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THEM CROOKED VULTURES | 04.14 | L.A.

Friday, April 23, 2010, 18:35

Words by: L. Apostle Mann

Them Crooked Vultures :: 04.14.10 :: Club Nokia :: Los Angeles, CA

This was a assail concert at the voluptuous newborn Nokia Club, in downtown Los Angeles' super newborn L.A. Live Center. The relatively newborn "supergroup" Them Crooked Vultures played a "warm up" for their action at Coachella. The scene is digit of the nicest newborn springy penalization clubs in the country. Claiming a power of 2,300, it actually feels much smaller. The gathering is distributed in a super conic appearance with a ordinal take balcony comprising half of the seating. State of the prowess good and illumination are connected with springy video, digitally altered for peak coverage. It is the amend papers for springy sway bands.

The constituent "supergroup" has been tossed most for decades. "Blind Faith" haw hit been the prototypal lawful adornment to verify the moniker. The Traveling Wilburys were belike the last, until now. Them Crooked Vultures sure has the derivation to endorse much a title. John Apostle Jones, the past vocalise contestant for Led Zeppelin, Dave Grohl, the drummer from beatitude and cheater of the Foo Fighters, and Josh Homme, the leader/mastermind of Queens of the Stone Age comprise the group, with Homme's borough bandmate Alain Johannes misreckoning discover the springy configuration.

This haw be the prizewinning newborn hornlike sway adornment bacilliform in a decade. While you crapper center crisp influences from apiece of the player's individual another bands, the assemble melds their talents into a new, bomb good that lends itself substantially to experimental, improvisational springy jams. Jones, the magical pied player of the group, played no inferior than heptad assorted instruments. As substantially as the vocalise and a collection of keyboards reminiscent of his Zeppelin days, he also played string and a variety of electronic motion voice device. Grohl did what he does best: Put his nous downbound and played ferociously on the drums, reminding some of Evangelist Bonham and Keith Moon. Homme, with his symptomatic high-pitched vocalise and weeping advance guitar, acted as the denture to the audience, humorous with the gathering and using his biting personality to ready a individualized unification going. Unofficial adornment member Alain Johannes was the grownup straightforward man, seamlessly ownership the periodicity on his guitar, or change to vocalise when designer would research with a assorted instrument. He modify sported a songster call Hofner vocalise at digit point.

A assemblage of touring has overturned the assemble into a juggernaut of good confident of improvising on a dime, pumping discover extraordinary jams. About the exclusive complaints heard this period came from Foo Fighters fans, which seemed to daylong for that band's more melodic, advertizement earworms. The closest this assemble has become to advertizement imbibe is "New Fang," which has conventional comprehensive airplay. But witnessing them in concert, it's country this adornment cares lowercase for broadcasting hits. This is most the sweaty comminute of activity sway & listing springy in face of an audience.

The Vultures moulding finished nearly digit hours of penalization in an exploding set. Homme took a fortuity New in the ordered to pass their Coachella gig. "I'm from the desert. I'm Joshua. Anyone feat to Coachella? Well, ass you. This isn't for you guys," he said. Then recanted, "Just kidding. This is for everyone."

Them Crooked Vultures :: 04.14.10 :: Club Nokia :: Los Angeles, CA

Elephants, Gunman, Scumbag Blues, Dead End Friends, Nobody Loves Me & Neither Do I, Highway 1, New Fang, Bandoliers, Mind Eraser, No Chaser, Interlude with Ludes, Caligulove, Johannes voice unaccompanied > You Can't Possibly solon to Imagine, Spinning in Daffodils, Warsaw or The First Breath You Take After You Give Up

http://www.ictmag.in...ures-04-14-l-a/

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Weekend in Vegas: Them Crooked Vultures rock The Joint

By John Katsilometes · April 19, 2010 · 11:18 AM

Them Crooked Vultures at The Joint

Notes on a Monday: The Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel put on a general-admission, hard-rock show Saturday night starring Them Crooked Vultures. For those of us who have jostled for a suitable standing location for these types of concerts, including those at the old Joint, this sold-out show was not uncomfortable. The metal rails separating sections, and the slightly tiered raking, of the floor of the hall keeps the masses in good order.

