Dave Grohl, Josh Homme, John Paul Jones Unveil Supergroup
Them Crooked Vultures make their debut with a post-Lollapalooza set.
By James Montgomery
Dave Grohl (file)
Photo: Jewel Samad/AFP/Getty Images
Officially, Lollapalooza ended Sunday night in Chicago's Grant Park, with dueling sets from the Killers and Jane's Addiction. Unofficially, it ended very early Monday morning, across town at venerable rock club the Metro, with a surprise show by Them Crooked Vultures.
To the unfamiliar, the Vultures might seem like an odd choice to close out Lolla weekend ... until you realize that they're made up of Foo Fighters frontman/ former Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl, Queens of the Stone Age mastermind Josh Homme and Led Zeppelin legend John Paul Jones. And their gig at the Metro was their world premiere.
According to some reports, the Vultures actually turned down Lollapalooza founder Perry Farrell's request to replace the Beastie Boys as headliners at the festival, opting to debut in front of some 1,100 super-psyched fans at the Metro, rather than 75,000 in Grant Park (tickets for the gig were announced via Foo Fighter/ QOTSA fan clubs). Meaning that, in a lot of ways, this was the most sought-after ticket in town.
Taking the stage just after midnight, the Vultures — Grohl on drums (of course), Homme on guitar and vocals, Jones on bass and keys and frequent QOTSA contributor Alain Johannes on guitar — ripped through 12 songs in 80 minutes, all taken from their upcoming debut, which may or may not be called Never Deserved the Future, and may or may not be hitting stores on October 23 (early "promo" videos touting both those facts were revealed over the weekend to be hoaxes perpetrated by QOTSA fans).
The songs, with appropriately Homme-ian titles like "Scumbag Blues," "Mind Eraser (No Chaser)," "Caligulove" and "Interlude w/Ludes," sounded pretty much how you'd expect, given the band's pedigree. They rocked, hard — Chicago Tribune critic Greg Kot described them as "fresh, invigorating and just plain nasty" — delving off into psychedelic, reverb-filled excursions and exploring proggy territory, "both of the old-school Yes variety, and the more modern Tool flavor," according to the Chicago Sun-Times' Jim DeRogatis.
It's not known if Monday's Metro performance was a one-off event for the Vultures — there have been whispers of a full-blown tour, but a spokesperson for Homme had not responded to MTV News' request for comment at press time. Nor was it clear whether or not they'll have an album out in October.
Early Monday, a Crooked Vultures Twitter account, which had previously posted links to the band's official-looking Web site and the Metro's online ticketing site — posted a link to what appears to be the group's first bit of official merchandise: a Deserve the Future T-shirt. Cost: $30.
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Stone Temple Pilots Reunited In Hopes Of Opening For Led Zeppelin, Bassist Says
'If time allows, there will definitely be new music,' Robert DeLeo adds of STP's future.
By Chris Harris
Stone Temple Pilots' Robert DeLeo and Scott Weiland
Photo: Charley Gallay/ Getty Images
There are a number of reasons why Stone Temple Pilots decided to reunite after nearly five years apart — some are obvious, and others, not so much.
Of course, the financial windfall of reviving the grunge stalwarts for an extensive U.S. tour was too good to pass up, and bassist Robert DeLeo readily admits as much. And then there are the fans, the ones who had been with STP since the very beginning as well as those who discovered the band only after it first split back in 2003 and who, woefully, have yet to catch the Pilots live.
On a more personal level, though, Stone Temple Pilots' resurrection was purely selfish, and very much an anticipatory (not to mention optimistic) move on the band's part: If, after the months and months of rumors and denials, there ever is a full-on Led Zeppelin reunion tour, STP wanted to be ready to offer their services as an opening act.
"Believe me, that was one of the reasons," laughed DeLeo. "We thought, 'We should get together now, in case Zeppelin does tour.' I'm serious, man. That would be one hell of a bill: STP and Led Zeppelin. I mean, we could play a doghouse, out in the middle of the ocean, and if I got to play with Zeppelin, that would be a highlight of my life."
Yes, DeLeo — and the rest of the band — had several reservations about raising STP from the dead — a feat DeLeo jokingly referred to as "Mission Impossible." For the band's members, the idea of regrouping was terrifying at first, but with time, the boys settled their differences and tried to think positive.
