SteveAJones Posted October 11, 2009 Share Posted October 11, 2009 Them Crooked Vultures Sound Academy in Toronto October 9th 2009 Sound Academy, Toronto - October 9, 2009 By JASON MACNEIL -- Special To Sun Media TORONTO - If the future of rock and roll includes one part Foo Fighters, one part Led Zeppelin and one part Queens Of The Stone Age, then it is still in good and incredibly capable hands. Them Crooked Vultures - consisting of Led Zeppelin bassist John Paul Jones, Queens Of The Stone Age front man Josh Homme and guitarist Alain Johannes and drummer Dave Grohl of Foo Fighters - shone during a near flawless 80-minute set before a sold-out crowd Friday night at Toronto's Sound Academy. And fortunately, this wasn't an exercise in rehashing their hits. Instead it was an interesting and at times spectacular display of musicianship, with Jones sometimes pulling his band mates into '70s heavy blues-tinged rock while Homme and Grohl pulled Jones into a more contemporary rock realm. With no new album out - although one expected by year's end - Them Crooked Vultures opened with Elephants, a boogie-cum-bluesy nugget which set the path the quartet sailed down quite easily. "I feel good," Homme said following the song, quickly kicking into the somewhat relentless Dead End Friends, a tune similar to Queens Of The Stone Age's Go With The Flow which Grohl rounded off nicely with rapid fills and rolls. While Homme was lead singer for all of the 13 songs, his vocals often played second fiddle to the chemistry Jones and Grohl seemed to have from start to finish, especially evident on Scumbag Blues with Jones playing like a man 36 and not 63 years young. Jones also effortlessly played off Homme's fine guitar work during the tune's homestretch. After Homme stated they had a lot of new music to get through, Them Crooked Vultures were again extremely tight and polished during the dance-rock tinted Gunman. Sadly, they had a slight hiccup with Caligulove which sounded unfocused and left Jones trying to salvage the number with a Doors-ian keyboard solo to little effect. Thankfully the last miscue was a brief but bizarre Interlude With Ludes as Homme went without a guitar for this set breather. All was forgiven though when Them Crooked Vultures launched into a new, well, newer song Reptiles that garnered one of the louder cheers of the night, the sum far greater than the talented parts performing it onstage. Yet that basically paled in comparison to the evening's two show stoppers, the first being a lengthy Daffodils, a punishing and intense effort comparable to material from Zeppelin's Physical Graffiti. And Homme, Grohl and Jones went to town on the lengthy jam before Jones tenderly rounded it off with a short but sweet keyboard solo which the crowd loved. A groove-saturated Nobody Loves Me (And Neither Do I) was highlighted by Jones playing some mean slide guitar and could've been extended. But the band was correct to close with Warsaw, initially a swinging kind of ditty that morphed into a long and beautiful, garage-like rave up as Homme and Grohl embody a bit of Jimmy Page and John Bonham, respectively. No encore was presented, but none was needed as Queens Of The Led Fighters, oops, Them Crooked Vultures earned their keep on this night. Sun Rating: 4 out of 5 http://jam.canoe.ca/Music/Artists/T/Them_Crooked_Vultures/ConcertReviews/2009/10/10/11362686-sun.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deborah J Posted October 11, 2009 Share Posted October 11, 2009 As Otto Mason stated, thanks to you Steve and Sam and everyone else who have contributed to this. Glad to see JPJ doing this great:-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveAJones Posted October 12, 2009 Share Posted October 12, 2009 Them Crooked Vultures Sound Academy in Toronto October 9th 2009 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
otto48313 Posted October 12, 2009 Share Posted October 12, 2009 89x Detroit interview with all three crooked vultures. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StringBender Posted October 13, 2009 Share Posted October 13, 2009 ...according to Dave Grohl, they were at 119db in Nashville...125db is the point where your ears will physically feel pain... Interesting. Well, Grohl may be proud of that but I'm one day shy of a week from the show and I still have a dull ring in my ears. I'm not proud of that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Pagemeister Posted October 13, 2009 Author Share Posted October 13, 2009 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveAJones Posted October 13, 2009 Share Posted October 13, 2009 Them Crooked Vultures House of Blues in Boston, MA October 11th 2009 Vultures scavenge rock genres By Christopher Blagg / Review The Boston Herald Tuesday, October 13, 2009 Supergroups almost always sound better on paper than on stage. The concept usually trumps the actual performance. There are exceptions, however (That would be you, Raconteurs). After Sunday's show at House of Blues, the jury is still out on Them Crooked Vultures.The Vultures combine two prominent alt-rock personalities - Dave Grohl (Foo Fighters, Nirvana) and Josh Homme (Queens of the Stone Age) - and a classic rock icon - Led Zeppelin's John Paul Jones. The results