It could have been, too, that many fans of the musicians onstage would rather stand stoically and enjoy the show than push toward the stage. If there isn't a concert T-shirt reading, "Too Old To Mosh," there should be (I did see one, "Middle-Class Act," that was pretty funny).

Members of the arbitrarily named Them Crooked Vultures span generations, dating to the 60s and 1960s. John Paul Jones of Led Zeppelin how is it that he is 64? Sprightly, youthful in his stage manner, amazing musician; he even makes the keytar (the good-idea-at-the-time synthesizer fashioned with a guitar strap and played as such) look dignified. Edgar Winter might be the only other musician who can carry around that hybrid instrument and not look sadly dated.

Former Nirvanan and Foo Fighter Dave Grohl never disappoints. As someone tweeted during the show, behind the drum set the flailing Grohl looks like "Animal" from "The Muppet Show." Except for Animal's red hair, this is true. And front man Josh Homme (Queens of the Stone Age, most famously) is a happily dangerous individual who boasted that he'd been thrown out of every club in Las Vegas. Or maybe he said he'd been thrown out of 100 clubs. Whichever, he seems that sort, the type of guy likely to hurl a shot glass into the Chihuly ceiling sculpture at Bellagio.

The band played everything off its first album, a blend of rock influenced (not coincidentally) by Led Zep and Nirvana, and members have said they are working on a second release for this year. I hope they'll be back. They're worth standing for.

Feature & Photo Link:

http://www.lasvegass...rock-joint-tak/

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Them Crooked Vultures, flying into the future

They may be a supergroup, but John Paul Jones, Dave Grohl and Josh Homme aren't about to coast on their towering histories

By T'CHA DUNLEVY, The Gazette May 6, 2010

MONTREAL - The supergroup phenomenon dates back to the '60s, with the likes of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, so it's fitting that a legend of that era be involved in one in 2010.

Reached last week at his home in London, England, John Paul Jones was a perfect gentleman. But don't let that fool you: the former Led Zeppelin bassist gets down and dirty with (relatively) young bucks Dave Grohl (Foo Fighters, Nirvana) and Josh Homme (Queens of the Stone Age) on their new project Them Crooked Vultures.

Far from a shrewd master plan conceived by record execs in an office tower, the project happened quite naturally, according to Jones:

"It came about a year ago, almost to the week. It's all Dave Grohl's fault. He approached me in England. He was there to give the remaining members of Led Zeppelin an award.

"He said he was doing something with a friend of his, Josh Homme, and would I be interested in joining? I knew what Josh did; I was a fan. And I knew what a great drummer Dave was. So I said, 'Yes, let's get together.' We met just after Josh's birthday, in L.A., and started putting it down."

The three musicians are known for rocking hard on their own. Joining forces to record their self-titled debut, released in November, they found the crucial element to any great band: chemistry.

"The interaction was very strong," Jones said. "The first day, everyone was a bit wary. We didn't know what to play or what to do. But that didn't last long. After a couple of days, we were just teeming with ideas. Those ideas have carried through to all the live shows. Each night we do, more ideas come out on stage, which is great. We're the perfect band for that."

With Homme on vocals and guitar, Grohl on drums and vocals and Jones on bass, Clavinet and whatever else tickles his fancy, Them Crooked Vultures comes across as the best of both worlds - a rockin' jam band with great tunes.

Homme stamps his aesthetic on the songs with his voice and grinding/epic guitar textures. Grohl's drumming is rowdy, funky and intense. And Jones does more than keep pace, turning the bass into a driving force at the heart of the groove.

"Bass is all about rhythm and melody," he said, "and harmony to an extent - but especially melody. A bass line has got to stand up on its own. You have to be careful not to just be a low guitarist. There are times to step forward and times to stay in the background.

