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Showing posts with label Queens of the Stone Age. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Queens of the Stone Age. Show all posts
Band Name: Grenadeers Genre: Desert Rock Location: Amsterdam Brief Bio/Description: Grenadeers consists of six men with love for anything raw. Or in their own words: “Our take on rock ’n roll sounds like the love baby of Robert Fripp and Josh Homme playing in an empty trashcan in a deserted alley of old town Sin City, while he’s doing just fine.” With no less than three guitarists, the band tends to play angular riffs which contrast sharply with the dragging vocals from front man Siep van Rijswijk. Their debut EP has been mixed by none other than Alain Johannes (Queens Of The Stone Age / Them Crooked Vultures) and will be released in September 2016. Band Members:
Siep van Rijswijk - Vocals
Guy Pek - Drums
Stijn van Rijsbergen - Guitar
Vincent Sibum - Guitar
Leon Sibum - Guitar
Bronco Kuijt Bass Links:Website | Facebook | Instagram | Soundcloud | YouTube | Bandsintown
"The Loser and the Thief of Your Life" is taken off of the band's 5-song EP "The Opener". Well, here is something you don't see too often, a stoner rock band from Shanghai, China and it is quite good. This song is a nice introduction to the band's free flowing fuzzy sound vaguely reminiscent of QOTSA. With a very righteous groove, intense build up and an absolutely outstanding and passionate vocalist, this song's infectious melody with be ingrained in your head for daze. For more information, please check out the following links: Facebook | Bandcamp
Whether adopting the band name as an homage to the original title to the Rolling Stones "Brown Sugar" (and thus by extension as a linguistic insurrection to the affront of corporate intrusion on artistic integrity) or merely as a provocative joke sure to incite the giggle fits at the thought of all the people Googling the band and ending up in BangBros pornoland, the titilatingly monikored Black Pussy can be assured that the stereophonic offerings of these Portland-based stoner pop empresarios will not go unnoticed. On their seminal debut, On Blonde, the music was created almost exclusively by Dustin Hill, resulting in a wonderfully claustrophobic feel. Now fortified with a full armament of musicians (guitarist Ryan McIntire, drummer Deann Carroll, bassist Aaron Poplin, and keyboardist Chief O'Dell) Black Pussy have returned with the full frontal musical assault of Magic Mustache.
The invasion of this newly enhanced and more fleshed out incarnation begins on "Let's Start a War". With its oscillating interstellar intro, reminiscent of an old Outer Limits episode, the song transports the listener to another dimension. "Let's start a fuckin' war, let's burn this planet down" chant the invaders over the cosmic debris of notes sailing past. It all segues perfectly into "Into Your Cosmic", a fuzzed out manifesto of insistent cadence and ethereal design that highlight what is evident on the album as a whole and in this song in particular, that Black Pussy is content to let other bands duke it out for the title of being the next Black Sabbath while they instead aspire to be the Hawkwind for the new millennium. Reinforcing the left of center vibe is "Protopipe", a hippie freakout of a tune wherein a blistering solo holds center stage before stuttering to a stop and surrendering to monolithic riffing that heralds a jam by the band of almost orgiastic proportions.
Hawkwind comparisons notwithstanding, other clearly discernable influences include Monster Magnet circa Spine of God as well as vintage Queens of the Stone Age, most evident on the quirky and poppy "For the Sake of Argument". Easily the coolest track on the album is "On Top of the World", which is propelled by a chugging riff shrouded in a hallucinogenic cloud so thick it sounds almost on the verge of stumbling over itself at all times, adding a sense of subliminal danger to the festivities. That off-kilter nature continues throughout on tracks like "Butterfly", the song most reminiscent of the lackadasical On Blonde, that is until it startles you with a note-for-note recital of the coda from Iron Maiden's "The Number of the Beast". Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end, as Black Pussy laments on the the title track with the laconic refrain of "let' roll the hell out of here, let's get the fuck out of Dodge". However, as the song builds to its space rock jam session climax, the melancholia gives way to aspirations for immortality, with an overture of "let's never die, let's live forever on the edge of time".
A super group of sorts, this band from Lexington, KY consists of members from Supafuzz, G-Funk Allstars, Asylum on the Hill, The Oxford Farm Report, and Groovezilla. Their new single "Red Shield" is what caught my ear. It has a very retro Sabbathy-feel but with a sinister southern twist. The band also released a 3-song EP called "Dirt Singles" which elaborates on the southern stoner rock groove. They step outside the box a little with their QOTSA-inspired ditty "Bastards". Keep an ear out for this band. Hopefully we get a full-length some time soon.
