The Desert Sessions
Template:Short description Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox musical artist The Desert Sessions are a musical collective series, founded by Josh Homme in 1997.<ref name="LATimes">Template:Cite news Template:Subscription required</ref> Artists such as Brant Bjork, PJ Harvey, Twiggy Ramirez, Dave Catching, Nick Oliveri, Mark Lanegan, John McBain, Ben Shepherd, Josh Freese, Chris Goss, Alain Johannes, Troy Van Leeuwen, Dean Ween, Les Claypool and many others from the Palm Desert Scene have contributed as songwriters and musicians.<ref name="Discogs">Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
History
Background
The Desert Sessions began in August 1997 at the Rancho De La Luna in Joshua Tree when Josh Homme brought together musicians from the bands Monster Magnet, Goatsnake, earthlings?, and Kyuss.<ref name="LATimes" /><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The ranch, located in the Mojave Desert, has an old house filled with rare and unique recording equipment and instruments, and was owned by Dave Catching and the late Fred Drake.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> With the large numbers of musicians arriving to the ranch over time, and with many albums having been produced there, the setting has been described as creating a unique "desert sound" comparable to the grunge rock of Seattle in the early 1990s and the acid rock of San Francisco in the 1960s.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
The first Desert Session was not actually a "session" per se, but Homme and his band at the time (The Acquitted Felons) playing for three days straight on psychedelic mushrooms.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Since then, the Desert Sessions have become legendary, growing in intensity and artistic merit.<ref name=blandford>Template:Cite book</ref> Homme said:
Improvisational atmosphere
Desert Sessions songs are written "on the spot," often in a matter of hours.<ref name="Discogs" /><ref>Template:Cite interview Template:Subscription required</ref> Many stories have sprung from the improvisational atmosphere of the ranch. For example, the song "Creosote" from Volumes 9 & 10 was written by Dean Ween and Alain Johannes on the ranch's front porch within four minutes of meeting each other.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Similarly, Chris Goss and PJ Harvey wrote the song "There Will Never Be A Better Time" for I See You Hearin' Me after going out onto the porch of the ranch for four minutes with an acoustic guitar; they re-entered the house and recorded the song in one take, the only time the song was ever played by the collective.<ref name=blandford/>
Homme on project delays
In a 2007 interview with Rockline, Homme stated that he was going to be working on a new Desert Sessions album in December 2007, and the first ten will be re-released as a box set.<ref name="rockline">Template:Cite web</ref> Homme also stated:
After 11 years of inactivity, Homme revealed in October 2014 that he would start working on more Desert Sessions material the following year.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Homme added:
Desert Sessions Volumes 11 & 12
Homme remained silent about the project until May 2019, when he posted an image on Instagram with the hashtags "#Desert, #Sessions, #11, #12".<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
In September 2019, Desert Sessions Volumes 11 & 12 were officially announced,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> along with a comedic promo video featuring Homme and Liam Lynch.<ref name="Promo">Template:Cite news</ref> The promo includes Homme running through some of the featured artists such as Billy Gibbons, Les Claypool, and Jake Shears.<ref name="Promo" />
In October 2019, recordings of the Desert Sessions were released for the first time in sixteen years.<ref name="LATimes" /><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Live performances
The Desert Sessions have only performed live twice. The live performances, which included Joey Castillo, Troy Van Leeuwen, Brian O'Connor, and Homme, as well as a variety of musicians performing different songs, were performed on an episode of the British music television show Later... with Jools Holland, as well as the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in 2004.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Awards
The art directors for Desert Sessions Volumes 11 & 12, Doug Cunningham and Jason Noto, won in the category for "Best Recording Package" at the 2021 Grammy Awards.<ref>Template:Cite news Template:Subscription required</ref>
Discography
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Original EPs
- Volume 1: Instrumental Driving Music for Felons (1997)
- Volume 2: Status: Ships Commander Butchered (1998)
- Volume 3: Set Coordinates for the White Dwarf!!! (1998)
- Volume 4: Hard Walls and Little Trips (1998)
- Volume 5: Poetry for the Masses (SeaShedShitheadByTheSheSore) (1999)
- Volume 6: Black Anvil Ego (1999)
- Volume 7: Gypsy Marches (2001)
- Volume 8: Can You See Under My Thumb? There You Are.(2001)
- Volume 9: I See You Hearin' Me (2003)
- Volume 10: I Heart Disco (2003)
- Volume 11: Arrivederci Despair (2019)
- Volume 12: Tightwads & Nitwits & Critics & Heels (2019)
Compilation albums
- Volumes 1 & 2 (1998)
- Volumes 3 & 4 (1998)
- Volumes 5 & 6 (1999)
- Volumes 7 & 8 (2001)
- Volumes 9 & 10 (2003)
- Volumes 11 & 12 (2019)
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- Desert Sessions 7 & 8, 9 & 10, and 11 & 12 were never released independently of each other. The first two were originally released as two double EPs, and the latter as a single LP.
Collaborating artists
Notes
References
External links
- Desert Sessions Official site
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