"I like playing with really good drummers, as you've probably noted. Part of that is to make the rhythm section interesting and vibrant, to offer something to keep the guitarist moving and move the songs along. In a good rhythm section, the players inspire each other and test each other. It's not uncompetitive. It's great, it's fun to do, and it makes good music."

Led Zeppelin's blues-rock and Queens of the Stone Age's riff-heavy psychedelia are audible influences. But Crooked Vultures is more than the sum of its parts. It's the sound of three talented guys leaving their disparate histories at the door (if not forgetting them) and plunging into something exciting and new.

"We were in those other bands," Jones said, "so it's possible that the contributions we made to those bands may not be totally unlike the contributions we make to this band. But they're all totally different bands.

"Crooked Vultures has its own sound and dynamic. We don't play covers. It was a decision we made early on - not even in rehearsal. I think that's nice. I was surprised people would respect that, but they did. We have hardly ever had requests from the audience, shouting for Led Zeppelin songs or Queens songs. They came to hear Them Crooked Vultures."

So how does it feel, at 64, to be going head-to-head with guys who could be your kids, playing music that is as raw, loud and rambunctious as the stuff you and your old band were playing 40 years ago?

"The age thing soon disappears," Jones said, "and it's down to musical personality. We're all pretty easygoing people. There aren't egos flying around, demanding this or that. We're all grown up. We just started making music. No matter what age you are, you can either do it or you can't. And these guys definitely can."

Somewhere in there, you may have noticed, Jones turned that into a question not of whether he still had it, but whether his bandmates could keep up.

Them Crooked Vultures perform Wednesday at 8 p.m. at Metropolis, 59 Ste. Catherine St. E., with Alberta Cross. Tickets cost $49.50, $55 at the door. Tickets purchased for the show's original booking at CEPSUM will be honoured. Call 514-790-1111 or order at www.ticketpro.ca.

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Them Crooked Vultures May 16th Windsor Casino Floor Seating Change GA floor tickets now available here:

http://www.ticketmas...1&minorcatid=60

Attention Them Crooked Vultures Fans P1 Floor

Them Crooked Vultures wants to bring the ROCK to Windsor. Therefore, we're yanking the chairs from the floor to give you room to move around like we know you want to. The floor tickets you have in hand are still valid for the new GA section in front of the stage and we're now throwing in a one-of-a-kind commemorative poster when you show your ticket to a representative at the show. In addition, we are opening doors thirty minutes early at 6:30pm to allow you first entrance into the venue.

ENJOY THE SHOW!!

P.S. If you still want to sit down, you're welcome to be relocated to the level behind the floor and forfeit your poster, but we think you'll be much happier right down front. Simply contact us at the email address below before May 14th at 8:00 pm and we'll make it happen. Please include your order number, billing address and last four digits of the credit card used for payment.

Refunds are available until May 14th at 8:00pm. Simply contact us at the email address below and we'll make it happen. Please include your order number, billing address and last four digits of the credit card used for payment.

CS_RELOCATION@TICKETMASTER.CA , Subject Line- Them Crooked Vultures Relocation.

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Them Crooked Vultures, flying into the future

They may be a supergroup, but John Paul Jones, Dave Grohl and Josh Homme aren't about to coast on their towering histories

By T'CHA DUNLEVY, The Gazette May 6, 2010

MONTREAL - The supergroup phenomenon dates back to the '60s, with the likes of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, so it's fitting that a legend of that era be involved in one in 2010.

Reached last week at his home in London, England, John Paul Jones was a perfect gentleman. But don't let that fool you: the former Led Zeppelin bassist gets down and dirty with (relatively) young bucks Dave Grohl (Foo Fighters, Nirvana) and Josh Homme (Queens of the Stone Age) on their new project Them Crooked Vultures.

Far from a shrewd master plan conceived by record execs in an office tower, the project happened quite naturally, according to Jones:

"It came about a year ago, almost to the week. It's all Dave Grohl's fault. He approached me in England. He was there to give the remaining members of Led Zeppelin an award.