Longing for the days of dry, hot, dust swept of summer, open
road cruising, with nothing but a ripped pair of jeans, a bottle of the good
stuff, and an aching story to tell? Let Colorado’s Stone Deaf help you escape
these winter blues and whirl you into a desert stoner scene of heavy fuzz
dominated riffs, riding shotgun on a Queens Of The Stone Age Mustang hot rod.
With heavy references to the classic sounds of Kyuss and Monster Magnet, Stone
Deaf are carrying on the stoner/fuzz torch of the Palm Desert Scene into 2015
with as much laid-back urgency as their predecessors. Switching effortlessly
between chugging heavy riffs, psychedelic trances, and some bluesy swagger,
Stone Deaf are sure to plant themselves firmly in your ears 'till the build up
to summer. Let’s open a cold can and start the road trip now!
Topographical maps may tell you that there are no deserts in Germany but Red Stoner Sun are here to prove otherwise. On their latest release, Echo Return, the Berlin trio pitch a tent revival of early Queens of the Stone Age robot rock. A lazy hypnotic beat and feedback shimmer establish the atmospherics early on album opener "Tokon Shira (reprise)" but the vibes quickly darken as the track's bludgeoning riff staggers forward with the unwavering advance of a man with murderous intent. "Horsemachine" shifts it up a couple of gears, punctuated with staccato bursts before climaxing in an orgiastic solo. The heavy riffery continues on fast and furious pounder "Poncho" and the eminently crunchy "Mr. Brown", whose robotic chords could have been penned by Josh Homme himself.
A supremely experimental psychedelic vibe pervades most of Echo Return, from fuzzy instrumental "Rockwell Six" to stoner groove-a-rama "Sizzleman", the latter showcasing singer/guitarist Marceese' laconic vocal delivery, conjuring up the ghost of Lou Reed. Perhaps the most sublime track on the album though is "Alone 25". a funky wah-wah drenched strutter. Hell you can practically feel yourself cruising through the desert with the top down and the stereo cranked, heading out to the generators on the horizon. It all culminates in "Smoke.76", an epic freakout with a decidedly spooky ambience created by both its snaky middle-eastern riff and diabolically distorted vocalizations. If you're really stoned it sounds as if Beelzebub himself is communicating directly to you through the speakers, commanding you what to do... which is probably listen to more Red Stoner Sun.
Well what do you know? Here we are back at the beginning yet again…a new year. And you know what that means, right? Well around here, it means that it's a time for celebration and discovery. As each member of our staff takes a look back at the vast, eclectic, and truly incredible output of fine tuneage that was released in 2013, you'll likely spot something that was not previously on your musical radar. If not, then perhaps we'll jog your memory and re-introduce you to an album that you'd unknowingly forgotten. At the very least, maybe we'll just piss you off as you vehemently disagree with our "best of" selections and wonder how the fuck we managed to leave Kvelertak off the list?!? Regardless, I can assure you that within our ranks, we'll cover the entire spectrum of heavy music, from spaced out psychedelia to fuzzed out grooves and from swamp-stomp rhythms to the blackest of doom. So get your pencil and paper ready, because what follows are the 10 records that polluted my ears the most in 2013. Happy New Year.
10 Queens of the Stone Age - …Like Clockwork
I don't profess to know the details behind the legal battle (or threat of one) that went down between Joshua Homme and his former bandmates from Kyuss over the latter's use of the name last year while touring as Kyuss Lives!. I will however admit that my perception of the issue was that it seemed to be a rather unnecessary affair, especially for someone of Homme's stature. Because of all that, I'll be honest and say that I really didn't want to like this album. So perhaps that fact alone should tell you all you need to know about …Like Clockwork, given that it still managed to make its way into my top 10 list. Right from the start with the album opener "Keep Your Eyes Peeled", it's evident that Mr. Homme and company have regained a measure of the quirkiness that made albums like Rated R and Songs for the Deaf the classics that they've become. And while I'll still maintain that the band was better off when Homme's "too cool for school" demeanor could be compared alongside the batshit crazy antics of Nick Oliveri and the haunting earnestness of Mark Lanegan (both of whom make brief vocal appearances on this album), there's just no denying that tracks like "I Sat by the Ocean" and "If I Had a Tail" are among some of the best that QOTSA have ever written. So I'll admit, …Like Clockwork was a triumphant return for what is arguably stoner rock's biggest star and it's an album well deserving of a place on this list.
