There have been a lot of rumblings in the past few weeks about the Queens of the Stone Age machine revving back to life. Last month, frontman Josh Homme dropped a few scant hints of a new album in the works, before following that up with the recent announcement that the QOTSA crew will embark on three-week North American tour in support of the reissue of their self-titled debut. And while these may at first seem polar opposites, as Homme explained in a recent Exclaim! interview, the reissue and new album aren't as far apart as one would expect.
According to Homme, rehearsing the first album sparked the inspiration for the new one. "We had these obligations because I was re-releasing the first record, going to Australia and doing some other stuff," he says. "And we started trying to play the first record note-perfect. And, honestly, that started to re-inspire me. It just took me back for a second where I had a chance to remember where I was when I first started doing this."
With the rehearsals going so well, the idea of touring the first album once again became more likely. "I'm a bit of a fatalist, so I took it as a sign, and I started getting sort of inspired and excited about playing music again, and even if it was just to repeat the headspace I was in, which was all about repetition for me," says Homme.
In fact, the tour has begun influencing the sound of the new songs the Queens are working on, which can only be good news for longtime fans.
"We've already started to write," admits Homme. "The first record rehearsals are starting to sort of be like gravy over the top of what we're doing. It's sort of permeating what we're doing now. It's very simple and repetitive and has a very sort of bluesy, trance-like quality. Like, it's in no fucking hurry, you know? And I think that's almost like the mantra right now, don't feel the pressure to be in a hurry."
And while Homme did not reveal when we can expect the new QOTSA's album, below you can again find those tour dates in support of QOTSA's debut.
Stay tuned for Exclaim!'s full interview with Homme, which runs next month in our Interviews section. Tour dates:
3/18 New Orleans, LA - One Eyed Jacks
3/19 Birmingham, AL - Workplay Soundstage
3/20 Nashville, TN - Ryman Auditorium
3/21 Atlanta, GA - Center Stage
3/23 Asheville, NC - The Orange Peel
3/24 Philadelphia, PA - Electric Factory
3/25 New York, NY - Terminal 5
3/26 Boston, MA - House Of Blues
3/27 Montreal, QC — Metropolis
3/29 Toronto, ON - Sound Academy
3/30 Cleveland OH - House Of Blues
3/31 Indianapolis, IN — Vogue
4/1 Chicago, IL - The Riv
4/2 Omaha, NE - Sokol Auditorium
4/4 Des Moines, IA - Val Air Ballroom
4/5 St. Louis, MO - The Pageant
4/6 Kansas City, MO - Beaumont Club
4/8 Denver, CO - Ogden
4/11 Oakland, CA - Fox Theater
According to Homme, rehearsing the first album sparked the inspiration for the new one. "We had these obligations because I was re-releasing the first record, going to Australia and doing some other stuff," he says. "And we started trying to play the first record note-perfect. And, honestly, that started to re-inspire me. It just took me back for a second where I had a chance to remember where I was when I first started doing this."
With the rehearsals going so well, the idea of touring the first album once again became more likely. "I'm a bit of a fatalist, so I took it as a sign, and I started getting sort of inspired and excited about playing music again, and even if it was just to repeat the headspace I was in, which was all about repetition for me," says Homme.
In fact, the tour has begun influencing the sound of the new songs the Queens are working on, which can only be good news for longtime fans.
"We've already started to write," admits Homme. "The first record rehearsals are starting to sort of be like gravy over the top of what we're doing. It's sort of permeating what we're doing now. It's very simple and repetitive and has a very sort of bluesy, trance-like quality. Like, it's in no fucking hurry, you know? And I think that's almost like the mantra right now, don't feel the pressure to be in a hurry."
And while Homme did not reveal when we can expect the new QOTSA's album, below you can again find those tour dates in support of QOTSA's debut.
Stay tuned for Exclaim!'s full interview with Homme, which runs next month in our Interviews section. Tour dates:
3/18 New Orleans, LA - One Eyed Jacks
3/19 Birmingham, AL - Workplay Soundstage
3/20 Nashville, TN - Ryman Auditorium
3/21 Atlanta, GA - Center Stage
3/23 Asheville, NC - The Orange Peel
3/24 Philadelphia, PA - Electric Factory
3/25 New York, NY - Terminal 5
3/26 Boston, MA - House Of Blues
3/27 Montreal, QC — Metropolis
3/29 Toronto, ON - Sound Academy
3/30 Cleveland OH - House Of Blues
3/31 Indianapolis, IN — Vogue
4/1 Chicago, IL - The Riv
4/2 Omaha, NE - Sokol Auditorium
4/4 Des Moines, IA - Val Air Ballroom
4/5 St. Louis, MO - The Pageant
4/6 Kansas City, MO - Beaumont Club
4/8 Denver, CO - Ogden
4/11 Oakland, CA - Fox Theater
