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Kyuss ( ) was an American stoner rock band formed in Palm Desert, California, in 1987, and considered one of the pioneers of the genre. After disbanding in 1995, a number of band members have gone on to form or play in several notable bands including Queens of the Stone Age, Screaming Trees, Fu Manchu, Dwarves, Eagles of Death Metal, Mondo Generator, Hermano, Unida, Slo Burn and Them Crooked Vultures.
In November 2010, three former members of the band (minus Homme, who declined to participate) reunited under the adapted moniker "Kyuss Lives!" for a world tour with plans to record a new album. A federal lawsuit subsequently filed by Homme resulted in Oliveri leaving the band in March 2012. Five months later, a court ruled that Garcia and Bjork were not allowed to release audio recordings under the Kyuss Lives! moniker. As a result, they changed their name to Vista Chino.
The band then signed with independent record label Dali, a subsidiary of the Elektra Records-distributed Chameleon Records, who released their debut album, Wretch, in September 1991. Several songs on the album were re-recorded versions of those that appeared on the Sons of Kyuss EP. Album sales were sluggish, though the band was quickly making a name for itself as a live act. Guitarist Josh Homme soon gained a reputation for his unique downtuned, psychedelic rock style of guitar playing, and his convention of playing electric guitars through bass guitar amplifiers to create a bass-heavy sound.
In 1992, the band, along with new producer Chris Goss, began work on their next album, Blues for the Red Sun. Goss understood the band, and was able to accurately capture their live sound in the studio. Released in June that year, the album was critically hailed and is today widely regarded as a pioneering stoner rock record. By the end of 1993, they were invited to open nine dates for Metallica touring Australia. Comparisons to stoner rock godfathers Black Sabbath became common, though Homme claimed to have little knowledge of the band at the time but Bjork asserted he and Oliveri were hugely influenced by the British group. Oliveri left the band following completion of the album and Scott Reeder, who had been approached about joining Kyuss five to six months earlier during a West Coast tour with The Obsessed, made his debut at the release party for Blues for the Red Sun.
In 1993, Kyuss were moved from Dali to the main Chameleon label, and recorded their third album, Welcome to Sky Valley. Once again produced by Chris Goss, it demonstrated a much more psychedelic and mature sound. However, personal problems emerged and drummer Brant Bjork left the band following completion of the recording sessions. Bjork cited his extreme distaste for touring, particularly band relationship problems that develop during long periods on the road. He was replaced by Alfredo Hernández, who had previously played with Reeder in the band Across the River during the mid-80s. The album was initially scheduled to be released in January 1994, but Chameleon went under in November 1993. Elektra opted to pick up the band's contract from Chameleon, and issued the album in June 1994 to critical acclaim. One of the album's singles, "Demon Cleaner", reached number 78 on the UK Singles Chart.
In July 1995, Kyuss released their fourth and final album, ...And the Circus Leaves Town. The band's only album recorded for a major label, it featured a simpler sound, in contrast to the instrumentally based Welcome to Sky Valley. "One Inch Man" was released as the album's only single in June 1995, and a music video was also made for the song. The album was not as successful commercially as Sky Valley, receiving mixed reviews. Kyuss broke up during the late summer of 1995.
After the band's breakup in 1995, there had been frequent and persistent speculation among fans regarding the possibility of a Kyuss reunion. When asked in late 2004 about whether the band would ever re-unite, Homme replied that this was unlikely to happen in the near future. However, on December 20, 2005, Garcia made a guest appearance onstage with Queens of the Stone Age during their encore at the Wiltern Theatre in Los Angeles. They performed three Kyuss songs together: "Thumb", "Hurricane" and "Supa Scoopa and Mighty Scoop". The band has reportedly received numerous offers to reform, all of which have been turned down:
Scott Reeder also commented on a possible Kyuss reunion in early 2008, saying "I think everyone but Josh would do it in a heartbeat". Reeder also noted that he would "do it for free beer again".
Hernandez later played with Yawning Man, Ché and Orquesta del Desierto, while Oliveri formed the band Mondo Generator, named after the only Kyuss song credited solely (words and music) to him. Drummer Brant Bjork went on to form the band Brant Bjork and the Bros, recorded and performed with Fu Manchu and Mondo Generator, and has recorded several solo albums.
John Garcia went on to form Slo Burn, although the band was short-lived and released only one EP, Amusing the Amazing, before disbanding in September 1997. He was also briefly associated with the band Karma to Burn. In 1998, he began working with the band Unida, recording one EP, one LP and an unreleased album. At the same time he started working with the band Hermano, having released three LP's and one live album to date. Garcia had more recently been working on a solo album.
In 1997, Homme, Bjork, and Oliveri recorded three songs together ("13th Floor", "Simple Exploding Man", & "Cocaine Rodeo") for Mondo Generator's debut album Cocaine Rodeo, released in 2000. Also featuring Garcia and Chris Goss on one track, the songs are regarded by many fans as the true final Kyuss recordings.