"He said he was doing something with a friend of his, Josh Homme, and would I be interested in joining? I knew what Josh did; I was a fan. And I knew what a great drummer Dave was. So I said, 'Yes, let's get together.' We met just after Josh's birthday, in L.A., and started putting it down."

The three musicians are known for rocking hard on their own. Joining forces to record their self-titled debut, released in November, they found the crucial element to any great band: chemistry.

"The interaction was very strong," Jones said. "The first day, everyone was a bit wary. We didn't know what to play or what to do. But that didn't last long. After a couple of days, we were just teeming with ideas. Those ideas have carried through to all the live shows. Each night we do, more ideas come out on stage, which is great. We're the perfect band for that."

With Homme on vocals and guitar, Grohl on drums and vocals and Jones on bass, Clavinet and whatever else tickles his fancy, Them Crooked Vultures comes across as the best of both worlds - a rockin' jam band with great tunes.

Homme stamps his aesthetic on the songs with his voice and grinding/epic guitar textures. Grohl's drumming is rowdy, funky and intense. And Jones does more than keep pace, turning the bass into a driving force at the heart of the groove.

"Bass is all about rhythm and melody," he said, "and harmony to an extent - but especially melody. A bass line has got to stand up on its own. You have to be careful not to just be a low guitarist. There are times to step forward and times to stay in the background.

"I like playing with really good drummers, as you've probably noted. Part of that is to make the rhythm section interesting and vibrant, to offer something to keep the guitarist moving and move the songs along. In a good rhythm section, the players inspire each other and test each other. It's not uncompetitive. It's great, it's fun to do, and it makes good music."

Led Zeppelin's blues-rock and Queens of the Stone Age's riff-heavy psychedelia are audible influences. But Crooked Vultures is more than the sum of its parts. It's the sound of three talented guys leaving their disparate histories at the door (if not forgetting them) and plunging into something exciting and new.

"We were in those other bands," Jones said, "so it's possible that the contributions we made to those bands may not be totally unlike the contributions we make to this band. But they're all totally different bands.

"Crooked Vultures has its own sound and dynamic. We don't play covers. It was a decision we made early on - not even in rehearsal. I think that's nice. I was surprised people would respect that, but they did. We have hardly ever had requests from the audience, shouting for Led Zeppelin songs or Queens songs. They came to hear Them Crooked Vultures."

So how does it feel, at 64, to be going head-to-head with guys who could be your kids, playing music that is as raw, loud and rambunctious as the stuff you and your old band were playing 40 years ago?

"The age thing soon disappears," Jones said, "and it's down to musical personality. We're all pretty easygoing people. There aren't egos flying around, demanding this or that. We're all grown up. We just started making music. No matter what age you are, you can either do it or you can't. And these guys definitely can."

Somewhere in there, you may have noticed, Jones turned that into a question not of whether he still had it, but whether his bandmates could keep up.

Them Crooked Vultures perform Wednesday at 8 p.m. at Metropolis, 59 Ste. Catherine St. E., with Alberta Cross. Tickets cost $49.50, $55 at the door. Tickets purchased for the show's original booking at CEPSUM will be honoured. Call 514-790-1111 or order at www.ticketpro.ca.

What a fresh perspective. Gotta love the Jonesmeister.

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Homme about JPJ:

<<Q:Have you got past the stage of glancing over at Jones and thinking, ‘Holy f---, that’s a guy from Led Zeppelin.’

A: No. And I hope I never do. I always look over and say, ‘What a badass, man.’ This is something that has yet to stop exciting me.

Q: Do people in the audience shout out requests for Zep?

A; Somebody did one time. I think it was for No Quarter. I just said, ‘This is not a cover band.’ But I gotta say, since the very beginning, there’s been something very special between the band and its audience. We asked them to take a leap. We did a tour without any record in sight, and played a lot of new music to consume in one show. We said, ‘Will you trust us? We promise to try as hard as possible.’ And we’ve had the most giving, trusting audience. To have only heard No Quarter one time — and it was in jest — is really amazing.

