Them Crooked Vultures
| Company type | Supergroup (band) |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 1 February 2009 in Los Angeles, California, United States |
| Founder | Josh Homme, John Paul Jones, Dave Grohl |
| Defunct | 2010 (hiatus), reestablished 2022 |
| Headquarters | Los Angeles , United States |
Area served | Worldwide |
Key people | Josh Homme (lead vocals, guitar), John Paul Jones (bass, keyboards), Dave Grohl (drums, backing vocals), Alain Johannes (touring guitarist) |
| Products | Music albums, singles, live performances |
Number of employees | 4 (3 core members + 1 touring musician) (2009) |
Them Crooked Vultures is a rock supergroup from the United States, established in Los Angeles in 2009. The lineup includes Josh Homme on lead vocals and guitar, John Paul Jones handling bass and keyboards, and Dave Grohl on drums with backing vocals. During live performances, Chilean-American guitarist Alain Johannes provides additional support.
The band commenced recording sessions in February 2009 and made their live debut in Chicago on August 9, 2009. Their first European performance took place ten days later, on August 19. Beginning October 1, they embarked on the Deserve the Future Tour, which spanned North America, Europe, and parts of Asia into the following year. Their initial single, "New Fang," was released in October 2009 ahead of their self-titled debut album that arrived in November and entered the Billboard 200 chart at number 12. The group earned the 2011 Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance for "New Fang."
Following a break starting in 2010, the members have indicated interest in regrouping; however, conflicting schedules have postponed new endeavors. In September 2022, Them Crooked Vultures reunited to perform tribute concerts at London's Wembley Stadium and Los Angeles' Kia Forum in honor of the late Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins, with Greg Kurstin joining them on keyboards.
Origins and the Them Crooked Vultures Album (2005–2009)
The collaboration between Josh Homme, John Paul Jones, and Dave Grohl was initially revealed by Grohl in 2005, with Jimmy Page later mentioned as a possible contributor. In 2009, Homme’s former spouse Brody Dalle spoke highly of the project. After discovering that the name "Caligula" was already taken, the group selected "Them Crooked Vultures" randomly.
In July 2009, British publication NME reported that recording sessions had begun in Los Angeles. The band’s first live show occurred at Chicago’s Metro on August 9, 2009, where they performed solely original songs such as "Elephants" and "No One Loves Me & Neither Do I." Their European debut was held at Melkweg in the Netherlands on August 19, followed by appearances at festivals including Pukkelpop and Lowlands. The UK debut took place at London’s Brixton Academy on August 26 as support for Arctic Monkeys, with subsequent performances at Reading and Leeds Festivals.
Their self-titled album was released through Interscope Records in North America and Sony Music internationally. The lead single "New Fang" premiered on October 26, 2009, and was made available as a free global download on November 2. Another track titled "Mind Eraser (No Chaser)" was distributed free to concert ticket holders and via iTunes. The entire album was streamed online beginning November 9.
Two tours were announced for late 2009: a North American leg scheduled for October and a UK leg set for December. Despite no official song releases at that time, tickets for the UK shows sold out within twelve minutes. Additionally, three German dates were added for December.
In November 2009, "New Fang" became downloadable content for Rock Band 2; later in October 2010, "Dead End Friends" was included in Rock Band 3.
Them Crooked Vultures performed at Download Festival in 2010 and appeared on Saturday Night Live in February where they played "Mind Eraser, No Chaser" and "New Fang." They also featured on PBS's Austin City Limits and Jimmy Kimmel Live!. Their festival circuit included Coachella, Roskilde, Peace & Love (Sweden), Hove (Norway), and Rock Am Ring (Germany).
In March 2010, the band performed at The Royal Albert Hall supporting The Teenage Cancer Trust alongside Little Fish.
On April 20, 2010, a digital two-track release appeared on iTunes featuring "Mind Eraser, No Chaser" along with a live rendition of "Hwy 1," recorded in Sydney—a song not included on their album but frequently played live. The B-side consisted of "Vulture Speak," an interview with the band members.
Hiatus and Prospective Second Album (2010–2022)
Dave Grohl revealed in an interview that work on a follow-up album is underway, describing it as "more powerful than the first." John Paul Jones also confirmed intentions to create new tracks, indicating that Grohl and Homme’s respective bands’ frontmen would "eventually" reconvene. A video entitled 'Fresh Pots' appeared on the band’s official YouTube channel and was initially assumed to be from sessions for the second album; however, Grohl clarified that it actually originated from recordings made during their debut album.
On November 12, 2010, John Paul Jones announced the band was developing fresh material and anticipated entering the studio shortly, aiming for a potential release toward the end of 2011. In November 2011, touring member Alain Johannes mentioned plans for a second studio album following the conclusion of Queens of the Stone Age’s touring schedule.
In December 2012, Grohl expressed strong belief that the group would reunite eventually, citing their shared enjoyment of collaborating. He reiterated this sentiment during a 2017 interview with Apple Music’s Beats 1 radio platform.
By August 2019, Grohl told The Guardian that although the band remains officially active, they only rehearse approximately once every ten years, with "always something cooking." In an interview with NME, he elaborated that coordinating their schedules is difficult but affirmed his dedication to Them Crooked Vultures if Homme and Jones call upon him. He emphasized the band’s distinctive qualities and ongoing conversations about future endeavors.
Reunion for Tribute Performances (2022)
In September 2022, Them Crooked Vultures regrouped for two tribute concerts honoring the late Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins. At Wembley Stadium, their set included "Gunman" alongside covers of Elton John's "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" and Queens of the Stone Age's "Long Slow Goodbye." At the KIA Forum, they performed a similar lineup with "Dead End Friends" replacing "Gunman." Both events featured Greg Kurstin on keyboards and Alain Johannes on guitar.
Musical Style
Them Crooked Vultures are identified primarily with hard rock and alternative rock, integrating influences from sludge metal, noise rock, grunge, stoner rock, as well as classic psychedelic rock.
Band Members
Core members
- Josh Homme – lead vocals, guitar, slide guitar
- John Paul Jones – bass guitar, keyboards, clavinet, piano, keytar, lap steel guitar, slide bass guitar, mandolin, violin, backing vocals
- Dave Grohl – drums, backing vocals
Touring musician
- Alain Johannes – guitars, slide guitar, bass guitar, keyboards, backing vocals
Studio Albums
| Album Title | Release Information | Highest Chart Positions | Certifications | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | AUS | BEL | CAN | FRA | GER | IRE | NZ | NOR | UK | |||
| Them Crooked Vultures |
|
12 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 38 | 13 | 16 | 2 | 5 | 13 |
|
Singles
| Track | Release Year | Highest chart rankings | Source Album | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Bubbling Under |
US Alternative |
US Rock |
Australia |
Belgium (Flanders) |
Canada |
Canada Rock |
Mexico |
United Kingdom |
UK Rock | ||||
| "New Fang" | 2009 | 24 | 10 | 14 | 70 | 69 | 39 | 1 | 15 | 156 | 10 | Them Crooked Vultures | |
| "Mind Eraser, No Chaser" | —[upper-alpha 1] | 39 | — | — | — | — | 33 | — | —[upper-alpha 2] | 23 | |||
| A dash ("—") indicates the song did not chart or was not issued in that market. | |||||||||||||
Awards and nominations
- Grammy Awards
The Grammy Awards are distributed yearly by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences.
|-
| style="text-align:center;" | 2011 || "New Fang" || Best Hard Rock Performance ||
External links
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- Articles with short description
- American blues rock musical groups
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