What happens when you combine two of modern rock's most innovative musicians with a living rock legend? The resulting super-group is just that, and they are Them Crooked Vultures.
The newly formed rock super-group consists of Josh Homme, Dave Grohl and John Paul Jones. For those of you who are unaware, allow me to provide a brief resume for each musician.
Guitar/Vocals - Josh Homme: Born 1973 in Joshua Tree, Calif., Homme began his professional music career with the band Kyuss in the late '80s. After that, he went on to found Queens of the Stone Age, one of the most underrated hard rock bands around today. He also helped found a sex-obsessed, guitar-driven band called Eagles of Death Metal.
Drums - Dave Grohl: Grohl needs little introduction. As the drummer for Nirvana, he managed to write and compile a number of his own songs, giving him the motivation to form the Foo Fighters after Cobain's death. All six of his albums with the aforementioned Fighters have been nominated for Grammys, and three have won best rock album. He has also collaborated with bands like Queens of the Stone Age, Tenacious D, Nine Inch Nails and many others.
Bass/Keyboards - John Paul Jones: At 63 years old, this dude still knows how to rock like few others. He gained fame during the height of rock and roll as the bassist for a little known rock band that you may or may not have heard of: Led Zeppelin. His story and list of accomplishments could fill a book, and his success as a musician, producer, director and conductor are respected throughout the music industry.
A Vultures show is a powerful tour de force that is laden with fierce guitar riffs and solos that leave the audience in awe. Homme has truly mastered his instrument with all the flair and elegance of rock's most revered face-melting pantheon. One has come to expect perfection from Grohl, and perfection thou shalt receive.
Jones is clearly the proverbial wild card in the bunch. Well past 60, the man has decided to team up with two younger, albeit prolific artists. Their shows include him using a number of different instruments, including a slide bass and one hell of a sweet piano solo.
The band, which only began touring in August, commands the stage with all the skill and finesse that one would expect from a band with half a dozen albums in as many years. The band's sound is clearly more in line with the music Homme has created with Queens of the Stone Age, but the influences of Grohl and Jones are both inextricable from the group's dynamic.
Their tour, aptly titled the "Deserve the Future Tour," includes a number of small venues all over the world, including Europe and Australia. The band's popularity is incredible, especially considering the fact that fans are walking into a show with almost no knowledge of the band itself. They have yet to produce an album, and they perform no covers, only original work. Despite this, tickets for their shows are selling out the world over. Given the typically short lifespan of most rock super-groups, this is clearly a tour that true music fans won't want to miss.