09 Lullwater - Self Titled
Apparently this Athens, Georgia based band was so enamored with the history and aura surrounding the early 90's Seattle grunge movement, they packed up their shit and moved across the country to record this at the famed London Bridges Studio where Soundgarden recorded Louder Than Love, Alice in Chains made Dirt and Pearl Jam created a little record by the name of Ten. The result was an album that not only showcases those Pacific Northwest influences, but also maintains a strong foothold in the Southern alternative rock scene of their own home state. Combine the bluesy emotion of Drivin' n' Cryin' with the feedback and dissonance of Nirvana and you have Lullwater. That duality, which can be heard on tracks like "The Dream" and "A Plane", is what makes this self-titled release such an interesting listen, and it's why I couldn't get enough of it in 2013.
08 Borracho - Oculus
Back in the fall of 2012, we asked Borracho to headline our Heavy Planet CMJ Showcase in the Big Apple and they were more than happy to oblige. Much to our surprise however, the Washington DC based band showed up to the event without their vocalist and proceeded to rumble through a (mostly) instrumental set of thunderous riffs and bowel rumbling grooves. Little did we know at the time that what we were actually hearing in that grimy New York City basement were the beginnings of what would become Oculus. Now a year later, with the band having officially "restructured" as a three-piece, with guitarist Steve Fisher taking over vocal duties, the band sounds even tighter than they did on their 2011 debut Splitting Sky…and if you've heard that masterpiece, you know that's saying something. Furthermore, with the addition of little embellishments like the haunting feminine vocal that hovers over the album opener "Empty" or the organ that seems hidden amidst the riffs in "Know the Score", Borracho have managed to add a sense of depth to their arsenal on this sophomore release. With only four actual songs (along with the eerie segue "Eye"), this is an album that is meant to be taken as a singular musical movement. As such, I'd suggest you hear it in its entirety and see for yourself why it made it's way into my top 10 of 2013.
07 Deville - Hydra
I kind of think the cover shot on this one says all that you need to know about what's to be found within. Swedish stoner rockers Deville dropped all pretense on Hydra and got straight to the fucking point. No extended buildups, no ten minute jam sessions and no filler…this my friends is a rock album. With heavy doses of meaty riffs (check out "The Knife" and "Let it Go"), catchy choruses (see "In Vain") and those all important guitar solos stuck in just the right places ("Over the Edge"), this is an album that I could not put down in 2013. There are a lot of bands who may have a similar sound and style to the straight forward stoner rock approach that Deville employ, but very few who can lay down eleven equally infectious tracks in a single album. For that reason, I made sure to reserve Hydra a well earned place amongst my top LPs of the year.
06 Kings Destroy - A Time of Hunting
Apparently made up of members from various New York hardcore acts who came together with a combined vision to slow shit down, Brooklyn's Kings Destroy were definitely onto something with A Time of Hunting. The band incorporates a steady, bruising attack with enough melody and emotion (particularly from vocalist Steve Murphy) to warrant the invention of a new sub-genre that I'd call alt-doom. Head bobbing grooves, crawling tempos and searing guitar solos collide with vocals that transition seamlessly from mid to high range, at times calling to mind the late, great Layne Staley (see "Shattered Pattern"). But it's the band's ability to diversify and veer away from the monotony of a simple chug-a-lug doom approach that places A Time of Hunting on this list. "Blood of Recompense" could easily be dubbed a stoner rock classic and even manages to introduce psychedelic elements into the mix via the guitar work. And the album closing "Turul" is quite simply a mind-fuck with it's bouncy, dare-I-say, System of a Down like bridge. No…classifying Kings Destroy as "just" a doom band would be a disservice to them, because they're quite obviously much more than that. For that reason, I found A Time of Hunting well deserving of this spot on my top 10 of 2013.
05 Vista Chino - Peace
There really isn't much that needs to be said about Vista Chino (formerly Kyuss Lives!), but I'll say a few words anyway. For starters, Peace doesn't come off sounding like a rehash of past glories, but instead feels like a new start. In fact, despite the way it happened (see my writeup on …Like Clockwork above) I'm glad to see John Garcia, Brant Bjork and Bruno Fevery adopt a new moniker and get moving on the next chapter in their already impressive musical legacy (Nick Oliveri played bass on the album, but has unfortunately, since left the band). Having said that, I'd be remiss if I didn't point out that the signature fuzz and desert grooves associated with Kyuss are here in spades, which is an obvious reason for Peace having a spot on this list. Tracks like "Dargona Dragona" and the epic suite "Planets 1 & 2", the latter of which features vocals from both Bjork and Garcia, are quite simply…bad-fucking-ass. And speaking of Bjork, who is the primary songwriter in this band, I totally dug songs like "Adara" and "Barcelonian" which just oozed that cool vibe we've come to expect from his multitude of non-Kyuss related projects. But ultimately, the reason that Peace is one of my top 10 albums of 2013 is because it represents the sum of four equally impressive parts that need to be making music together. The soulful vocals of John Garcia, the jazzy fills and resonant crashes from Brant Bjork, the fuzzy tones of Oliveri's bass and the meaty riffs from Bruno Fevery belong together and hopefully Peace is just the beginning. Also, where else can you hear John Garcia croon "I'm gonna stroke my 'stache"? Nuff said.