"For me, it was about putting down some of the things that I was used to getting bitten by," explained the bassist — who, with guitar-playing brother Dean DeLeo, has been collaborating with Peter Frampton on material for his next LP. "After you get bitten, it's hard to go back. I wanted to go into this with an open frame of mind and a positive attitude and just have fun with it. We should have fun with it, which God knows we didn't always have with our career when we were younger. If that's all I can say, and that's what I can get out of this reunion, great.
"I think I speak for all of us when I say there's a lot of unfinished business that we didn't get around to the first go," he continued. "Enough time has gone by, and it feels really good to be back. I don't really want to put too much thought into how it feels — I'm just kind of going with it and keeping a good positive attitude about it. I just needed to get over the things that we all needed to get over, and that's been working so far. If everyone shows up and does this thing, I think it's going to be really amazing."
DeLeo claims that during recent rehearsals, STP were "sounding as good as ever," and he credits sobriety as part of the reason the band's in tip-top shape.
"My brother's going on four years of sobriety," he said. "We have a lot more clarity in the band now, and I think with clarity comes appreciation. I saw that the other night, when we played [a secret gig in Los Angeles]. I saw it in my eyes, and in the eyes of the rest of the band. There's a lot more rock in this band now."
As for an STP record, DeLeo is not 100 percent sure that's going to happen. The goal for STP over the next few weeks, he said, is to reacquaint themselves with their songbook and prepare for their return to the road. Once the band is back in that mindset, the bassist said new STP material is very possible.
"I've always got stuff written, and there's always a long list of songs that are always there — it's a matter of timing," DeLeo said. "If time allows, there will definitely be new music. I think it would be silly not to release new music. I'd like to believe we still have a writing relationship, but the first step is getting reacquainted with what we know."
While STP were on hiatus, frontman Scott Weiland teamed up with Velvet Revolver, and the DeLeo brothers joined forces with Filter's Richard Patrick for Army of Anyone — who are now on hiatus after releasing a poorly received self-titled LP. Does DeLeo foresee an AOA reunion somewhere down the line?
"You never know," he said. "It's just like STP — I didn't know if I was going to return. Whether we get back together and do anything, I think we made a great record, bottom line. That's all that matters to me. If we make another one, I want to make sure it's great, and that applies to STP and anything I do. But I was pretty heartbroken over [the feeble response to AOA's album]."
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Adam Lambert's Acoustic Live! Due December 6
Five-song EP will include stripped-down versions of 'Whataya Want From Me' and other For Your Entertainment tracks.
By James Dinh
Adam Lambert's <i>Acoustic Live</i>
Photo: RCA
Just in time for the holidays, Adam Lambert is treating fans to the unplugged set Acoustic Live! The five-song EP, due in stores December 6, will feature stripped-down versions of "Whataya Want From Me" and other popular tracks from his debut album, For Your Entertainment.
According to a post on his website, the acoustic versions of "Whataya Want From Me" and "Music Again" were recorded in Germany. Additional tracks, "Aftermath" and "Soaked," from the singer's Glam Nation Tour, will also be included on the set.
On the cover of Acoustic Live!, a shirtless Lambert stands in front of a blue and white spiral explosion throwing up the peace sign and rocking his signature messy hairdo.
Just last month, the "American Idol" season-eight runner-up opened up about his on-the-road studio sessions. "We went around Europe in the earlier part of this year ... and we did a lot of promo, so I had Monty, my guitar player, and my drummer at the time," the singer told Australian personality Dylan Lewis. "We just did very stripped-back versions of the songs. We got our hands on some of those recordings. Then we also recorded some of the stuff from the actual Glam Nation Tour, so it's going to be a mix of both."
In addition to Acoustic Live!, Glamberts can also look forward to seeing the singing sensation profiled in an upcoming episode of "True Hollywood Story." The episode, which is scheduled to air Sunday on E!, will feature Lambert and his parents discussing everything from his fame to their family relationship.
Are you excited for Acoustic Live!? Share your comments below!
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Michael Jackson's New Album Cover Decoded
Painting is packed with iconic MJ images.
By Gil Kaufman
Michael Jackson's <i>Michael</i>
Photo: Epic Records
When Michael hits shelves next month, the world will get the first of a promised flurry of posthumous releases from late pop superstar Michael Jackson. While we don't know yet what songs will appear on the album, Jackson's label, Sony Music, did release the cover art, a Kadir Nelson painting that takes fans on a fantasy ride through the greatest moments of the King of Pop's solo career.
