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All Music Guide:
Nick Oliveri is best known as the bassist/singer for Queens of the Stone Age and an original member of Kyuss. But in addition to his more renowned projects, he's also been a member of shock-punkers the Dwarves, and also fronts his own side band, Mondo Generator. Hailing from Coachella Valley in California (a small resort community of the Palm Desert -- right near the Joshua Tree National Monument), Oliveri befriended local guitarist Josh Homme early on. The two would eventually begin to jam on punk favorites together (due to the intense desert heat, rehearsals were held in bandmember's bedrooms rather than garages), and when singer John Garcia and drummer Brant Bjork eventually signed on, Kyuss was born during the late 80s. Instead of specializing in any of the then-prevalent hard rock styles (thrash, glam, etc.), Kyuss' music often resembled classic Black Sabbath, due to its slow grooves and detuned guitars -- yet Oliveri's punk roots could be detected in the mix as well. The group's hot and humid surroundings also found its way into the music and approach as well, as Kyuss quickly built a following by playing all-night "generator parties" out in the middle of the desert. A collection of early tracks, Wretch, followed in 1991, but failed to capture what the group truly sounded like. With the emergence of such similarly styled bands as Soundgarden and Alice in Chains, the musical climate seemed perfect for a group like Kyuss, and the group delivered one of the decade's most underrated (and subsequently influential) releases, 1992's Blues for the Red Sun.
Shortly after its release, however, Oliveri found himself growing further and further away from Kyuss' musical direction, as he sought to go in a more punk-based direction. His wish was soon granted, as he left Kyuss and joined up with the Dwarves. Performing under the alias of Rex Everything (supposedly due to his habit of breaking things), Oliveri appeared on such Dwarves releases as 1997's Dwarves are Young and Good Looking. The latter part of the 90s saw Oliveri launch his own band, Mondo Generator (named after a Kyuss song he penned for Blues for the Red Sun), which continued on in the path of confrontational punk. Although an album's worth of tunes was recorded around this time, it was ultimately shelved, and not issued until 2000, under the title of Cocaine Rodeo. The late 90s also saw Oliveri team up once more with Homme (Kyuss had disbanded in 1997) in a new outfit, Queens of the Stone Age, which proved to be more musically varied than either of its leader's former outfits. With such subsequent releases as 1998's self-titled debut, 2000's R, and 2002's Songs for the Deaf, QOTSA also obtained something that Kyuss never did -- commercial success, as the band quickly became one of the finest and acclaimed in all of hard rock. Additionally, Oliveri has appeared on several volumes of Homme's ongoing Desert Sessions series, and guested on a pair of projects by Melissa Auf Der Maur -- the Black Sabbath tribute, Hand of Doom (2002's Live in Los Angeles), plus her solo debut, Auf Der Maur. The near future also promises to see more Oliveri-related releases, including a sophomore effort by Mondo Generator, as well as another side project, Headband.
Wikipedia:
Nick Steven Oliveri (born October 21, 1971 in Los Angeles) is an American musician from Palm Desert, California. He plays bass guitar, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, and is a vocalist. His main music project is Kyuss Lives!, the re-united version of influential "stoner rock" band Kyuss, along with other founding members John Garcia and Brant Bjork, joined by new guitarist Bruno Fevery. He regularly tours as a solo act or fronting Mondo Generator, a punk/metal hybrid that he formed in 1997. He is most widely known for his work with Queens of the Stone Age.
Biography
Oliveri began his career in 1987 with John Garcia, Brant Bjork, Josh Homme and Chris Cockrell under the band name Katzenjammer. In early 1989, after Oliveri's departure to play in other bands, the band would change its name to Sons of Kyuss, later shortening the name to Kyuss. He later rejoined the band, playing on the albums Wretch and Blues for the Red Sun. Oliveri would leave Kyuss again in early 1992, shortly after his father died in a car accident. Following his departure from Kyuss he joined The Dwarves as an on again off again bassist under the moniker Rex Everything. However he is perhaps best known as a member of Queens of the Stone Age from 1998 to 2004. Oliveri is also a solo artist and frequent contributor to his friends' albums and tours, including Winnebago Deal, Mark Lanegan Band, Masters of Reality, Turbonegro, Moistboyz aka Dickie Moist and the O.T.C. and The Knives. In the past he has been involved with The Desert Sessions Vol. 4 and Vol. 6. Oliveri is known for playing bare chested and sometimes naked at gigs. Most memorably, he was arrested in Brazil, after performing nude on stage at the Rock in Rio festival in Rio de Janeiro. He is also one half of the acoustic duo The Uncontrollable, with The Dwarves frontman Blag Dahlia.
