio de Janeiro. Unfortunately, it was not without curiosity. Nick Oliveri was detained by the Brazilian police. The musician appeared on stage completely naked.
This event did not prevent the guys from performing at the annual Ozzfest festival. At the end of the Rated R tour, the band appeared at the Rockam Ring in Germany.
At the same time, the musicians announced to their fans that they had begun recording the next part of The Desert Sessions series. At the end of 2001, information appeared that the team was working on a new LP.
Presentation of the album Songs for the Deaf
Soon the band's discography was replenished with a new collection. We are talking about the album Songs for the Deaf. Nirvana musician and Foo Fighters vocalist Dave Grohl was invited to record the record.
It only took a few months for the new record to gain popularity. No One Knows is the band's first hit and has been a hallmark of Queens of the Stone Age for a long time. The attention of music lovers was awarded to the composition Go With the Flow, which was played for days on radio and MTV. Interestingly, both tracks later appeared in the video games Guitar Hero and Rock Band.
Songs for the Deaf was one of the most anticipated albums of 2002. After the presentation of the record, the guys, according to old customs, went on a tour. The tour culminated in the band's headlining performances in Australia in 2004.
Soon there was information that Nick Oliveri was leaving the project. The musician did not leave for personal reasons. He was fired by Hommy due to his cheeky behavior, regular drinking, and showing disrespect towards the rest of the Queens of the Stone Age.
Presentation of the fourth studio album
In the mid-2000s Josh Hommie, van Leeuwen and Joey Castillo, with Allan Johennes of Eleven, began work on a fourth album.
The new record was called Lullabies to Paralyze. The title for the new album was the track Mosquito Song from the third album. The new collection turned out to be incredibly guest.
A year later, the group appeared on Saturday Night Live, where they performed the musical composition Little Sister. Soon the band released another studio album. The collection was titled Over the Years and Through the Woods. The bonus live record was unreleased videos from 1998 to 2005.
Era Vulgaris album release
In 2007, the band's discography was replenished with the album Era Vulgaris. The band's frontman described the compilation as "dark, heavy and electric".
After the presentation of the record, the musicians went on tour. During the tour, bassist Michael Shumeni and keyboardist Dean Fertita replaced Allan Johennes and Natalie Schneider, respectively.
Josh Hommie told reporters that the musicians will also release a mini-album. In an interview with Josh, The Globe and Mail reported that the EP "is likely to be 10 B-sides". However, later the band's soloists announced that the collection would not be released due to the label's refusal.
The band soon embarked on the North American Duluth Tour. In late March and early April, the band toured Australia. And then completed the tour in Canada.
Death of Natasha Schneider
A year later, disaster struck. Natasha Schneider has died. The tragedy occurred on July 2, 2008. On August 16, a concert was organized in Los Angeles in memory of the deceased keyboardist. The collected money went to cover the expenses that were associated with the illness of a celebrity.
Over the following years, the musicians were engaged in other projects. Only a few years later the band released several CD Deluxe editions of Rated R.
In 2011, the band appeared at the Australian Soundwave Festival. On June 26, the musicians played in Summerset at the Glastonbury Festival. And later played at the 20th Pearl Jam Anniversary Festival.
On August 20, 2012, a status was posted on the band's official Facebook page. He notified fans that the musicians were recording a new collection. Around the same time, it turned out that Josh and producer Dave Sardi recorded the song Nobody to Love for the movie End of Watch.
Later there was information about the departure of Joey Castillo. Josh noted that he will be replaced on the new compilation by Dave Grohl, who took part in the recording of the Songs for the Deaf record. Thus, the fruits of labor of three drummers at once appeared in the new collection: Joey, Grohl and John Theodore.
In 2013, the band's discography was replenished with the new album …Like Clockwork. The LP was recorded at Omma's Pink Duck Studio. It came out thanks to the label Matador Records.
Then, at the Lollapalooza festival in Brazil, the musicians presented the new track My God is the Sun to the fans. By the way, a new musician of the group appeared on the stage - drummer John Theodore. In the same year, the album version of My God is the Sun was posted on the band's official website.
Queens of the Stone Age today
Queens of the Stone Age tormented fans with silence for 4 years. But in 2017, the musicians corrected the situation by presenting a new album, Villains. This is the first collection of the band, recorded without the participation of invited musicians. Villains is more carefree, lighthearted and danceable.
In 2018, the musicians presented a video for the track Head Like from the composition of the seventh studio album. The video gained millions of views and was generally warmly received by fans.
In 2019, it became known that the Queens of the Stone Age group was reissuing the first four records on vinyl. Also Rated R and Songs for the Deaf on November 22, Lullabies to Paralyze and Era Vulgaris on December 20 (via Interscope / UMe).
