'Queens Of The Stone Age' Split?

[Shawn]

The future looks uncertain for US rock group Queens Of The Stone Age following the official confirmation that bassist Nick Oliveri and singer Mark Lanegan have left the group.

The band's management released a statement confirming the rumour, which began recently after an alleged incident on the Big Day Out tour in Australia: "A number of incidents occurring over the last 18 months have led to the decision that the two can no longer maintain a working partnership in the band."

While Queens Of The Stone age has always been an ever-changing touring band, the duo of Oliveri and singer/guitarist Josh Homme was the core of the band - a musical partnership which stretched back to the early 90's with hardcore group Kyuss.

Read the entire article at Sound Generator

[CTC Command]

Here's a follow-up from http://www.virginmegamagazine.com/default.asp?aid=B7D

Rumors started flying last week when singer Mark Lanegan posted on his web site that he and Queens Of The Stone Age bassist Nick Oliveri had exited the band, leaving only frontman Josh Homme and a rotating drummer that sometimes includes Foo Fighter's Dave Grohl. The idea of an official break-up of the band was all the more shocking since Homme and Oliveri had been friends since childhood, while growing up in the Palm Springs area of California. As teenagers, the duo had formed the psychedelic, desert rock band Kyuss together, then split off to form QOTSA, which quickly garnered international acclaim. In recent months, reports of Homme's alleged excesses, with his girlfriend Brody Armstrong (lead singer of the Distillers and former wife of Rancid's Tim Armstrong) supposed bad influence were not uncommon. Fans, however, felt the grumbling was simply the aches and pains of a band that just completed a grueling tour scheduled that involved two years of dates following the massive success of their album, Songs for the Deaf (Interscope). Adding flame to the fire, this weekend (2/14) The Desert Sun ran a front page story on the Coachella festival highlighting that “valley native Josh Homme of Queens of the Stone Age will return for the third year with his side project, Desert Sessions, consisting of various local and out-of-town musicians.” In an official statement from the band's label, things were explained this way, "Queens of the Stone Age's Josh Homme and Nick Oliveri have recently parted ways. A number of incidents occurring over the last 18 months have led to the decision that the two can no longer maintain a working partnership in the band. The Queens, continuing under frontman Josh Homme, will begin work on a new album this spring."

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Personally, I'm hoping for a Kyuss reunion...