04 Sasquatch - IV
Sasquatch made the quintessential "driving record" when they made IV. With power chords layered on top of more power chords, a devastatingly thunderous rhythm section and truly soulful vocals slathered right on top of it all, these nine tracks just demanded that you twist the volume knob to the right and slam the gas pedal to the floor. Want a sample? Check out the first three tracks, which are as solid an opening barrage as I can recall from any album in recent memory. From the blitzkrieg opener "The Message" to the dissonant harmony of "Eye of the Storm" (possibly my favorite song of the year from this or any album) to the bluesy Hendrix worship of "Sweet Lady", these three tracks will give you a solid idea of the heavy fuzz that lies ahead. IV is quite simply an onslaught from this veteran power trio and I reached for it time and again in 2013.
03 Clutch - Earth Rocker
This one almost seems too easy. In fact, I probably don't even need to say anything about Clutch's Earth Rocker because my guess is that if you're reading this site and you haven't already heard it, then you must not be interested. On this, their tenth studio album, these veterans of the trade revved up the riff machine and went back to the future…so to speak. What I mean to say is that besides the bluesy ballad "Gone Cold" (which is waaay fucking cool), the band seemingly abandoned the road they'd been heading down since…well, "Gravel Road" closed out 2005's Robot Hive/Exodus, veering instead into the much more straightforward rock n' roll territory we last heard on 2001's Pure Rock Fury. It's all here people. Neil Fallon's barking vocal attack is stronger than ever, as is his lyrical prowess, which is unmatched in this or any other genre in my humble opinion. Tim Sult brings the riffs in yet another virtuosic performance. And the rhythm section of Dan Maines and Jean-Paul Gaster remains the best in the business. Give a listen to the album's title track with it's spacey intro, killer groove and raw intensity. And if you happen to be a fan of the bluesier side of Clutch, fear not, there's still plenty of harmonica to be found on "D.C. Sound Attack!". It's just that the heavier, faster cuts make up the majority of this opus, and while tracks like "Crucial Velocity" and "Oh, Isabella" stand out as examples of the album's direction, there's honestly not a bad one to be found in this bunch. Earth Rocker was a welcome return to a golden era in the impressive history of one of the greatest bands of all time, and for that reason alone, it deserves a spot in my top 10.
02 Supervoid - Filaments
I knew very little about Pittsburgh's Supervoid prior to seeing them live in their home digs last spring, but it was that very set that started them down the path of landing on this list. When the band took the stage, I was totally mesmerized by their progressive song structures and their mastery of subtlety and nuance as they bobbed and weaved from stoner rock fuzz into crushing metal passages. Combining harmony with dissonance, this five piece understands the power of the buildup as they develop songs using quiet, introspective musicianship before pummeling your eardrums with gargantuan riffs and monstrous fucking vocals…just listen to "Arcane Groves" for the love of God. Needless to say, I was counting the days until the release of Supervoid's debut LP in October and once I got my hands on it, I was not disappointed. Far different than anything else released in 2013, Filaments lived up to the promise I heard that night in the Steel City with songs like "Coat of Luminous" and "Braymerian: War Elephant" which highlight the polarity of the band's attack. Give a listen to "Ladders" which features a clean vocal style…and please understand, this motherfucker can sing…over shimmering guitars and an ever evolving rhythm. Or check out the juggernaut stomp of "Wake of the Smoke Jumper" which pairs oh so well with its guttural growls, before shifting gears to become a pseudo black metal number with the addition of a high pitched backing vocal. So yeah, Filaments had a little bit of everything that we love here at Heavy Planet, but at the end of the day, it was Supervoid's ability to mesh all of those components into such a cohesive final product that puts this album so far up my list of the top 10 albums of 2013. Don't miss out on this one.
