Off the Beaten Track: Kyuss and the birth of desert rock
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Credit: Toby Holzinger
Listen to Dave Grohl’s outstanding isolated drums for Queens of the Stone Age’s ‘Song for The Dead’
For my money, the measure of any drum fill or solo is how much it makes you want to air drum along to it, actually, scratch that, how much it makes you need to air drum along to it. With the Queens of the Stone Age classic ‘Songs for The Dead’, Dave Grohl lays down a beat that has you attacking the area above your thighs as though the thunder of John Bonham has just returned as a poltergeist and possessed you.
As it happens, Grohl himself was possessed by Black Flag’s Bill Stevenson as he lifted the intro fill from the 1984 classic ‘Slip It In’ for the track (give it a listen below). Grohl and the gang have always been very open about this tribute to their heroes. And with a Kyuss-like brooding atmosphere to accompany it, the fill is lifted to the sort of biblical heights that could actually cause a downpour over the fabled Death Valley where Josh Homme’s musical sensibilities originated during ‘Generator Parties’.
Beyond that musical influence, the inspiration for Grohl was also down to simply letting off some steam. Doing the air drumming is cathartic enough, but taking a break and getting back behind the kit was a literal blast for the Foo Fighters frontman. “I love this band,” Grohl explained regarding his break from Foos. “I’ve known them for years and they invited me to play on this record. Seriously, they’re one of my favourite bands and I haven’t played drums in a long time. It’s great music to play drums to.”
He continued: “They’re amazing live and they needed a drummer, so I thought I’d do it. It’s a nice change of pace. Not being in the spotlight is kinda nice. It’s really about just playing the drums. I feel much more comfortable and confident doing this than trying to sing every night.”
Grohl had grown tired of fronting the Foos and the struggles they were facing during the One By One recording sessions. Thus, you could almost argue that his excursion essentially saved both acts. However, regardless of the whys and wherefores, the result is one of the finest drumming performances of recent times.
It’s not overly complex, but that’s the beauty of it—all the energy is in the inherent groove of the rhythm. It’s as though Grohl tapped into some primordial beat sequence that our ancestors used to adrenalise their mornings when coffee was an instant treat well out of reach. It’s part manic frenzy and part pure control, creating a maelstrom that you can hear coming before he even lays a stick on the skin.
Close the blinds, crank up the speaker, hit play on the video below, and drum along like a mad human octopus.