In 2000, a compilation album, , was released. The album is a collection of the band's singles, as well as B-sides and live material.
Although Kyuss left behind some "rarities", many of them were released on Muchas Gracias, and further releases from the band appear unlikely. Singer John Garcia told Billboard in a 2005 interview:
In 2010, a European "John Garcia plays Kyuss" tour was announced. In June 2010, former Kyuss members Nick Oliveri and Brant Bjork joined Garcia onstage to perform "Green Machine" and "Gardenia" during a headlining appearance by "Garcia Plays Kyuss" at Hellfest in Clisson, France, and they also appeared onstage with Garcia in other concerts on the tour.
In November 2010, Garcia, Oliveri and Bjork announced plans to tour under the moniker "Kyuss Lives!" with guitarist Bruno Fevery. In reference to the new band name, Garcia stated that "there is never going to be a Kyuss without Josh Homme" and that "hopefully in the future him and I can get together and do some writing."December/January 2011 issue of Rock-A-Rolla The band went on to tour Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and North and South America. The band then announced plans to record a new studio album for a summer 2012 release in addition to a live album.
However, in March 2012, it was revealed that Josh Homme, after persuading bassist Scott Reeder to support him, had filed a federal lawsuit against John Garcia and Brant Bjork alleging "trademark infringement and consumer fraud" over the use of the Kyuss name despite the fact Brant Bjork had originally created the name. Nick Oliveri left the project later that month after it was revealed that Garcia and Bjork had tried to take control of the Kyuss trademark.
In August 2012, the courts ruled that Garcia and Bjork could not release any recordings, studio or live, under the Kyuss Lives! moniker. While they were allowed to continue using the moniker for live shows (as long as, unlike the band's current logo, Lives! is written in the same size and next to the word Kyuss to avoid confusion), the judge stated that they may face issues in the future and that "it may be in Defendants' best interest to begin re-branding under a new name". On November 29, 2012, it was announced that Kyuss Lives! had changed their name to Vista Chino.
In July 2020, Homme stated that he was open to the possibility of participating in a Kyuss reunion. "There have been times I thought it cannot end that way, and the only real way to end it correctly now would be to play." In 2021, Bjork stated he had reached out to Homme in regards to his comments, however, the probability of a reunion has been put into question due to a lack of communication from Homme.
Kyuss is compared to The Velvet Underground in hard rock and heavy metal circles, in part due to their limited commercial success in spite of their insurmountable influence.
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Style and legacy
Kyuss are considered pioneers of stoner rock in the 1990s. Eduardo Rivadavia of AllMusic described the band's sound as a "combination of sludgy, down-tuned guitars, Space music jams, galloping thrash metal rhythms, and organic drums." Guitarist Josh Homme used C tuning and played his guitar through a Bass amplifier "for maximum, earth-shaking intensity."
Band members
Lineups
Timeline
id:lvocals value:red legend:Lead_vocals
id:bvocals value:pink legend:Backing_vocals
id:lguitar value:teal legend:Lead_guitar
id:rguitar value:brightgreen legend:Rhythm_guitar
id:bass value:blue legend:Bass
id:drums value:orange legend:Drums,_percussion
id:studio value:black legend:Studio_albums
id:EP value:gray(0.5) legend:EPs
layer:back
at:04/19/1990 color:EP
at:09/23/1991 color:studio
at:06/30/1992
at:06/28/1994
at:07/11/1995
bar:John text:"John Garcia"
bar:Josh text:"Josh Homme"
bar:Nick text:"Nick Oliveri"
bar:Chris text:"Chris Cockrell"
bar:Scott text:"Scott Reeder"
bar:Brant text:"Brant Bjork"
bar:Alfredo text:"Alfredo Hernández"
width:11 textcolor:black align:left anchor:from shift:(10,-4)
bar:John from:start till:end color:lvocals
bar:Josh from:start till:end color:lguitar
bar:Josh from:start till:end color:bvocals width:3
Bar:Josh from:07/01/1988 till:end color:rguitar width:7
bar:Nick from:start till:06/30/1988 color:rguitar
bar:Nick from:06/30/1991 till:08/31/1992 color:bass
bar:Nick from:06/30/1991 till:08/31/1992 color:lvocals width:3
bar:Chris from:start till:06/30/1991 color:bass
bar:Scott from:08/31/1992 till:end color:bass
bar:Scott from:08/31/1992 till:end color:bvocals width:3
bar:Brant from:start till:09/01/1994 color:drums
bar:Alfredo from:09/01/1994 till:end color:drums
Discography
External links
Categories: Heavy Metal Musical Groups From California, American Stoner Rock Musical Groups, Musical Groups Established In 1987, Musical Groups Disestablished In 1995, Musical Quartets From California, Palm Desert, California, Musical Groups From Riverside County, California, 1987 Establishments In California
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