Queens of the Stone Age years
Oliveri's singing can be heard on songs such as "Auto Pilot", "Tension Head" and "Quick and to the Pointless" from the album Rated R and "Another Love Song", "Gonna Leave You", "Six Shooter" and "You Think I Ain't Worth A Dollar But I Feel Like A Millionaire", from the album Songs for the Deaf.
Post–Queens of the Stone Age
Since his firing from Queens of the Stone Age, Nick has both toured and appeared on-stage with Brant Bjork, Motörhead, Winnebago Deal, Masters of Reality, The Dwarves, Mark Lanegan and Turbonegro. He also recorded an acoustic LP entitled Demolition Day that was eventually released as a second disk in a limited edition of Mondo Generator's latest album, Dead Planet: SonicSlowMotionTrails.
Although now concentrating on the Mondo Generator project, in September 2006 Oliveri stated "I feel that Queens is something I can contribute to and he (Josh Homme) needs me to do it."
As of April 2007, Mondo Generator was scheduled to appear on the 12th annual Ozzfest tour (otherwise known as the "FreeFest" tour), but officially dropped off the tour on July 26, 2007 after appearing at 4 Ozzfest dates. Oliveri stated, "We can't keep on touring for free! My band's not free, it's costing me."
In early 2008, Nick joined Moistboyz, currently dubbed Dickie Moist OTC, on bass. In June, 2008, Nick joined Los Angeles-based rock band, The Knives, on bass.
On August 7, 2008, Nick Oliveri appeared on stage with Turbonegro to sing "Back to Dungaree High" and "Nervous Breakdown," the latter being a Black Flag cover. The band's performance at the Øyafestivalen was a 10th Anniversary celebration of their critically hailed album, Apocalypse Dudes.
Nick Oliveri appears on Slash, Slash's first solo album. He sings the song "Chains and Shackles" (only on the Australian version of the album).
In 2010, Oliveri announced that he is now in a new as yet unnamed band with Euroboy and Happy-Tom of Turbonegro, as well as Tommy Akerholdt from Serena-Maneesh.
There was also speculation that he would return in Queens of the Stone Age during their summer tour due to Josh Homme's dedication of "New Fang" to Nick for "new beginnings". However, this proved to be false. In March 2011, Oliveri stated: "The last time I saw them play was a benefit for Brian O'Connor in L.A., from the Eagles of Death Metal. I was down there and I mentioned to them, "Why don't I come up and do "Millionaire" or something, and sing it and not play bass?" [Josh] was like, "Nah, I don't think that's a good idea yet." It's kind of in his court for stuff like that. I don't think he wants to give anybody the wrong idea. I don't necessarily know if that would happen. And he's got a good band—he's taking the band in the direction he wants it to go."
In November 2010, Oliveri officially rejoined Kyuss (now known as Kyuss Lives!), which initially toured European, Australian and New Zealand markets in early 2011, and which have subsequently been touring North America. A new studio album is also being planned following the tour. Due to Oliveri's ongoing legal problems resulting from a July 2011 incident, he is unable to leave the country and Scott Reeder has been filling in for him on international dates until all is resolved.
After touring domestically in the US with Kyuss Lives! during 2011, Oliveri decided to leave the band in favor of returning to working on Mondo Generator.
Arrest
On July 12, 2011, Oliveri was arrested for suspicion of felony domestic violence after a standoff with police SWAT team. He allowed his girlfriend to exit the house two hours into the stand off and two hours before the SWAT team made entry into the home and arrested Oliveri. Drugs and a loaded rifle were found in the home. According to TMZ, Oliveri has been charged with four felonies related to the incident; if convicted, he could face up to 15 years in prison.
