QOTSA Talk “Deaf”
Queens of the Stone Age are finishing up their new album, Songs for the Deaf, which is due for release in April.
“I think it’s gonna take a lot of people by surprise,” says bassist Nick Oliveri of the fifteen-track album. “Every record’s supposed to be different and grow and move. To truly be a heavy band you have to be able to fuckin’ break it down. Otherwise the heavy isn’t just heavy, it’s fuckin’ noise.”
Like the band’s last effort — 2000’s Rated R, which featured a revolving door of vocalists including guitarist Josh Homme, Screaming Trees singer Mark Lanegan and Oliveri — Songs for the Deaf features such guests as Ween’s Dean Ween, A Perfect Circle’s Pod and the Foo Fighters’ Dave Grohl, who drums on all but one of the tracks.
“Fortunately for us, we happen to know a lot of talented people,” says Oliveri. “Dave Grohl had some time off from making the new Foo Fighters record and was hanging in L.A., and we were like, ‘Dude, come rock.'”
Queens of the Stone Age plan to begin a U.S. tour in March, and they hope to recruit their new album’s guest stars for two special shows, one in New York and one in Los Angeles. “We’d like to play the record from start to finish, live, with the exact people that play on each song,” says Oliveri.
Oliveri and Homme are also planning a side project with Casey Chaos and Larkin, both of L.A. rockers Amen. “We’re not sure what we’re going to call that yet,” says Oliveri, “but it’s just gonna be loud and pissed off.”