The painting by Kadir Nelson features a montage of classic MJ images, from his Off the Wall-era tux to looks from the "Thriller" video. At the center is a a somber, Renaissance-like of Jackson in royal gold and burgundy vestments, a golden crown hovering over his head.
Let's break down the references:
Almost as iconic as the cover photo on Thriller is the pensive image of Jackson from the front of another one of his smashes, 1987's Bad, which sold more than 30 million copies.
Jackson's video for "Beat It" is one of the most beloved of all time. His signature red leather jacket with the acres of unnecessary zippers, the bright blue t-shirt and the legion of pirouetting bad boys are all present in the painting's representation of that clip.
One of the other Thriller-era looks that's cemented in the minds of fans during is the custom-made tuxedo jacket, pink shirt and red bowtie that Jackson wore in the "Billie Jean" video.
The cover of 1991's Dangerous portrayed Jackson as a mystery man hiding among a circus of bizarre, sideshow attractions. Here, Nelson has isolated a part of the cover that pays homage to the rollercoaster scene from the 1989 video for "Leave Me Alone."
Jackson appears, under a cluster of cameras, in the silver spacesuit he wore in his 1986 3-D space flick "Captain EO." The 17-minute film, directed by Francis Ford Coppola, debuted at the Disneyland EPCOT amusement park and went offline in 1998; it began screening again in 2010 following Jackson's death.
The spaceship from one of Jackson's favorite fantasy movies, Steven Spielberg's 1982 film "E.T.," floats in the painting's sky. Jackson contributed the song "Someone in the Dark" to the movie's Grammy-winning storybook, which he also narrated.
Another scene from the "Leave Me Alone" video isolating the rocketship the singer flies around in during the clip.
This detail from the "Leave Me Alone" video depicts a goldfish swimming in a bowl, another likely reference to Jackson's feeling of being constantly scrutinized. An interesting detail is the addition of a crown to the fish's head, which is likely another reference to Jackson's status as pop royalty.
One of the key scenes from the 1987 video for "The Way You Make Me Feel" — in which Jackson prepares to unleash some of his classic dance moves in silhouette — is also depicted.
MTV's Moonman makes an appearance, a reference to the fact that Jackson's legendary videos were instrumental both in the development of the channel and the art form itsemf.
As we float above the royal image of Jackson — which is similar to a number of paintings the singer commissioned during his life in which he was placed into historical settings — we arrive at the menacing robotic face in the corner from Jackson's 1988 movie "Moonwalker," which co-starred Joe Pesci.
If there is a single moment in MJ's career that can be considered ground zero for his superstardom, it might be his 1983 performance on "Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever." There, he unveiled his signature dance move, the Moonwalk, for the first time.
With the sun setting behind him, we see a 21-year-old Jackson sporting his late-'70s afro and a tuxedo, an homage to the cover of his breakthrough solo album Off the Wall.
Some of Jackson's most gravity-defying moves popped up in the Prohibition-themed clip for 1987's "Smooth Criminal."
The best-selling video of all time, "Thriller" is, to this day, thought of as the "Citizen Kane" of music videos. Here we see Jackson backed by some of the ghouls from the werewolf-themed mini-movie, which was shot by "Animal House" director John Landis. A classic scene from the "Thriller" video during which Jackson does his spotlight dance with the undead.
In addition to being one of the best-selling artists of all time, Jackson was also a humanitarian involved in many causes. He co-wrote and performed on 1985's legendary "We Are The World." Here he's depicted alongside some of the other stars from that once-in-a-lifetime charity single, including co-writer Lionel Richie, Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen and Cyndi Lauper.
Hidden just behind Jackson's get-up from the "Smooth Criminal" video is a mirror with a reflection of the singer, which Nelson likely included as a sly reference to one of the Jackson's most beloved ballads, "Man in the Mirror." But also hidden in the image, just above the elephant's head, is a bubble containing singer Prince's signature male-female glyph. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, Jackson and Prince had a contentious, competitive relationship and the inclusion of the diminutive Minneapolis star's logo could be intended as a playful tweak.
What was your favorite Michael Jackson moment depicted in the Michael cover painting? Let us know in the comments!
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Audience Anticipation for Upcoming Releases
Thirty million Flixster users provide data on which upcoming movies they're most eager to see. Wonder what's at the top of the list?
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'Between Two Ferns' with Bruce Willis (video)
Zach Galifianakis gets "RED" star Bruce Willis between two ferns. "Did you know that some actors turn down roles?"
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