of this mash-up, though undeniably loud, were mixed. Borrowing from a host of sub-genres, Them Crooked Vultures dabbled in stoner rock, psychedelic rock, hard rock and even prog rock, but the songs too often leaned heavily on thunderous riffs and nothing more. At times, the trio sounded like a band jamming in its rehearsal space; melodies were scant and forgettable. That said, the actual playing was top notch. Hommes' guitar shredding would satisfy even the geekiest of guitar nerds; Jones' bass playing was a study in precision and virtuosity. And Grohl might have outdone them both: His ferocious drumming captured the crowd's attention throughout the set. Homme may be the songwriter and ringleader and Jones may have the pedigree, but Grohl has visceral energy and charisma to go with his gargantuan talent.The crowd, a fairly homogeneous collection of under-40 males, didn't seem to mind the melodically challenged tunes. Without a record or songs on the radio, everyone in the audience had come to the show based on the reputation of the artists. Perhaps Homme realized the dilemma. "If you start not to like it," he advised the capacity throng, "just drink some more and it'll all sound OK." While beer may or may not make songs sound better, there were plenty of tunes that didn't need any improvement by way of intoxication. The slightly funky yet menacing "Scumbag Blues," with its falsetto verses and propulsive drums, proved an early set highlight, as did the alt-rock crunch of "Daffodils," Them Crooked Vulture's most accessible and complete song. The set ended with the deliciously sludgy riff rock of "Warsaw," a 12-minute prog epic that showcased the band's dynamic abilities and decibel-soaring muscle. Them Crooked Vultures is clearly a side project that won't replace any of its members' main gigs, but it does provide ear-bludgeoning entertainment. THEM CROOKED VULTURES at House of Blues, Sunday night. http://www.bostonher...nge_rock_genres Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveAJones Posted October 13, 2009 Share Posted October 13, 2009 Them Crooked Vultures House of Blues in Boston, MA October 11th 2009 Vultures supergroup gets into a jam By Sarah Rodman Boston Globe Staff / October 13, 2009 Led Zeppelin may not be embarking on a reunion tour, but it's not because John Paul Jones isn't ready. Sunday night at the House of Blues the 63-year-old Zep bassist proved more than fit for duty, stepping lively with the new supergroup Them Crooked Vultures through a dynamic 82-minute set.Jones is clearly jazzed to be joining another thunderous rhythm section, as Dave Grohl of Foo Fighters held down the drum seat with the same combination of skill and mania he exhibited during his tenure with Nirvana. One of the night's great pleasures was watching Grohl pound away with a Cheshire cat grin, free from frontman pressures. Queens of the Stone Age singer-guitarist Josh Homme led the way with courtly charm and a full arsenal of blistering riffs and dynamic vocals, darting from stoner drone to funky falsetto. In terms of sheer hard rocking power, the trio, augmented by guitarist Alain Johannes, lived up to the pre-show buzz. This was no mean feat considering the band has yet to release an album - it's due later this year - and the erratic track record of supergroups in general. Sensibly, given the personnel, each tune was built on a sturdy guitar lick and anchored by a taut groove. Sometimes the vibe was fast and furious, as on opener "Elephants.'' A giddy disco energy infected "Gunman.'' "Spinning in Daffodils'' was a low-down, grunge-encrusted rocker that gave way to an elegiac Jones piano solo. Several tunes evolved into epic jams spiraling up and down in energy, from short bursts of riffage to longer solos. The expansive yet stomping improv seemed fitting for a band reportedly formed in a medieval-themed restaurant. As the show progressed, the fatigue of the unfamiliar began to set in - no songs from the musicians' original groups were performed - but the playing remained top-notch. The ovation that Jones received from the rapt and heavily male sold-out crowd was shared by his bandmates onstage, who seemed to vibrate with excitement about their good fortune to play with a legend, and one still so nimble at that. http://www.boston.co...get_into_a_jam/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PlanetPage Posted October 13, 2009 Share Posted October 13, 2009 Them Crooked Vultures House of Blues in Boston, MA October 11th 2009 Vultures supergroup gets into a jam By Sarah Rodman Boston Globe Staff / October 13, 2009 The ovation that Jones received from the rapt and heavily male sold-out crowd was shared by his bandmates onstage, who seemed to vibrate with excitement about their good fortune to play with a legend, and one still so nimble at that. http://www.boston.co...get_into_a_jam/ ...So very sweet.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dandu Posted October 13, 2009 Share Posted October 13, 2009 ...So very sweet.... That reminds me, at the Toronto show, Homme was introducing the band. After introducing Johannes and Grohl, he just gestured over at JPJ. Didn't even say his name. The crowd went wild and then started chanting "John Paul Jones, John Paul Jones". It was really cool to be able to pay tribute to him that way. Reminded me of when Jimmy Page was in town for the premiere of "It Might Get Loud". The director mentioned his name before the movie and the entire theatre stood up and gave him a long standing ovation. Lots of Zep-Heads in Toronto I guess! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patrycja Posted October 13, 2009 Share Posted October 13, 2009 Ok. So a few impressions to add about the Toronto show. Shortly after the doors opened at 7pm, a lot of people positioned themselves at the front of the stage. The crowd was charged as the excitement was building well before the band came on. Cheers grew louder after every break in the music playing from the speakers. Finally, just after 8:30, Them Crooked Vultures entered to a resounding roar. They played a tight, disciplined set, stopping only to wipe sweat or change instruments, with Homme adding some banter in between. He noted all the people at the bar were alcoholics and all the people up at the front were the real fans - ahahaha! (good thing I made it back to my spot in time for the show ) The musicianship amongst the foursome was incredible, particularly between Jones and Grohl, as others have noted. Like many, I was there mainly to see Jonesy play, but since I hadn't ever seen Grohl or Homme live, it was a treat. Homme was solid if not spectacular on vocals, and more than kept up his end on guitar be it with crisp, crunchy chords or smooth rhythms for the more blues-based songs. Grohl actually had way more groove than I realized (I thought he was much more of a straight up rock drummer. Happily,I was wrong.) He was a thundering madmad, punishing the drums for the most part but reining it in to suit the lighter moments. I have to say, he seems like a fun, down-to-earth guy who's as much a fan as a good musician. No ego. I take back everything I said about him.(Sorry, Dave ) Of course, the highlight of the night was JPJ's playing. There's something about these songs (even more so than those on his solo albums) that seemed to free him up a lot to blaze through them with unparalleled dexterity; he makes it look so easy on every instrument, it really leaves you awestruck. I didn't think it was possible, but he actually sounded better than I'd ever heard. Like Dandu mentioned, when Homme was doing band introductions, everyone got enthusiastic cheers, but he only pointed toward Jonesy and the crowd erupted lustily, breaking into a spontaneous chant of his name. It's so good to see him getting the acclaim he so richly deserves. I can't think of any current musician who can make virtuosity look so effortless. He was teamed up with competent musicians who obviously care about putting on a great show with some great music. It's no wonder everyone was so excited; we gave back what we were given. So we had us some Vultures for Thanksgiving. You couldn't ask for a finer feast. Some pictures from the show: And a rare shot of Dave sitting still : Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Juliet Posted October 14, 2009 Share Posted October 14, 2009 Hi Patrycja: The review and pics are great...so happy to hear you saw the show.. Juliet Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patrycja Posted October 14, 2009 Share Posted October 14, 2009 Hi Janet , Thanks a lot. I enjoyed the music very much. The people around me were welcoming and friendly too (which can be hit or miss) so that was good. Hopefully it won't be another eight or so years before there's another Toronto gig, but you never know... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ally Posted October 14, 2009 Share Posted October 14, 2009 Great pics Pat. Thanks for the review and I'm glad you enjoyed the show. Last I heard a western swing wasn't yet in the cards...hope that changes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Juliet Posted October 14, 2009 Share Posted October 14, 2009 Hi Ally: I hope they have a gig out West for ya...I hope they also visit London, Ontario...lots of JPJ and DG fans in this part of the country... Juliet Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ally Posted October 14, 2009 Share Posted October 14, 2009 Hi Ally: I hope they have a gig out West for ya...I hope they also visit London, Ontario...lots of JPJ and DG fans in this part of the country... Juliet HIYA Juliet Yeah, I suppose we all want them to come to our home towns. I hope your wish is granted too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patrycja Posted October 14, 2009 Share Posted October 14, 2009 Great pics Pat. Thanks for the review and I'm glad you enjoyed the show. Last I heard a western swing wasn't yet in the cards...hope that changes Thanks, Ally . For now it seems they're finishing up in Auckland. Fingers crossed they'll land in your end of the country (yours too, Juliet). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ally Posted October 14, 2009 Share Posted October 14, 2009 Thanks, Ally . For now it seems they're finishing up in Auckland. Fingers crossed they'll land in your end of the country (yours too, Juliet). That's a bit of a swim Pat Sounds like I may have to settle for the DVD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Pagemeister Posted October 14, 2009 Author Share Posted October 14, 2009 Them Crooked Vultures Interview on WRIF LISTEN HERE Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveAJones Posted October 15, 2009 Share Posted October 15, 2009 Review: Them Crooked Vultures @ Austin City Limits Studios; 09.30.2009 Photos: Them Crooked Vultures at Stubb's; 10.01.2009 Soundcheck Magazine words by Elliot Cole & photos by Randy Cremean Keep your Great American Music Halls and Troubadors, your Bowery Ballrooms and Red Rocks. There is no venue quite like the studios of Austin City Limits, buried deep in the University of Texas campus. Whether it’s the small space, the ambient background, the free beer (shhhh….), or the fan-first aura, Terry Lickona and the rest of the people that put together the series know how to make a show an experience. The best artists in the world – in a range of genres – have graced the City Limits stage in its 35-year existence. That being said, the amount of bands without an album that have played the stage can be counted on one hand. But, for Them Crooked Vultures, they made an exception. Playing in only its ninth gig, the supergroup of Josh Homme (Queens of the Stone Age), John Paul Jones (Led Zepplin), and Dave Grohl (Foo Fighters) had the type of credibility chops that allowed TCV to take the stage without even an album to support, no less only eight shows under its belt. With a ten-track set, the band melted into a sort of amalgamation of Queens of the Stone Age and more retro-fied, sprawling rock roots. John Paul Jones, Homme, and traveling guitarist Alain Johannes were poised and precise, while Grohl slammed his drums like Animal from The Muppets. The group opened with a mixed pace track “Elephants” that was ripe with harmonies, but the second song, “Dead End Friends”, delved into a darker, faster, and more solo-friendly endeavor. Lance Armstrong looked on as the band rolled into a series of smooth, dark-toned, no-frills rock songs that were as comfortable as they were creatively zealous. “Mind Eraser” brought Jones to backup vocal duties, but he soon took on the keyboard for a poignant outro to an otherwise huge stadium song. During a round of introductions, Jones received the biggest ovation, leading Homme to comment, “They like you as much as I do.” Jones reached in his back of tricks a couple of other times. His 8-string bass flashed with blue LEDs on the fretboard and a sparkling purple slide guitar was unfurled for the rough-and-rhythmic “Nobody Loves Me and Neither Do I”. The group closed with its best attempt at epic rockstardom glory: a lengthy track titled “War Song” that featured dual vocals between Homme and Jones and fell into a lengthy jam session before a colossal finish. http://soundcheckmagazine.com/featured-content/1777-reviewphotos-them-crooked-vultures-at-acl-studios-and-stubbs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveAJones Posted October 15, 2009 Share Posted October 15, 2009 Them Crooked Vultures Stubb's Bar-B-Q in Austin, TX October 1st 2009 Stereogum Photo Gallery: http://stereogum.com/archives/photo/them_crooked_vultures_stubbs_austin_10109_093401.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveAJones Posted October 15, 2009 Share Posted October 15, 2009 Them Crooked Vultures 9:30 Club in Washington, D.C. October 14th 2009 NPR Music Crew To Rock With Them Crooked Vultures by Lars Gotrich When a supergroup these days consists of earnest indie folkers -- I'm scowling in your direction, Monsters of Folk -- it takes something like Them Crooked Cultures to show the world a real powers-combined rock band. Tonight, Dave Grohl (Foo Fighters, Nirvana), Josh Homme (Queens of the Stone Age, Kyuss) and John Paul Jones (Led Zeppelin) will take the stage at the sold-out 9:30 Club here in Washington, D.C., and a group of NPR Music folks will be there, rocking out and recording the concert on a fancy-shmancy multi-track. Our hopes are that the three Vultures (plus guitarist Alain Johannes) will allow us to put up the show, even before their record comes out (let alone before it's finished), because we can't contain our excitement. Early reports and numerous YouTube live bootlegs show a riff-laden, QOTSA-y band with occasional Jon Bonham-esque fills at song climaxes. Personally, I'm excited to see what seems to be the standard live closer, the Megatron-sized riff-smasher "Nobody Loves Me and Neither Do I." http://www.npr.org/b...ft=1&f=15709577 Amazing: Them Crooked Vultures Live by Bob Boilen It's been a while since I've been to a show that I'd call "balls to the wall" but Them Crooked Vultures aren't holding back. From their first song, "Elephant," to the song playing right now, called "Highway 1," nuance has left the building. Granted, I'm only four songs into the show, but good lord, this rocks. Dave Grohl's (Foo Fighters, Nirvana) drumming has the intensity of John Bonham, but it's Grohl's fierce playing for sure. And John Paul Jones (Led Zeppelin) at 63 years old is just amazing on bass and at the moment rocking on electric mandolin. The riffs are reminiscent of Zeppelin, but the sound is their own. Josh Homme (Queens of the Stone Age) is fine in the lead role, both as guitarist and as the singer. Alain Johannes played some fine rhythm guitar and more. In some ways it's hard to be at a show where I know none of the songs; on the other hand it's seriously fun hearing stuff for the first time and hearing it live. Every song on the set list is a new song, no covers. We're recording the show. The band will mix it and, if they like what they did, we'll have it online soon. Stay tuned. 