Queens of the Stone Age

photos by Lois Razonski

Queens Of the Stone Age

At the El Rey Theater Wed. May 24th

By Caren Spitler

To spite an atmosphere that is slightly more conducive to a disco than a rock show, Queens of the Stone Age had the house rockin' at LA's El Rey Theater. The Band gave us lucky Los Angeleno's the treat of having them for not one, but two nights. The opening bands lucky enough to be on the bill with Queens were different for both nights. On this night, the two bands were a band by the name of Feel (unfortunately, I wasn't feeling them), and the local Los Angeles legends Bluebird.

Feel had the dubious honor of filling the time slot where everyone filters in, so as usual they didn't get a packed house. From what I could tell from looking around they seemed pretty well received. There were people fully rocking out to their sound. To me they seemed more a miss than a hit. I was digging the female singer's "Xena" like bondage/biker corset, but that's where my appreciation of her began and ended. I found her voice to be a bit shrill. As far as any other qualities one might bestow on the band… song writing, musician ship, etc, to be honest, the woman fronting the band was eclipsing all of that for me, so I can't begin to tell you if they could write their way out of a paper bag, or handle their instruments with any proficiency. I am going to reserve my final judgment for now, because it's not fair to the band since I not only saw them just once, but also only caught a portion of their set.

Next up was a band I have wanted to see live for a long time, Bluebird. After hearing their recorded music and some live radio broadcasts, I was captivated by them. They have the reputation of being one of the best local LA acts around. I finally got to see it for myself and they lived up to any and all preceeding hype, making me regret that I hadn't seen them sooner. Bluebird rocks! Most definitely a band to catch if you can.

The Bluebird sound is melodic and fueled with emotion. Frontman Sam Velde sings with integrity and depth. He also has a stage presence that just makes you want to get to know both him and his band better. Lyrically, the songs reflected a true to life sensibility. Not gimmicky, just real, and at times with some humor. The songs are well crafted and interesting, and the band plays them well; there is some excellent musicianship in this band. About half way into their set, the Bluebird had Wayne Kramer of MC5 come on and play a song or two. Their set was a decent length for a supporting band, but I doubt the audience would have complained if they had stretched it out some.

After the usual between set shuffle and sound check, the fast and furious roadies made their exit and allowed Queens of the Stone Age to take the stage. The excited crowd was ready, although not really aware of what they were in for. They are one hell of a live band. A band like Queens doesn't need to follow a trend; bands like them and a handfull of others set the trends. QoTSA has a gift for writing the perfectly crafted song. In 16 songs they unleashed their pure rock sounds. Starting the set off with a healthy toke off "The Feel Good Hit of the Summer" (also the first song on their latest CD "R"). The words are short sweet and easy to remember " Nicotine, valium, vicodin, marijuana, ecstacy, and alcohol -- Co-co-co-co-co-cocaine!" In the third song, Josh decided to show the crowd just how well he could work that guitar of his, playing a solo in the song "You Would Know", pulling off stops and starts and some pretty fancy maneuvers; sweet doesn't begin to name it.

Queens played most of the songs off both albums, two tunes from their EP's, and only two new tunes. Frontman Josh didn't really say, but I'm thinking there is a good chance that they were both off of "Desert Sessions 7&8" which is due to hit stores next month. Two of the featured artist from "Desert Sessions joined them on stage, Mark Lanegan (of Screaming Trees), and Chris Goss (of Masters of Reality). QoTSA has a long history with both. Mark came out to assist on vocals on three tunes in the middle of the set and two of the encores, "Autopilot", "In the Fade" and "You're so Vague" (Queens' take on "You're so Vein"). Mark's raspy mellow tones (semi Tom Waits sound) blended nicely with the songs. I think it's always refreshing to hear a different take on a song you have heard on a recording. Later, Chris Goss came out and did Monsters in Your Parasol (one of my favorites).

Over all, the show on a scale of 1-10, rates a 10.5 easy. These guys kick ass. Sticking to the highlights isn't really easy, since there were many from where I stood. Some of the other songs included "Leg of Lamb". That song gets my vote for the Queens song with the most obscure lyrics, and it's funky groove is infectious. Wire pitch guitar twang and walking bass line makes you want to shake those hips, and just as soon as you do it's over. They played "The Lost Art of Keeping a Secret". Oh, and I can't forget a personal high point for me "Better Living Through Chemistry". Yes, another song QoTSA have incorporated drugs into somehow. 'Better Living…' is a cautionary tale of the disaffected and over medicated robotic mind jobs society has become (or is it?). What ever it's about, it's one amazing song. Starting with the congas and the guitar melody, it then leads into a nice moving bass-line. This is a supreme example of the amazing song writing Just to keep you awake and at the wheel, this song is a bit off kilter… following an unusual verse, bridge, choirs, bridge, verse. Nothing could be sweeter. For me, that was the icing on one fabulous cake. I left wanting more, but with all good things you always want more. The memory will have to suffice, but I will be there next time they make it to town.