Q: Jones must have some incredible stories.

A: The funny thing is, as we were recording, we’d each be sharing stories and talking. And it would dawn on me, ‘These are Zeppelin stories.’ But really, they’re stories about his friends who just happen to be Zeppelin. And the humanizing of those characters has really been kind of tender and cool for me. But yeah, the stories are crazy. (Laughs)>>

http://www.torontosun.com/entertainment/music/2010/05/07/13864491.html

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Homme about JPJ:

<<Q:Have you got past the stage of glancing over at Jones and thinking, 'Holy f---, that's a guy from Led Zeppelin.'

A: No. And I hope I never do. I always look over and say, 'What a badass, man.' This is something that has yet to stop exciting me.

Q: Do people in the audience shout out requests for Zep?

A; Somebody did one time. I think it was for No Quarter. I just said, 'This is not a cover band.' But I gotta say, since the very beginning, there's been something very special between the band and its audience. We asked them to take a leap. We did a tour without any record in sight, and played a lot of new music to consume in one show. We said, 'Will you trust us? We promise to try as hard as possible.' And we've had the most giving, trusting audience. To have only heard No Quarter one time — and it was in jest — is really amazing.

Q: Jones must have some incredible stories.

A: The funny thing is, as we were recording, we'd each be sharing stories and talking. And it would dawn on me, 'These are Zeppelin stories.' But really, they're stories about his friends who just happen to be Zeppelin. And the humanizing of those characters has really been kind of tender and cool for me. But yeah, the stories are crazy. (Laughs)>>

http://www.torontosu...7/13864491.html

Just blow me away.

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Fans get a Crooked take on straight grunge

John Paul Jones gives 'em what they want as fretboard fireworks go off

By Shawn Jam Hill, The Ottawa Citizen

May 15, 2010 5:25 AM

217f3ca04a2bac7c4452c6d2587b.jpeg

The term "supergroup" conjures up an image of overwrought egos bursting at the seams to displace their co-conspirator's once fleeting glories in order to truly rekindle the magic from something that was lost to the Annals Of Rock. Them Crooked Vultures take the high road, allowing each genial member of this ever-morphing power trio (rounded out by virtuoso session dude Alain Johannes in a live setting) to contribute their own spin on barroom jamming at their leisure, inserting timely solos and free-form quasi-funk whenever appropriate.

Did I mention John Paul Jones stole the show?

From the moment TCV took the Scotiabank stage Thursday night, before a note was struck, some 3,000 grunge-loving rawkers stood, as if on cue, to give JPJ the standing ovation he so righteously deserved.

"Let's get goin,'", enthused ringleader/guitar/vox slayer Josh Homme (Kyuss, Queens of the Stone Age) as the applause faded out. The band leaned into the languid burner No One Loves Me & Neither Do I, JPJ busted out a futuristic bass hybrid and über-skinsman Dave Grohl (Nirvana, Foos) amped up the pounding psychedelics.

The cavernous Bank was transformed into a giant club replete with a stellar light show and an intimate feel while the band employed a never-ending stream of cool guitars to get the fretboard fireworks up to spec.

The stop-start riffology of Scumbag Blues inspired the beer-drenched crowd to raise a coupla horns as JPJ sang his heart out and Homme employed a cocksure bluesy swagger to ensure his guit-box chicanery matched his near-perfect falsetto. Dead End Friend, all punked-up new wave flotsam, saw JPJ lock in with Grohl to inspire some old skool hair-swinging from one of rock's greatest drummers. Clad in cammo shorts and a cut-off tee, Grohl's ever-present grin accentuated the fact TCV were in it for the good times.

"You really are an attractive bunch," cooed Homme as JPJ repositioned himself in front of a vintage keys setup for a rousing version of Caligulove, an authentic Zep-tacular nod if there was one this eve.