01 ASG - Blood Drive
And that brings me to my top pick for 2013. Now ASG aren't exactly a new band on the scene, having come up as a sort of East Coast answer to Fu Manchu back in the early 00's. Rising from the ranks of the surf and skate crowd in their native Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina, the band garnered a respectable amount of success as their music got hand picked for "Viva La Bam" and other TV shows of that ilk. But aside from a split release (with Black Tusk) about four years ago, it's been since 2007's Win Us Over that we saw a full length album from the band. Well I'm here to tell you that this ain't your daddy's ASG. Blood Drive is of course loaded with tasty hooks, but you should also understand that these are sophisticated compositions. Spin the excellent album opener "Avalanche" and listen as the band hammers out a huge stoner riff and then builds on it with psychedelic effects and vocalist Jason Shi's insistent bellow and otherworldly lyrics. Or check out "Castlestorm" where they amp up the intensity and the pace as Shi unleashes a roar that'll have hairs standing on the back of your neck. And so what if "Earthwalk" is an obvious homage to Jane's Addiction, can you honestly tell me that's a bad thing? Listen to the intricate acoustic guitar that opens "Children's Music" before the band tears into another trance inducing groove. These songs have depth and as you make your way through Blood Drive, you'll hear a band that is weaving a tapestry of psychedelic stoner rock that won't soon be forgotten. Simply put, I wore this album out last year and continue to do so to this day. For that reason, ASG's Blood Drive is my top album of 2013.
What's the best thing to listen to after getting your ass kicked by a wicked double ear infection? Bruce!, apparently. And I'm sorry I wanted until I felt better before strapping on the headphones and letting their no frills rawk invade my aching ear canals, 'cause I get the feeling if I'd have commenced with the Bruce! treatment, their sonic power woulda rocked all those little microbes to death in a matter of minutes and I wouldn't have had to choose between booze and antibiotics.
Bruce! hail from Australia- Wollongong, to be precise, and carry the hard rock torch lit by all those great rockin' bands from the land down under. They've toured with trance boogie masters Endless Boogie and their bandcamp page offers rumors of an international tour. Keep your fingers crossed that they come stateside.
The album kicks off with Hell Gig, a Devil Went Down to Georgia like tune that is a bit more realistic than some evil fiddle battle in the middle of the woods. Bruce! meet their Devil in a bar and Lucifer wants them to be Hell's house band. But Bruce! politely demur, 'cause they're afraid Hell might not have enough whiskey on hand. Money and Go is next up, and with its stuttering geetar riff and cymbal smashing, you almost miss the hooky chorus that begs to be screamed live with beer in hand. I'm inclined to believe that Bruce! are a wicked live band, and the video below is exhibit A. Make You Proud is a punkish apology to the family of rock and rollers, those who chase their dreams and sacrifice exciting lives as accountants. Bottle in a Brown Paper Bag is a trancey psychedelic tune and I love it, but Screams of Silence is my personal favorite, with more punkish hollerin'. Alf is a space haze instrumental and the whole thing ends with a straightahead rocker, an ode to life on the road, On the Road Again.
You get heavy does of QOTSA's Rated R and the trucker rock of Roadsaw on this album. But the influences are varied and move from punk to stoner rock to psychedelic tunes and beyond. All this flows together seamlessly and the different styles complement the album, rather than sounding like a band struggling to find itself on wax. A lesser band might have made an album that sounds the way a kindergartner's collage looks, but Bruce! know what they hell they are doing. Bruce! does not let the listener become complacent. Do yourself a favor and pick this one up. And if you don't pick it up now we'll remind you come December, cause there's no doubt this one will rank high on the Best of 2013 list.
They’ve been called “the band The Black Keys are too afraid to become” (ninebullets.net), and judging from the road they’ve taken, who the hell would want to be Only Living Boy? Thanks to their hometown’s suspension between Pennsylvanian woods and New York City concrete, Only Living Boy’s Northwest New Jersey roots help define its sound and attitude— gritty and hard-nosed with a well worn sophistication.
Prepping to release a trio of EPs over the course of the next 6 months OLB’s sound now drifts closer to the attitude and weight of Black Sabbath and Hawkwind, the stoner sludge of Queens of the Stone Age and Kyuss and the experience and mood evident in the Tom Waits/Mark Lanegan inspired vocals. The first single, “Spread Your Butter”, is a stoner rock sock hop, Eagles of Death Metal would blush to put out.
The trio of EPs will all be released under the band’s own Wurli Records label with each EP grounded in a different theme.
As the blog Pop-Break recently put it..."Only Living Boy might be named after a Paul Simon song, but this band will not be politely strumming their guitars about the sounds of silence — they will be breaking a bottle of whiskey over your head and melting your face off with pure rock fury."
THOUGHTS:
" After gaining some exposure from the placement of their song "My Heart Is Burning" on the new A&E series LONGMIRE in early September and a recent best unsigned band award in High Times Magazine in August, the band looks to firmly plant themselves as a band to contend with. Having released two LP's and two singles (one on 7" vinyl) the band has started to gravitate towards a heavier stoner sound. Judging from the 2 song "single" released on their Bandcamp site, the band are no slouches when it comes to writing catchy stoner rock ditties. The first tune "Spread Your Butter" is a rollicking fuzzy stoner stomp that will blow your socks off, while the flip side "Scrambled Eggs" has a little more of a grunge flair. I love this band's diversity. You will be hearing more from Only Living Boy, I guarantee it! Keep an eye out for the first of two more EPs (tentatively titled "Fuck Metal") due out Nov. 27th."