Photos by Lois Razonski

photos by Lois Razonski Queens Of the Stone Age At the El Rey Theater Wed. May 24th By Caren Spitler

To spite an atmosphere that is slightly more conducive to a disco than a rock show, Queens of the Stone Age had the house rockin' at LA's El Rey Theater. The Band gave us lucky Los Angeleno's the treat of having them for not one, but two nights. The opening bands lucky enough to be on the bill with Queens were different for both nights. On this night, the two bands were a band by the name of Feel (unfortunately, I wasn't feeling them), and the local Los Angeles legends Bluebird.

Feel had the dubious honor of filling the time slot where everyone filters in, so as usual they didn't get a packed house. From what I could tell from looking around they seemed pretty well received. There were people fully rocking out to their sound. To me they seemed more a miss than a hit. I was digging the female singer's "Xena" like bondage/biker corset, but that's where my appreciation of her began and ended. I found her voice to be a bit shrill. As far as any other qualities one might bestow on the band… song writing, musician ship, etc, to be honest, the woman fronting the band was eclipsing all of that for me, so I can't begin to tell you if they could write their way out of a paper bag, or handle their instruments with any proficiency. I am going to reserve my final judgment for now, because it's not fair to the band since I not only saw them just once, but also only caught a portion of their set.

Next up was a band I have wanted to see live for a long time, Bluebird. After hearing their recorded music and some live radio broadcasts, I was captivated by them. They have the reputation of being one of the best local LA acts around. I finally got to see it for myself and they lived up to any and all preceeding hype, making me regret that I hadn't seen them sooner. Bluebird rocks! Most definitely a band to catch if you can.



The Bluebird sound is melodic and fueled with emotion. Frontman Sam Velde sings with integrity and depth. He also has a stage presence that just makes you want to get to know both him and his band better. Lyrically, the songs reflected a true to life sensibility. Not gimmicky, just real, and at times with some humor. The songs are well crafted and interesting, and the band plays them well; there is some excellent musicianship in this band. About half way into their set, the Bluebird had Wayne Kramer of MC5 come on and play a song or two. Their set was a decent length for a supporting band, but I doubt the audience would have complained if they had stretched it out some.

After the usual between set shuffle and sound check, the fast and furious roadies made their exit and allowed Queens of the Stone Age to take the stage. The excited crowd was ready, although not really aware of what they were in for. They are one hell of a live band. A band like Queens doesn't need to follow a trend; bands like them and a handfull of others set the trends. QoTSA has a gift for writing the perfectly crafted song. In 16 songs they unleashed their pure rock sounds. Starting the set off with a healthy toke off "The Feel Good Hit of the Summer" (also the first song on their latest CD "R"). The words are short sweet and easy to remember " Nicotine, valium, vicodin, marijuana, ecstacy, and alcohol -- Co-co-co-co-co-cocaine!" In the third song, Josh decided to show the crowd just how well he could work that guitar of his, playing a solo in the song "You Would Know", pulling off stops and starts and some pretty fancy maneuvers; sweet doesn't begin to name it.



Queens played most of the songs off both albums, two tunes from their EP's, and only two new tunes. Frontman Josh didn't really say, but I'm thinking there is a good chance that they were both off of "Desert Sessions 7&8" which is due to hit stores next month. Two of the featured artist from "Desert Sessions joined them on stage, Mark Lanegan (of Screaming Trees), and Chris Goss (of Masters of Reality). QoTSA has a long history with both. Mark came out to assist on vocals on three tunes in the middle of the set and two of the encores, "Autopilot", "In the Fade" and "You're so Vague" (Queens' take on "You're so Vein"). Mark's raspy mellow tones (semi Tom Waits sound) blended nicely with the songs. I think it's always refreshing to hear a different take on a song you have heard on a recording. Later, Chris Goss came out and did Monsters in Your Parasol (one of my favorites).





Over all, the show on a scale of 1-10, rates a 10.5 easy. These guys kick ass. Sticking to the highlights isn't really easy, since there were many from where I stood. Some of the other songs included "Leg of Lamb". That song gets my vote for the Queens song with the most obscure lyrics, and it's funky groove is infectious. Wire pitch guitar twang and walking bass line makes you want to shake those hips, and just as soon as you do it's over. They played "The Lost Art of Keeping a Secret". Oh, and I can't forget a personal high point for me "Better Living Through Chemistry". Yes, another song QoTSA have incorporated drugs into somehow. 'Better Living…' is a cautionary tale of the disaffected and over medicated robotic mind jobs society has become (or is it?). What ever it's about, it's one amazing song. Starting with the congas and the guitar melody, it then leads into a nice moving bass-line. This is a supreme example of the amazing song writing Just to keep you awake and at the wheel, this song is a bit off kilter… following an unusual verse, bridge, choirs, bridge, verse. Nothing could be sweeter. For me, that was the icing on one fabulous cake. I left wanting more, but with all good things you always want more. The memory will have to suffice, but I will be there next time they make it to town.



Photos by Lois Razonski
All Material © 2001 The Scene Los Angeles