And as the band ripped into Mind Eraser, No Chaser, Ottawa's hard rock faithful hoisted half-empty Canadians on high.

"We don't do encores, we don't do covers," extolled Homme at the end of the bash, thus quashing any hopes of hearing Kashmir live in 2010. TCV prove that extremely talented rock hounds can check their egos at the door and get on with the business of cranking sweet jams. I hardly even missed Smells Like Teen Spirit.

More photos: http://www.metronews...cotiabank-place

http://www.ottawacit...1496/story.html

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another great show last night....

'Them Crooked Vultures' feast off ACC crowd

By JASON MacNEIL, Special to QMI Agency

May 16, 2010 2:00am

The three big names which make up newly concocted "super group" Them Crooked Vultures were playing to their largest crowd ever Saturday night at Toronto's Air Canada Centre.

"This is the biggest show we've ever played and it means a lot to us," singer and guitarist Josh Homme said prior to capping off roughly two-hour show. "It means a lot to us. We're just four guys who wanted to play together."

Well, in this instance "just four guys" happens to be Queens Of The Stone Age architect Homme, Foo Fighters main man Dave Grohl on drums, touring guitarist Alain Johannes and Led Zeppelin bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones.

And for most of the 15-song set, Them Crooked Vultures rampaged through a brand of '70s era-influenced hard rock that truly has to be seen to be appreciated. Whether watching Grohl punish himself physically as much as his battened-down drum kit numerous times or Jones shuffling around while keeping the groove, the band does not take any short cuts in achieving such an impressive sound.

After playing a sold-out show last October at Sound Academy, Them Crooked Vultures returned with a similar set list, opening with the swampy hook of No One Loves Me & Neither Do I which had most on the floor bobbing along. Relying on the performance aspect to atone for no video screens for fans on the floor, in the near-capacity lower bowl and partially filled upper tier, the group dished out Gunman before the "little dance number" Scumbag Blues reared its catchy head.

Part of the attraction of the band, though, is seeing both Homme and Grohl playing off of Jones, the elder statesman at 66. As Jones doled out a few quick bass lines during Scumbag Blues, Homme and Grohl both resembled kids in awe of meeting their rock hero for the first time.

Dead End Friends and especially the gear-shifting Elephants fared fine, but Highway 1 -- the first of two non-album tracks performed – didn't quite match the intensity or bombast of the single New Fang or the tight Mind Eraser, No Chaser. But an ensuing effort with the title You Can't Possibly Begin To Imagine was a surprise highlight. Here, the slow, seedy bluesy arrangement had Jones initially on fiddle while Homme fed off the crowd clapping along.

If there's one number which seemed to be the proverbial black sheep, it was easily Interlude With Ludes, a Doors-ish attempt that featured Homme (who later lit up a cigarette) prancing around the stage while Jones tried to hold things together on his key-tar. Mission not quite accomplished.

Regardless, Them Crooked Vultures held some of the best for last beginning with the lengthy Spinning In Daffodils that had Grohl looking like Animal from the Muppets with his rapid fills and rolls. Following the Zeppelin circa Physical Graffiti nugget Reptiles, the band closed things out with no encore but a fabulous, fatiguing Warsaw, a marathon-ish tune driven by some terrific playing.

http://www.torontosu...6/13963871.html

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Crooked Vultures' chemistry crucial

By T'Cha Dunlevy, Canwest News Service - May 15, 2010

The supergroup phenomenon dates back to the '60s, with the likes of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, so it's fitting that a legend of that era be involved in one in 2010.

Reached last week at his home in London, England, John Paul Jones was a perfect gentleman. But don't let that fool you: The former Led Zeppelin bassist gets down and dirty with (relatively) young bucks Dave Grohl (Foo Fighters, Nirvana) and Josh Homme (Queens of the Stone Age) on their new project Them Crooked Vultures.

