Latest news with #AliveintheCatacombs
UPI
11-07-2025
- Entertainment
- UPI
Watch: Queens of the Stone Age perform 'Running Joke' on 'Kimmel'
July 11 (UPI) -- Rock band Queens of the Stone Age appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live to perform a combination of their songs "Running Joke" and "Paper Machete." The band, introduced by guest host Anthony Anderson, performed the songs as they appear in Alive in the Catacombs, the band's film chronicling their performance in the catacombs beneath Paris. "Running Joke" originally appeared as a bonus track on the band's 2007 album, Era Vulgaris. "Paper Machete" first appeared on their 2023 release In Times New Roman. Queens of the Stone Age: Alive in the Catacombs was filmed and recorded in July 2024 in the catacombs beneath Paris. "Every aesthetic decision, every choice of song, every configuration of instruments... absolutely everything was planned and played with deference to the Catacombs -- from the acoustics and ambient sounds -- dripping water, echoes and natural resonance -- to the darkly atmospheric lighting tones that enhance the music," the official synopsis reads. The film is available now to stream and download.
San Francisco Chronicle
23-06-2025
- Entertainment
- San Francisco Chronicle
Queens of the Stone Age to perform reworked hits in S.F.
Queens of the Stone Age is bringing newly reimagined versions of its hit songs to San Francisco this fall. The rock band is scheduled to take over Davies Symphony Hall on Nov. 10, as part of its limited-run Catacombs Tour. The trek draws on the band's recent concert film, 'Alive in the Catacombs,' which was shot in the Catacombs of Paris and released earlier this month. The Josh Homme-fronted group known for tracks like 'No One Knows' and 'Go With The Flow,' plans to 'draw upon the spirit of those sublime subterranean renditions' and enhance them with 'assembled ensembles,' according to the band's tour announcement released Monday, June 23. Ticket presales begin at 10 a.m. Tuesday, June 24, with general sales starting at 10 a.m. Friday, June 27. Fellow alt-rockers the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, which rose to prominence around the same time as Queens of the Stone Age in the aughts, is also scheduled to perform at Davies on July 14-15 as part of its Hidden in Pieces 25th anniversary tour. Queens of the Stone Age's series of intimate shows, all of which are set in historic theaters, kicks off on Oct. 2 in Chicago and wraps up in New Orleans on Nov. 21. European dates are expected to be announced soon. 'You'll want to look as good as the music is going to sound on this very special evening at the theater,' the tour announcement states, encouraging fans to dress up for the occasion. Queens of the Stone Age have only recently returned to live performances, following a string of cancellations last year prompted by Homme's health issues, including an undisclosed emergency surgery. While the band did not share details, Homme revealed in 2023 that he had undergone successful cancer treatment. The group's most recent album, 'In Time New Roman…,' was released in July 2024.
Yahoo
10-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
How an ancient place of death made Josh Homme feel alive
Josh Homme sips a Modelo the other night as he sits amid the vibey greenery behind Brain Dead Studios on Fairfax Avenue. Inside the movie theater, a small crowd including several of Homme's friends and family members is watching 'Alive in the Catacombs,' a black-and-white short film that documents an acoustic gig Homme's rock band, Queens of the Stone Age, played last July in the Paris Catacombs, where the remains of an estimated 6 million people are stored beneath the streets of the French capital. Back here on the patio, the 52-year-old singer and guitarist is musing about how audiences are likely to react. 'I'm so proud of the film because it's either 'I hate it' or 'Holy s—, that was intense,'' he says. 'It's nothing in between.' Advertisement The inspiration for 'Alive in the Catacombs,' which comes accompanied by a behind-the-scenes documentary (and a five-song EP due Friday), stretches back two decades to a trip to Paris when a long line stymied Homme's attempt to visit the historical site. Yet he sees a certain poetry in the fact that the show — with radically stripped-down renditions of tunes like 'Villains of Circumstance' and 'Suture Up Your Future' — came together only as he found himself in a health crisis that forced Queens to postpone the remaining dates of its 2024 tour. With Homme having recovered from cancer, the band will return to the road this week for its first shows in nearly a year. How arduous was it to convince the Parisian officials to let you shoot in the catacombs? It was a f— nightmare. There's a national attitude that's pervasive in France where you ask a question and the first reaction is, 'Ask him over there.' The runaround, as we would call it. We received the runaround for many years. Are you attracted to spooky spots in general? I love when music is scary. I recall hearing the Doors as a young boy and being like, 'Whoa.' And they're so consistently terrifying — I've always been