Last week on HeavyPlanet.net I had the
pleasure of reviewing the album “Dead Wahines and Tsunamis” from the Swiss band
Feuerzeug. It is an album I find refreshing, exciting, intriguing, satisfying,
and singular. In a musical genre that is inundated with hundreds of artists worldwide
producing music almost daily, much of it quite good, and a large amount of it
damn tasty, as can be witnessed every single day on HeavyPlanet, Feuerzeug have
managed to create something that rises quickly to the top of the pile, if you
will, offering up an album bursting to the brim with songs of the highest
quality. Not to mention, this album has 13 separate tracks, each and every one
a small masterpiece in and of itself, not one of which could be considered
filler. This is a feat rare in achievement throughout the history of rock, and
this little known 4 piece band from Switzerland have managed to pull it off . .
. twice. Yes, so, even though their first album, “Drive Fast and Crash!” didn’t
make the review list back in 2009, it, like its successor, is a large album
with a large sound, ambitious in scope and magnificent in delivery.
As you’ll see in the interview, Feuerzeug tend
to go beyond the standard blues, metal, grunge, and high desert influences
commonly heard with many underground metal acts. This, combined with an
incredible talent for song structure, and of course the underpinnings of
stoner/doom/psych rock that make this style of music so satisfying in the first
place are what make these four musicians from the center of Europe interesting
and unique. They were gracious enough to answer my questions and were quite
enthusiastic about the whole process. After you learn a little bit about these
guys, please don’t hesistate to check out their latest masterpiece, “Dead
Wahines and Tsunamis” available from the link at the end of this review.
Band members are
listed as:
David Denega (David Van Neeg) -
guitar, lead vocals Marc Cappalletti - drums, backing
vocals Esteban (Steve) Wolfensberger
(von Wolfsburg) - guitars, effects Terry Pinhard - bass
David was gracious enough to provide the
responses.
HP: Are you guys currently on the road?
David: Well,
honestly...no, because producing this album took so much time due to several
external factors that we're now concentrating on promoting it the best we can.
HP: What is the touring situation for Feuerzeug now that the album has
been released?
David: We're working
on a European tour for 2013. For sure we will play in Spain, Italy, Switzerland
and Germany because we have friends in several stoner bands there and the
audience was awesome! The next step is to play in Eastern European countries
such as Poland (where my roots are), Hungary, Slovakia and so on because the
concert audience goes completely crazy when international bands play there and
we like intense concerts and electric audiences.
HP: Describe some of the crowds you have played in front of?
David: We always have
a crazy man coming on stage and stage-diving at each concert, which I think
means that the crowd likes us. Seriously, there are two kinds of audience at
our concerts. Those who are there to po-go and are completely drunk because
they heard that our music is energetic and they want to expulse their
"one-week-shitty-work-frustrations", and those who are there because
they are more interested in the mix we've managed to create between our
different musical influences.
HP: What was your favorite venue?
David: I think that it
was in Bilbao, Spain. We played in a very small bar there and the stage had
been removed to have more place for concert goers... so we pushed everything
against the wall and played in the middle of the crowd. This became such an
intense concert, everybody was screaming, jumping, and touching us during the
whole concert, it was like the end of the video-clip of Nirvana's "Smells
Like Teen Spirit". A great moment!!!
HP: Any plans or opportunities to come to the U.S. and play?
David: In fact we
would like to find a serious record label to release our album in the US but
there are so many suckers in this movement that it's difficult to find someone
we can trust. In Europe it's ok because I have my own label/booking agency, but
for the US and Japan there is hard work we still have to do yet! So, if
someone's interested in releasing our album, contact us! We could play in
California via our contacts there but it won't have any serious effects on the
future of the band.
HP: There is a huge stoner/doom presence in Europe, with dozens of high
quality groups creating a LOT of great music. Do you find this an advantage? Or, is
it perhaps daunting due to so much competition?
David: Well, as I
entered in the stoner movement I was astonished that a lot of bands I loved
were European, and that made a snap in my head. I understood that due to many
different cultures in Europe we maybe had an adantage by mixing our origins and
languages in a style of music that I find is one of the most open, musically
speaking. We speak French, have a German bandname, and we sing in English. We have
played with bands such as Truckfighters from Sweden or Monkey3 from Switzerland,
both of which are good friends of ours, and even bands coming from Serbia that
have an oriental touch to their music. All of them inspire us everytime we
create a new song, so it's an advantage for sure.