Far from a shrewd master plan conceived by record execs in an office tower, the project happened quite naturally, according to Jones: "It came about a year ago, almost to the week. It's all Dave Grohl's fault. He approached me in England. He was there to give the remaining members of Led Zeppelin an award.

"He said he was doing something with a friend of his, Josh Homme, and would I be interested in joining? I knew what Josh did; I was a fan. And I knew what a great drummer Dave was. So I said, 'Yes, let's get together.' We met just after Josh's birthday, in L.A., and started putting it down.

"The interaction was very strong," Jones said. "The first day, everyone was a bit wary. We didn't know what to play or what to do. But that didn't last long. After a couple of days, we were just teeming with ideas. Those ideas have carried through to all the live shows. Each night we do, more ideas come out onstage, which is great. We're the perfect band for that."

With Homme on vocals and guitar, Grohl on drums and vocals and Jones on bass, clavinet and whatever else tickles his fancy, Them Crooked Vultures come across as a rockin' jam band with great tunes.

Homme stamps his esthetic on the songs with his voice and grinding, epic guitar textures. Grohl's drumming is rowdy, funky and intense. And Jones does more than keep pace, turning the bass into a driving force at the heart of the groove.

"Bass is all about rhythm and melody," he said, "and harmony, to an extent -- but especially melody. A bass line has got to stand up on its own. You have to be careful not to just be a low guitarist. There are times to step forward and times to stay in the background.

"I like playing with really good drummers, as you've probably noted. Part of that is to make the rhythm section interesting and vibrant, to offer something to keep the guitarist moving and move the songs along. In a good rhythm section, the players inspire each other and test each other. It's not uncompetitive. It's great, it's fun to do, and it makes good music."

Them Crooked Vultures are the sound of three talented guys leaving their disparate histories at the door and plunging into something exciting and new.

"We were in those other bands," Jones said, "so it's possible that the contributions we made to those bands may not be totally unlike the contributions we make to this band. But they're all totally different bands."

So how does it feel, at 64, to be going head-to-head with guys who could be your kids, playing music that is as raw, loud and rambunctious as the stuff you and your old band were playing 40 years ago?

"The age thing soon disappears," Jones said, "and it's down to musical personality. We're all pretty easygoing people. There aren't egos flying around, demanding this or that. We're all grown up. We just started making music. No matter what age you are, you can either do it or you can't. And these guys definitely can."

© The Windsor Star http://www.windsorst...1882/story.html

Them Crooked Vultures and opening act Alberta Cross perform Sunday at the Colosseum, Caesars Windsor, 377 Riverside Dr. E. Show starts at 8 p.m. Tickets start at $35. Call 1-800-991-8888, ext. 4, or visit www.caesarswindsor.com.

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Crooked Vultures crank out visceral, mind-numbing rock

By Ted Shaw, The Windsor Star

May 17, 2010

Rock music is littered with the debris of downed supergroups and time will tell whether Them Crooked Vultures suffers a similar fate.

The trio consists of former Led Zeppelin bassist John Paul Jones, Foo Fighters' drummer and vocalist Dave Grohl, and Queens of the Stone Age guitarist and singer Josh Homme.

Onstage, there's even a fourth member with considerable pedigree -- guitarist Alain Johannes, founding member of Eleven.

The Vultures aren't the only supergroup on the scene right now -- Chickenfoot has Joe Satriani teamed with former or current members of Van Halen and Red Hot Chili Peppers. But it's certainly the only one that has been booked into Caesars Windsor's Colosseum, an odd choice of venue, it would seem, for a band with this much volume and hype.

The Colosseum, the house that Billy Joel built, has not seen its like.

Main floor seats were removed for standing room, and the usual casino gambling clientele in their 50s and 60s were tucked in for the night or stationed in front of a one-armed bandit.

Opening with No One Loves Me & Neither Do I, the band unleashed a relentless hard-rock assault, driven by the furious drumming of Grohl, Homme's faceless vocals, and the twin-guitar fury of Homme and Johannes.