9:14 PM ET | 10-14-2009 http://www.npr.org/b...ft=1&f=15709577 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveAJones Posted October 15, 2009 Share Posted October 15, 2009 www.musicnews.com MUSIC NEWS - With only video clips and live performances to satisfy us, the debut album from Them Crooked Vultures, can't come soon enough. Recenlty, frontman Josh Homme spoke with Antiquiet.com at ACLFestival and tipped us all off on news that the TCM debut will be self-titled and that it's due for a release by the end of 2009. He also reported that the album will be out via Interscope Records in the USA and Sony BMG internationally. Apparently, it was Dave Grohl who put first imagined the alignment of Homme on guitars and vocals and John Paul Jones on bass, more amazing since the two had never met. "Dave mentioned this idea, and we're always looking for a chance to do stuff together," Homme said to Antiquiet . "So he said, 'You know what, maybe I should ask John Paul Jones!' And I was like, 'That'd be awesome. And I'll ask The President. And we can put it all together.' And then all of a sudden he starts sending me e-mails of correspondence between him and Jones... I hadn't played guitar for five months, and I was gonna maybe take a break for a second, for my first time in a long time. But then [Dave] has his birthday party at Medieval Times, and of course he sat us right next to each other. That was the blind date. But he sat in the next row behind us, looking over. But you know, I think it's fairly common to meet someone from Zeppelin at Medieval Times." The trio came together fairly rapidly after that first meeting and were able to write a number of tunes for the album. "We just finished figuring out what songs we're going to put on it, which took a little bit of time," Homme said. "We couldn't decide what [we wanted] to do. Do you make a triple album? An EP? How many songs is too much? I tend to think that even if you've got a bunch of good songs, maybe you should err on the side of brevity, and keep it tight. But we really enjoy lots of songs, so we couldn't decide." Check out Kevin "Skwerl" Cogill's full talk with Homme at Antiquiet.com. http://www.musicnews...d-vultures.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveAJones Posted October 15, 2009 Share Posted October 15, 2009 Them Crooked Vultures Sit Down With The Riff October 14, 2009 New trio Them Crooked Vultures sat down with afternoon drive jock Meltdown of WRIF/Detroit prior to the band's October 8 performance in the Motor City, and they talked about how the band got together. Drummer Dave Grohl explained that he put the group together, as he is old friends with Queens of the Stone Age's Josh Homme and he had worked with Led Zep bassist John Paul Jones a few times in the past. "Josh and I were both taking time off from our bands, and I love playing with him, and he's pretty good. And John is pretty good too, so why not put a band together?" Grohl quipped. Jones then recalled the story of the first time he met Homme, at Grohl's birthday party at the theme restaurant Medieval Times in Anaheim. "They gave me my crown and we talked over dragon soup. I had to get to know Josh. He was kind of apologetic for just being there at this thing," Jones laughed. "It was Dave's birthday, which is great, but it's a whole cultural thing for me, although they're all pretending to be English with strange accents." When Meltdown asked them how they feel about the term "supergroup," they said it's basically a term that gets "hoisted" on them by the media. "It's really not unlike how any other band begins," said Grohl. "It's a bunch of musicians that have sort of jammed with each other before. It's just that we've all established ourselves doing other projects. Each of us are known for doing other things, but when I was playing with Queens of the Stone Age, you had Mark Lanegan, Josh and me, who had all done things with other bands before. But I don't think anyone ever called that a supergroup." Jones added that the word has negative connotations of being "contrived and hyped, and not actually a bunch of musicians who want to play together. Whereas this came from the music... it's Dave's fault originally... but after getting us together to see if we could actually do anything, it seemed like a good idea. We got in the studio and just started jamming and it was like, 'Oh, actually, this is pretty good!'" The band said they don't know exactly when their album is coming out, but it will be before the end of the year. You can check out the full audio of the interview at WRIF.com. http://www.fmqb.com/...46127&spid=1314 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dharmabum Posted October 15, 2009 Share Posted October 15, 2009 Can't wait for the show tonight at the Roseland Ballroom!! Will post a short review when I get a chance... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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