HP: In the bio on Reverbnation it states the
unlikeliness of these 4 guys coming together to form a band, much less a stoner
band, due to the disparity in musical backgrounds of each of the members. Can
you give us an idea of the varying backgrounds of each member?
David: Steve loves
music in general, so he has played in several different bands, even a tropical
music band. Terry is a big metal fan, and he also loves Rage Against the
Machine. Marc is a basic punk fan. He still plays in a ska-punk band called
Huge Puppies. I'm a big grunge fan, so that's why sometimes you can hear a Kurt
like voice on some of the songs. We all love music in general, I mean we will
never refuse to listen to a song because it's not a metal song, or because it's
a minimal electro song. We're all really open about music, with that same point
of view in creating a song. On the next album, for example, we put some Hammond
keybord on one song. We want to explore and play with unusual sonorities on our
music. We hate bands who take no fucking risks with their music.
HP: Who handles song writing duties? How about lyrics?
Can you describe the typical process for writing a song?
David: Steve and I
always have a good combination. I mean one of us will bring a part of a song
and the other one will easily stick what he may have been working on in his
pocket for later. Everything at the beginning is very spontaneous. It must be
energetic and make you want to crush your guitar. If it has that type of energy
and vibe then we begin to rearrange things and work on details. After that we
have a huge advantage with our excellent bass player, Terry, who always has a sort
of naive approach when it comes to our music and our band. He always does the
right thing at the right moment to push the band forward. Finally, Marc is a
virtuous drummer, not selfish at all. I mean, Steve and I will say "Hey
let's try this" and Marc does it. If it sounds good then it's approved and
he plays it, if not we continue to search for a good groove together.
HP: I understand there have been some big life changes
for a band member or two, such as babies?
David: Yep, Steve and
I got married and he has a beautiful boy he named Darrell, in memory to
Pantera's Dimebag.
HP: Tell me about the name of the band, Feuerzeug. What does it mean,
both literally and figuratively/symbolically? Why was it chosen?
David: Feuerzeug
means ‘the lighter’ in German. We chose this name after deciding to look for a
new one from our previous band name, Tesla Intoxicates, which was too long and
meaningless. But with Feuerzeug we loved the idea of burning every limit we
had. By this I mean, musically by mixing different influences, and
pschycologically by believing that even if we are a small country in the world
we have our place in the international stoner community.
HP: Tell me about the status of employment of everyone. Who works
second and third jobs to support their families, who is able to live off the
proceeds from album sales and tour profits? Do you rely upon merch at your
venues to bring in extra income, or does it cost more than you make, typically?
David: We all have
jobs because we would have to tour 7 months a year to be able to live on just
our music. In addition to our regular jobs we produce, mix and masterize the
music ourselves in order to have total control on what we do, how we do it, and
when we do it. With no producer nor manager the first european tour was
entirely booked by myself via my label Ishii Kamikazi, which has been renamed
SuperChevelle.B.A. We need freedom and we only use trusted friends in different
labels to distribute our records.
HP: What does the future hold for Feuerzeug? Will you be able to make
more records in the future? Do you ever foresee the band becoming successful in
such a way that no one has to sustain a day job?
David: We're working
on a third album which is going to be even more ambitious than the previous
one. We'll see what will happen. If success is here, ok. For us, we of course always
want to live with and for our music. If not, we don't care so much because we
have so many different projects we are working on (graphic designs, other
bands, families and friends) that we already love our lives. To be professional
musicians would only be a kind of utopia we have had since we were kids.
There you have it,
folks. They’re young, they love life, they love music, but more importantly,
they know how to make it. Here’s to hoping to make a lot of it for years to
come, something with which we can help by purchasing their sweet new album at:
- Era Vulgaris (only a few seconds)
- Sick, Sick, Sick
- Go With The Flow
- Do it Again
- Misfit Love
- Burn the Witch
- Turnin' on the Screw
- Monsters in the Parasol
- You can't Quit me Baby
- Millionaire
- Little Sister
- Make it Wit Chu
- No One Knows
According to The Pulse of Radio, QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE frontman Josh Homme wants the band to schlep out to his studio in the California desert to record its sixth studio album. The singer and guitarist told NME.com, "We may move out there for a few months. That way, you build up anxiety and desperateness to record so that, when you do, it's like a fireball." Homme himself records frequently at his desert digs, recording a string of albums called the 'Desert Sessions' there with a revolving cast of guest artists and past and present QUEENS members.
QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE's last album, "Era Vulgaris", came out in the spring of 2007.
The band is currently remastering its 1998 self-titled debut album for re-release this November.
