Friday, July 31st 2009

News:  Them Crooked Vultures

Stone Age Zeppelin Fighters Are Touring

By Johnny Firecloud

Earlier this month we received definitive confirmation of the long-rumored collaboration between Josh Homme, Dave Grohl and John Paul Jones. Much to the ecstatic delight of anyone with good taste in music, the band – who have dubbed themselves Them Crooked Vultures - is currently putting the finishing touches on an actual album.

Details are understandably scarce regarding this most secret of collaborations, but in a recent interview we did with Homme’s wife, Brody Dalle of Spinnerette, she shared her opinion:

“I’m not at liberty to talk about it… but I think [the project] is pretty fucking amazing. Just beats and sounds like you’ve never heard before.”

While enticing, that was the last word on the issue for a few weeks… until just the other night, that is.

Here’s the big news: We’ve learned from an inside source very involved in the developments that the band has concrete plans to tour together. Led Zeppelin is not reuniting, Foo Fighters are currently on hiatus, and Queens Of The Stone Age aren’t looking to reconvene until next year to record the follow-up to 2007′s Era Vulgaris. The runway is all clear for the best band you haven’t heard yet, and they’ve got their key in the ignition.

In a 2005 interview with Mojo magazine, Grohl confirmed the roles would be the most logical ones: “The next project that I’m trying to initiate involves me on drums, Josh Homme on guitar, and John Paul Jones playing bass. That’s the next album. That wouldn’t suck.” So the only question remaining is who would be singing. Speculation runs rampant, but nothing has been confirmed yet.

John Paul Jones dropped a vague hint about the tour plans in April, in an interview with French journalist Cyril Deluermoz: ”I’m working on some other music, which is more rock based, with a couple of other people. We hope to be everywhere this summer.”

To summarize, we’ve confirmed an actual, concrete plan for shows this year. But here’s more: Now we’ve got the band’s name; Jesse Hughes of Eagles Of Death Metal let it slip in an obscure interview with Winnipeg’s Power 97 last week: The band is called Them Crooked Vultures.

At 1:20, Hughes drops the bomb… And then pauses at the realization that he probably shouldn’t have. Sorry, Boots.

Thanks to Seth & Why_Go for helping us uncover this news!

[Update 8/20: In addition to the 33-second teaser video from the band, a handful of videos have surfaced from both shows they've has played thus far, each with varying levels of horrible sound. Here's the best we've seen yet from Chicago and Dead End Friends from Melkweg.]