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Dave Catching

From Alfawiki
David Catching
Born (1961-06-07) June 7, 1961 (age 65)
Memphis, Tennessee, U.S.
Occupation(s)Guitarist, recording studio owner
Years active1980s–present
Known forearthlings?, Queens of the Stone Age, Eagles of Death Metal, Rancho De La Luna

David Catching (born June 7, 1961) is an American guitarist originating from Memphis, Tennessee. He played a key role in establishing the California-based stoner rock groups earthlings? (active since 1993) and Queens of the Stone Age (1996–2000). Additionally, he toured with Eagles of Death Metal between 2003 and 2017 and currently manages the Rancho De La Luna recording facility.

Career

Catching has provided guitar contributions to several well-known hard rock ensembles such as Eagles of Death Metal, Queens of the Stone Age, Tex and the Horseheads, Mark Lanegan, The Ringling Sisters, earthlings?, Mondo Generator, and Masters of Reality.

He worked alongside desert country rock duo Smith & Pyle on their first album It's OK to be Happy (2008), which was recorded at his Rancho de la Luna studio located in Joshua Tree, California, where he resides.

A significant moment in his life occurred when Catching was performing with Eagles of Death Metal during the November 2015 Paris attacks and survived the assault at the Bataclan. He has openly recounted this event in interviews with outlets like Rolling Stone and on the program Conan Neutron's Protonic Reversal.

Musical equipment

During live sets with earthlings? and Mojave Lords, Catching plays a 1984 Gibson Les Paul that was a gift from his brother-in-law, Frank Watts. His gear also includes an Echopark Guitars Albert 58 and a Yamaha AES 1500 for both performances and studio work. His effects board features devices such as the Earthquaker Devices Dispatch Master and Astral Destiny, a T.C. Electronics Polytune 2 tuner, Jim Dunlop Wah and Rotovibe pedals, an Origin Me-Q Drive, the signature Dr No Effects Roadrunner fuzz wah pedal released in 2015, along with Solid Gold FX Lysis and EM-III, a Boss DD#3 Delay, and a Radial BigShot. These are routed through Bruce Zinky Tremoverb and Mofo or an amplifier setup including Lanham Amps Dragonslayer paired with a Colby Amps Elpico.

While performing with the Eagles of Death Metal, Catching utilized a 1967 Gibson Flying V combined with a tuner, distortion pedal, and Supro amplifier connected to a 2x12 speaker cabinet alongside equipment from Orange Amplifiers. He also incorporated an Ampeg Dan Armstrong guitar into this configuration. Catching endorses and employs Ernie Ball ultra slinky strings together with coiled red Bullet Cables, complemented by vintage-style guitar straps supplied by HipStrap.

In 2023, he collaborated with Grancasino Factory to create the F.R.E.D. (Frequency Re-arranging Experimentation Device), designed as a tribute to his late Rancho de la Luna partner Fred Drake, described as "a unique sonic enhancement tool."

Between 1993 and 2015 during his tenure with earthlings?, Catching frequently used either his 1958 Fender Stratocaster or a rare 1972 double cutaway Gibson Les Paul, one of only six crafted by Memphis-based maker Strings & Things. This distinctive Les Paul model had previously attracted interest from renowned guitarists such as Ace Frehley, Jeff Beck, and Michael Woods from the band America.

In 1993, Catching co-established the influential Rancho de la Luna recording studio alongside Fred Drake. Following Drake’s passing in 2002, Catching has overseen operations there, welcoming high-profile artists including the Foo Fighters, Queens of the Stone Age, Arctic Monkeys, Iggy Pop, and producer/musician Daniel Lanois.

Partial discography

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