According to The Pulse of Radio, QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE frontman Josh Homme has once again gotten behind the drum kit for his other band, the EAGLES OF DEATH METAL, whose third album, "Heart On", arrives on October 21. Homme and guitarist/singer Jesse Hughes started the group several years ago, with a debut called "Peace Love and Death Metal" arriving in 2004 and a sophomore effort titled "Death by Sexy" surfacing in 2006.
QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE will play a tribute concert for late keyboardist Natasha Shneider next month in Los Angeles, before heading to England for two festival dates.
The EAGLES OF DEATH METAL will kick off a co-headlining tour with the HIVES on September 16 in Austin, Texas.
According to NME.com, QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE frontman Josh Homme has defended himself against accusations that he is a homophobe after an outburst at a show in Norway.
Homme had a fan pulled from the crowd after a bottle was thrown at him during their set at the Norwegian Wood festival in Oslo last week (June 13), and unleashed a torrent of abuse at the culprit — calling him a "chicken fucking f****t" and "a miserable fucking cunt."
The incident subsequently appeared in a YouTube clip (see below) and Homme yesterday responded to many blogger and media accusations of being a homophobe:
"Member of the Peanut Gallery: Some journalists and citizens on the Internet are wondering: Q? Am I a homophobe because I included a slang for gay in with other 'acceptable' curse words during a verbal lashing I gave a young concertgoer, after being hit by his shoe, during a show the other day? A= Nope. My gay family and friends, as well as myself, KNOW I am not a homophobe. For years now I've known gay is not a choice; one's skin color doesn't determine one's intelligence level; and red hair doesn't mean you're someone's stepchild. You see, it's not the words, it's their intent. I never said, nor suggested, that being gay is wrong, but apparently, based on your outrage to my flu-infused rant, you do! By that logic... I also told that young whipper snapper I'd have anal sex with him... how can I possibly reconcile these opposing viewpoints? I called him a pussy too. Does it mean I hate our one worlds' collective vagina? I never have been nor intend to be politically correct. That's your cross to bear. To me, that PC world would suck more shit than the porta-potty truck at Glastonbury. Homophobic? I'm in QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE, for crissake... You say, 'So. Your band name doesn't prove anything.' Maybe not. But it's a helluva lot more definitive than the logic of some watchdog... (sorry canine-American, canine-European, canine-African, canine-Australian and canine-Asian) moralist, keeping score from pure perfectionville? If your glass house is squeegeed that clean and you need to do something, do what the great philosopher Bill Hicks once suggested — forgive me. Or don't. I'm not asking for either, OK? I think you should let both of your cheeks go loose so the stick will drop out. Either way I expect that you'll soon find another injustice from your chair, then roll to your bullhorn and point it out to the rest of us... Because you're so above it all. Or If you'll allow me to translate a wish of mine into your PC lingo: Will you please go have, consensual, sex with yourself. Pretty please with all natural, carbon offset sugar on top."
"Due to circumstances beyond [the band's] control," QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE has cancelled its previously announced appearance as the headliner for the SoCo Music Experience in Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta on Saturday, May 17. Replacing QUEENS on the bill is AGAINST ME! Also slated to appear are GHOSTLAND OBSERVATORY, SUPERSUCKERS, RYAN SHAW and BANG CAMARO. The acts for the local stage are still being confirmed.
The SoCo Music Experience is a free music festival for people 21 and older showcasing national performing acts and local favorites in an environment transforming an outdoor venue into a festival setting with food, beverage, poster, t-shirt and record shop vendors and the SoCo & Lime Dome.
AAP reports that thousands of fans were forced to temporarily evacuate a concert by QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE in Hobart, Australia Friday night (April 4) when a stage light overheated, filling the venue with smoke.
Tasmania Fire Service (TFS) said the Hobart City Hall was cleared just before the band was due to take to the stage.
"The evacuation of the packed out venue was achieved with minimal effort that was made a lot easier by the cooperation of the patrons and abundance of emergency exit doors in the hall," the TFS said.
Fans waited on the footpath while firefighters fixed the problem — the light had overheated, melting its cover.
The concert began about 20 minutes late.
"The Tasmania Fire Service commends the concert patrons on their cooperation in vacating the premises quickly, allowing the source of the smoke to be rectified and the concert to get underway without much of a delay," the TFS said.
QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE will headline the SoCo Music Experience festival, scheduled for May 17 at Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta. The event, sponsored by Southern Comfort and free to anyone over 21, will also feature the SUPERSUCKERS, RYAN SHAW and others. Additional SoCo festivals are planned for San Diego, Madison, Wisconsin, Tempe, Arizona, Denver and New York City.
QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE's new album, "Era Vulgaris", came out in June 2007 and entered the Billboard chart at No. 14.