Simple staging featured white lights and a background of flickering patterns.

For the most part, the band was in shadow, no spotlights to feature the solos. The wash of sound was drum-heavy, so much so that some of the intricacies of Jones' work on fiddle and keyboards were barely audible.

But the audience roared with approval. TCV is visually and aurally mind-numbing, but visceral nonetheless.

Songs like Mind Eraser, No Chaser, Caligulove, and New Fang, from the debut album, were mostly indistinguishable from one another.

The one exception was Scumbag Blues, which featured stretched-out solos, particularly from Jones and Homme.

The plans for a followup to last year's eponymous debut album are seemingly on the backburner with recent talk of new projects from Foo Fighters and the Queens.

Perhaps Them Crooked Vultures will turn out to be the millennium equivalent of the mercurial and short-lived supergroup of the late-1960s, Blind Faith.

Jones is clearly the star of this amalgam, as proven by the sustained ovation during a band introduction.

At 66, he is old enough to be the others' old man. But his influence and star power may carry TCV to unheard-of heights.

© The Windsor Star

http://www.windsorst...6565/story.html

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Review of pics from the Indy TCV on Monday night, 5/17/10:

http://www.musicpix.net/home/content/them-crooked-vultures-live-indianapolis-live-photos-tour-schedule

Local review from the Indy Star from Monday nights show:

http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=20105180340

Here is the link to the pics I took on Monday night at the Indy show:

http://s736.photobucket.com/albums/xx5/whwtpg/Them%20Crooked%20Vultures%20May%2017%202010%20Indy/

and video from the show:

http://www.youtube.com/user/ZepFoosTCV#p/c/71FBA683673D327E

Still have the last song Warsaw on my phone that I am trying to get off the phone and onto the pc.

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Them Crooked Vultures

Caesars in Windsor, Ontario, Canada

May 16, 2010

20100516BrentPalmerDesign.png

Brent Palmer did the poster for the recent Them Crooked Vultures show in Windsor Ontario. 13″x23″ 2 color silkscreen print. Printed on 100lb Lynx Bright White Paper. Rumored to be a limited edition of 500.

Available now at BrentPalmerDesign.com

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Just getting home from the Vultures shows.

I saw Indy - Rock on LedZepGurl - A true rock and roll fan at heart! Was awesome meeting and hanging with you.

and chicago. Last night in the States.

I stood in line all day both days to be up front. As usual, it worked. Front row on the rail for both shows. For Indy a little right of Josh and for chicago right directly in front of JPJ.

I tried to record both with my HD, but security was tight and there was no way I was chancing getting kicked out of front row so I pointed it to the ground and just recorded audio. I did get scumbag blues on video from chicago(most of it anyway). I'll be putting scumbag on youtube and will link it tomorrow.

I am so glad that I decided to do the trip. Met so many cool people and rocked out harder than I think I ever have in my life. I felt that the band gave it their all and i gave it my all back to them.

At one point in elephants I was rocking - literally headbanging and fist-throwing as hard as my body would physically allow me to without just dropping on the ground - and I looked up and saw JPJ looking right at me and laughing pretty hard - at me, with me, who cares!!! It was a zeppelin moment for me.

The played the whole album as well as highway one and the new song-i still don't know the name, but it is a total blues oriented jam. Both nights, same setlist. Grohl threw out drumsticks at the end which I heard was rare. I didn't get very lucky when it came to that.

Also to note that they did an over thirteen minute version of spinning in the daffodils including drum intro, then the song and then the piano/organ solo at the end. for me it was one of the many highlights of the show. Well, actually it was just one of the very many moments in the almost two hour trip for the mind.

They gave some kudos to chicago because it all started there and it should end there according to josh. "after all where are we going to play our last show? LA - NOOOOOO, NY - NOOOOOOO - right here in Chicago where it all started, well just around the corner anyway". Great fun even though I'm from NY.

I really hope they do it again soon. One girl who was friends with grohls drumtech said it might be two years. I really really hope not.

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