obsessed with that. My vision of Queens, when it's perfect, is: There's a hill with the sun behind it, and this crippled army of minstrels comes over the horizon. The townspeople go, 'S—, grab the kids.' When we sound like that, we're at our best. What's a place in L.A. that might be comparable to the catacombs? There are some Steinbeck-y hobo hotels. And in the right light the Hollywood Forever cemetery has a certain ominous beauty. But that feels too simple. I grew up working on a tree farm, and there's something about the uniformity of a tree farm that I find terrifying. Further out, the oil fields of Kern County are like dinosaur relics — scabs on the surface of the earth. Advertisement Seems reasonable to ask why someone in such perilous physical shape would want to spend time in a place defined by death. Having worked on this for the better part of 20 years, the chances that when it finally occurs, I would be dealing with the very issue that is why it exists — I mean, the chances are almost zero. That plays into my romantic side, and I don't see the value in running hypotheticals about why it's happening. I'd rather hold it close and say, 'I'm supposed to be here,' accept that and feel empowered by it. There were a lot of people who love me that were saying I shouldn't do this. And I respect that. But it does ignore the point — like, how many signs do you need? I saw the behind-the-scenes film — I watched it once, and I can never watch it again. I see how medicated I was. I know that vulnerable is the way to go, but I don't do a lot of sorting through things in hindsight — it makes me uncomfortable. I'm uncomfortable with the documentary. Why put it out? Because that's what this is. I was uncomfortable in the catacombs too. Read more: A timeline of Sly Stone's career in 10 essential songs Advertisement You don't play guitar in the movie. Did it feel natural for you to sing without holding one? It didn't in earlier years, but now it's as natural as anything else. I'm sort of slowly falling out of love with the guitar. I'll just use any instrument. I don't play them all well, but it doesn't really matter — it's whatever will get the idea across. Who were some of your models for the kind of singing you're doing? I've always loved [Jim] Morrison and his poetry. Sometimes the music isn't great in the Doors, but it's all in support of someone that I do believe is a true poet. The words are the strongest part of that band. Your crooning made me want to hear you do an album of standards. I was talking about this with my old man today. He's like, 'You're not gonna retire,' and I was like, 'Oh, yes, I am — I'm going to Melvyn's in Palm Springs to be like [sings], 'Fly me to the moon…'' You grew up in Palm Desert. This might be an underappreciated aspect of your lineage. KDES 104.7, baby. The DJ would be like, 'Are you by the pool? Well, you should be.' Very Robert Evans. Advertisement Are there Queens songs you knew wouldn't work in the catacombs? We didn't think of it that way. The people in there, they didn't choose to be there, so what would they want to hear? I chose things about family, acceptance, the difficulties in life and the way you feel the moment they're revealed — and the way you feel the moment they're over. My first thought was: How do I emotionally get on my knees and do the very best I can to present something that these people have been longing for? It felt very religious. Do you believe in God? I believe in God, but God is everything I can't understand. Do you think there's an afterlife? I believe there's a return to something. Is it like, 'Oh my God, Rodney Dangerfield!'? That's not what I believe. But the energy that keeps you and I alive, it can't simply disappear. You must just go home to the big ball somewhere. Last time you and I spoke, you told me you you'd learned to pursue your art with less of the reckless abandon of your youth. I wondered how that figured into your decision to call off shows last year after Paris. By the time we walked down the steps into the catacombs, we all knew in the band that it was over. The morning we were supposed to play Venice [a few days before the Paris gig], I just couldn't take it anymore, so I was like, 'Take me to the hospital.' But I realized there was nothing that could happen for me there. I said, 'Bathroom?' and I had them pull the car up and we left. Advertisement Does that seem irresponsible in retrospect? No, because they didn't know what was going on and they didn't have the ability to know. I was like, 'I made a mistake — I should have just kept going.' We went to the next show in Milan because Paris was so close. You work on something for all these years, and now you can almost see it. You're gonna turn around because it's hard? You can't go two more hours? My old man says, 'Quitting on yourself is hardest the first time, and it's easy every time after that.' Whoa. Is that wrong? That's the guy that brought me up, and he's proud to be here tonight. So did I make a mistake or not? I'm not sure what I would have done if I'd walked away. You've been reluctant to get too specific about your illness. It doesn't matter. Who cares? It was hard and it was dangerous. Big f— deal. Queens is about to get back onstage. We're gonna finish what we started. I thought I was gonna be out of commission for 18 months or two years — that's what I was told. Advertisement How'd you take that? I wasn't looking for high-fives. But it ended up being seven months. I've changed so many things, and I feel so good. Are you writing songs? Lots. The great part about these physically or mentally dangerous situations is that now I feel super-alive and ready to go. I spent a lot of months bedridden, and now that I'm not, I'm very much like a rodeo bull. Not the rider — the bull. When you open that gate, I will destroy. Get notified when the biggest stories in Hollywood, culture and entertainment go live. Sign up for L.A. Times entertainment alerts. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Los Angeles Times
10-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
How an ancient place of death made Josh Homme feel alive
Josh Homme sips a Modelo the other night as he sits amid the vibey greenery behind Brain Dead Studios on Fairfax Avenue. Inside the movie theater, a small crowd including several of Homme's friends and family members is watching 'Alive in the Catacombs,' a black-and-white short film that documents an acoustic gig Homme's rock band, Queens of the Stone Age, played last July in the Paris Catacombs, where the remains of an estimated 6 million people are stored beneath the streets of the French capital. Back here on the patio, the 52-year-old singer and guitarist is musing about how audiences are likely to react. 'I'm so proud of the film because it's either 'I hate it' or 'Holy s—, that was intense,'' he says. 'It's nothing in between.' The inspiration for 'Alive in the Catacombs,' which comes accompanied by a behind-the-scenes documentary (and a five-song EP due Friday), stretches back two decades to a trip to Paris when a long line stymied Homme's attempt to visit the historical site. Yet he sees a certain poetry in the fact that the show — with radically stripped-down renditions of tunes like 'Villains of Circumstance' and 'Suture Up Your Future' — came together only as he found himself in a health crisis that forced Queens to postpone the remaining dates of its 2024 tour. With Homme having recovered from cancer, the band will return to the road this week for its first shows in nearly a year. How arduous was it to convince the Parisian officials to let you shoot in the catacombs?It was a f— nightmare. There's a national attitude that's pervasive in France where you ask a question and the first reaction is, 'Ask him over there.' The runaround, as we would call it. We received the runaround for many years. Are you attracted to spooky spots in general?I love when music is scary. I recall hearing the Doors as a young boy and being like, 'Whoa.' And they're so consistently terrifying — I've always been obsessed with that. My vision of Queens, when it's perfect, is: There's a hill with the sun behind it, and this crippled army of minstrels comes over the horizon. The townspeople go, 'S—, grab the kids.' When we sound like that, we're at our best. What's a place in L.A. that might be comparable to the catacombs?There are some Steinbeck-y hobo hotels. And in the right light the Hollywood Forever cemetery has a certain ominous beauty. But that feels too simple. I grew up working on a tree farm, and there's something about the uniformity of a tree farm that I find terrifying. Further out, the oil fields of Kern County are like dinosaur relics — scabs on the surface of the earth. Seems reasonable to ask why someone in such perilous physical shape would want to spend time in a place defined by worked on this for the better part of 20 years, the chances that when it finally occurs, I would be dealing with the very issue that is why it exists — I mean, the chances are almost zero. That plays into my romantic side, and I don't see the value in running hypotheticals about why it's happening. I'd rather hold it close and say, 'I'm supposed to be here,' accept that and feel empowered by it. There were a lot of people who love me that were saying I shouldn't do this. And I respect that. But it does ignore the point — like, how many signs do you need? I saw the behind-the-scenes film —I watched it once, and I can never watch it again. I see how medicated I was. I know that vulnerable is the way to go, but I don't do a lot of sorting through things in hindsight — it makes me uncomfortable. I'm uncomfortable with the documentary. Why put it out?Because that's what this is. I was uncomfortable in the catacombs too. You don't play guitar in the movie. Did it feel natural for you to sing without holding one?It didn't in earlier years, but now it's as natural as anything else. I'm sort of slowly falling out of love with the guitar. I'll just use any instrument. I don't play them all well, but it doesn't really matter — it's whatever will get the idea across. Who were some of your models for the kind of singing you're doing?I've always loved [Jim] Morrison and his poetry. Sometimes the music isn't great in the Doors, but it's all in support of someone that I do believe is a true poet. The words are the strongest part