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 Getting to Know Kyuss "I'm contributing to the system, the breakdown scheme." There are some bands that have so much talent that their members go on to form successful bands of their own. Kyuss (pronounced KAI-yuss) is one such group. Despite a short lifetime of just five years, each of its members led new bands that all became successful in their own right. Starting with Sons When the original members formed the band in 1980's, they initially used Sons of Kyuss as their name. The band's first name was adapted from one of the creatures that could be found in the Dungeons and Dragons roleplaying game, which was at its most popular during that time. The fledgling band was able to record a self-titled EP debut in 1989 before bassist Chris Cockrell left the group. Nick Oliveri was found to replace Cockrell right after the EP's 1990 release and the band's renaming as Kyuss. Kyuss Starts Kicking After its EP debut and renaming, Kyuss began playing around Palm Springs, California where the band was formed. Most of their earliest live performances were at 'generator parties,' small gatherings with available beer and a portable generator for electricity (hence the name). Unlike what bands typically go through, Kyuss didn't make a name for itself in the club circuit because there wasn't one in the area. Less than a year after starting on the generator party scene, Dali Records, an independent record label signed with the band to release their 1991 album Wretch. It was an under-budgeted project that carried a lot of re-recorded material from the band's debut. Despite poor sales, Wretch established Homme's reputation as a unique player with his psychedelic, bass-heavy style. Producer Chris Goss helped the band prepare for Blues for the Red Sun, their album released the next year. Blues finally gave Kyuss that their first two releases failed to get for them. It's also widely regarded as one of the albums that helped define the stoner rock genre, which was an unknown style until that time. Blues also marked the departure of Oliveri; he was replaced by Scott Reeder, who debuted as the band's bassist at the Blues release party. Invitations for gigs began pouring in for Kyuss. By the end of the following year, they had been invited to perform several gigs with Metallica, which was doing a tour of Australia at the time. When Dali Records encountered financial trouble in 1994, Kyuss switched labels to Elektra Records for Kyuss (but more popularly known as Welcome to Sky Valley). This was the first album for Scott Reeder and the last for Brant Bjork, who went to be the drummer for Fu Manchu. From Valley to the Sky Welcome to Sky Valley featured an unusual arrangement of songs. Instead of having one track per song, the 10 tracks were distributed across 4 tracks to encourage listeners to play it as a whole album and not a collection of individual songs. It also had a sound that music critics described as 'psychedelic,' a signature of the stoner rock sub-genre. Despite all of Kyuss' success with Sky Valley, however, interpersonal problems between members was tearing the group apart. Many of the members began considering leaving the group, and Brant Bjork did after finishing all the recordings for Sky Valley. He was replaced on the drums by Alfredo Hernandez, a childhood friend of his. Hernandez came just in time to help the band record ...And the Circus Leaves Town, the band's fifth album released in 1995. Unlike the previous albums, Circus Leaves Town received mixed to negative reviews and did relatively worse in terms of sales. Despite the length of the CD – it's the band's longest album – only One Inch Man was used as a single and released with an MTV. The album also had 21 minutes' worth of silence, making the actual playing time just 50:59. Kyuss Kicks the Bucket Fans believed at the time that the album was more of a fulfillment to the band's contract to Elektra Records. The belief was further reinforced by the band's dissolution just three months after that album was released. By October 1995, Kyuss was officially no more. After Kyuss finally died out, its members started out on their own with their respective groups and projects. Queens of the Stone Age, formed in 1997, put Hernandez and Homme back together in a band along with some new members; they invited Oliveri on board by the end of that year. Queens of the Stone Age then became the act that naturally followed Kyuss, and went on to garner much mainstream attention and success. Did You Know That...
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