of that band. Your crooning made me want to hear you do an album of standards.I was talking about this with my old man today. He's like, 'You're not gonna retire,' and I was like, 'Oh, yes, I am — I'm going to Melvyn's in Palm Springs to be like [sings], 'Fly me to the moon…'' You grew up in Palm Desert. This might be an underappreciated aspect of your 104.7, baby. The DJ would be like, 'Are you by the pool? Well, you should be.' Very Robert Evans. Are there Queens songs you knew wouldn't work in the catacombs?We didn't think of it that way. The people in there, they didn't choose to be there, so what would they want to hear? I chose things about family, acceptance, the difficulties in life and the way you feel the moment they're revealed — and the way you feel the moment they're over. My first thought was: How do I emotionally get on my knees and do the very best I can to present something that these people have been longing for? It felt very religious. Do you believe in God?I believe in God, but God is everything I can't understand. Do you think there's an afterlife?I believe there's a return to something. Is it like, 'Oh my God, Rodney Dangerfield!'? That's not what I believe. But the energy that keeps you and I alive, it can't simply disappear. You must just go home to the big ball somewhere. Last time you and I spoke, you told me you you'd learned to pursue your art with less of the reckless abandon of your youth. I wondered how that figured into your decision to call off shows last year after the time we walked down the steps into the catacombs, we all knew in the band that it was over. The morning we were supposed to play Venice [a few days before the Paris gig], I just couldn't take it anymore, so I was like, 'Take me to the hospital.' But I realized there was nothing that could happen for me there. I said, 'Bathroom?' and I had them pull the car up and we left. Does that seem irresponsible in retrospect?No, because they didn't know what was going on and they didn't have the ability to know. I was like, 'I made a mistake — I should have just kept going.' We went to the next show in Milan because Paris was so close. You work on something for all these years, and now you can almost see it. You're gonna turn around because it's hard? You can't go two more hours? My old man says, 'Quitting on yourself is hardest the first time, and it's easy every time after that.' that wrong? That's the guy that brought me up, and he's proud to be here tonight. So did I make a mistake or not? I'm not sure what I would have done if I'd walked away. You've been reluctant to get too specific about your doesn't matter. Who cares? It was hard and it was dangerous. Big f— deal. Queens is about to get back gonna finish what we started. I thought I was gonna be out of commission for 18 months or two years — that's what I was told. How'd you take that?I wasn't looking for high-fives. But it ended up being seven months. I've changed so many things, and I feel so good. Are you writing songs?Lots. The great part about these physically or mentally dangerous situations is that now I feel super-alive and ready to go. I spent a lot of months bedridden, and now that I'm not, I'm very much like a rodeo bull. Not the rider — the bull. When you open that gate, I will destroy.
Scoop
09-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Scoop
Queens Of The Stone Age: Alive In The Catacombs - Audio Release Set For June 13
By popular demand, Queens of the Stone Age are releasing the audio of their spellbinding Alive in the Catacombs performance. Appropriately, the music arrives this Friday the 13th across all digital platforms via Matador Records. The band has also announced a limited vinyl edition of the AITC audio. Only 5,000 copies will be pressed of this special one-sided vinyl edition. Housed in a gatefold jacket with foil print inside and out, the AITC vinyl edition contains an exclusive 24-page booklet of behind the scenes photos taken by long-time collaborator Andreas Neumann. Each copy will be individually stamped and numbered. Pre-orders are available now at for a release date of August 22nd. The AITC film and subsequent audio release is QOTSA distilled down to their most elemental form — Joshua Homme, Troy Van Leeuwen, Michael Shuman, Dean Fertita and Jon Theodore augmented by a three-piece string section, employing chains and chopsticks as makeshift percussion instruments. Entirely unfiltered, as every song was recorded live in a complete take with no overdubs or edits. The audio was recorded by Mark Rankin, François-Xavier Delaby, Henri d'Armancourt and Alban Lejeune, and was produced by Mark Rankin. Final mixes by Mark Rankin, Joshua Homme and Michael Shuman. The tracklisting is as follows: Running Joke/Paper Machete Kalopsia Villans of Circumstance Suture Up Your Future I Never Came Queens of the Stone Age have released Alive in the Catacombs, the film, and an accompanying behind the scenes documentary, Alive in Paris and Before. Both films are available now to purchase or rent via Queens of the Stone Age: Alive in the Catacombs was produced by La Blogothèque and directed by Thomas Rames, and was filmed and recorded in July 2024 in Paris, France.
