Nick Oliveri

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Nick Oliveri
Nick Oliveri with cigarette 2009-01-07.jpg
Nick Oliveri in January 2009
Background information
Also known as
  • Rex Everything
  • Pierre Pressure
  • The Great French Manipulator
  • Rock & Roll Komodo Dragon
  • Hardcore Troubadour
Born (1971-10-21) October 21, 1971 (age 46)
Los Angeles, California, United States
Genres Heavy metal, stoner rock, alternative metal, hard rock, punk rock, alternative rock
Occupation(s) Musician, songwriter, singer, bassist
Instruments Bass, guitar, vocals, percussion, organ, synthesizer
Associated acts Kyuss, Queens of the Stone Age, The Desert Sessions, Mondo Generator, Dwarves, River City Rapists, BL'AST!, The Uncontrollable, Moistboyz, The Knives, Svetlanas, Eagles of Death Metal, Vista Chino, Bloodclot, Plan B, Royale Daemons

Nick Steven Oliveri (born October 21, 1971) is an American multi-instrumentalist, singer and songwriter from Los Angeles, California. Oliveri is perhaps best known as a former member of Kyuss and later 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 and Moistboyz, among many others. Oliveri is currently the frontman of his project, Mondo Generator, a punk and metal hybrid that he formed in 1997.[1] He is also a current member of the Dwarves, since having joined the band in 1993.

Early life[edit]

Nick Steven Oliveri was born in Los Angeles on October 21, 1971, and was then raised in Palm Springs at the age of 11.[2] His first instrument was a guitar but he later moved to bass. His major influences were Kiss, Black Sabbath, Ramones, Rush and Van Halen.[3] Oliveri was described as having a Spicoli-like lifestyle growing up in his youth.[4]

Career[edit]

Katzenjammer/Kyuss[edit]

He began his career in 1987 as a guitarist, when he formed Katzenjammer with fellow bandmates; John Garcia, Josh Homme, Chris Cockrell and Brant Bjork. In early 1989, shortly after Oliveri's departure, the band changed its name to Sons of Kyuss, and after self-releasing an EP in 1990, the band re-recruited Oliveri on bass to replace Cockrell, and shortened their name to Kyuss.

Oliveri left the band following completion of Blues for the Red Sun and was replaced by Scott Reeder, who had been approached about joining Kyuss five to six months earlier during a West Coast tour with The Obsessed. Following his departure from Kyuss, Oliveri joined the Dwarves as an on again off again bassist under the moniker Rex Everything.

Mondo Generator[edit]

Nick Oliveri (under the moniker Rex Everything) formed Mondo Generator in 1997 and with friends Josh Homme, Brant Bjork, Rob Oswald, Karl Doyle and others, recorded the debut album, Cocaine Rodeo. The album wouldn't be released until three years later due to Oliveri and Homme being full-time members of Queens of the Stone Age. The album was released by cult-favorite Southern Lord Records in 2000. There was little support of the album by the way of live shows, and the band gained cult status among the most devoted Queens of the Stone Age fans.

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 four Ozzfest dates. Oliveri stated, "We can't keep on touring for free! My band's not free, it's costing me."[This quote needs a citation]

Queens of the Stone Age[edit]

Oliveri performing with Queens of the Stone Age at the 2003 V Festival

Oliveri was a core contributor to Queens of the Stone Age from 1998 to 2004, playing bass and providing backup and lead vocals on two of the band's biggest albums, Rated R and Songs for the Deaf, in addition to co-writing most of the album's songs with band mate Josh Homme. He first appeared on the band's self titled debut album in the form of a voicemail confirming his commitment to the band on the album's final song, "I Was a Teenage Hand Model".

Oliveri's lead singing can be heard on songs such as "Auto Pilot", "Tension Head" and "Quick and to the Pointless" from 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 Songs for the Deaf.

In January 2004, following a string of dates touring in Australia, Oliveri was fired from the band, with reasoning at first being aggressive treatment of the band's fans, later being accusations of possible abuse to his girlfriend. Oliveri has said to have come to the conclusion himself that during a sound check at a show in Spain in 2003 he acted too aggressively to Josh Homme over his relationship with then-girlfriend Brody Dalle after getting too drunk on wine, raising tension between the two.[5]

Post-Queens of the Stone Age[edit]

Since his firing from Queens of the Stone Age, Oliveri has 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 Josh Homme needs me to do it."[6]

There was 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."[7]

In late November 2012 Oliveri contributed vocals on the track "If I Had a Tail" for his former band Queens of the Stone Age on their album …Like Clockwork. Upon hearing fellow former Queens member Dave Grohl would make a return to drums on the album, Oliveri inquired to Josh Homme if he could play bass: "I actually put in a request with Josh. I heard Dave was playing on the record, and I was like, 'Dude! I wanna play bass on it!' I'd be a fool not to ask. If Dave Grohl was playing drums, then I want in. He's an amazing drummer. I never had a better time in my life than when Dave was in the band."[8] Homme instead opted for current bassist Michael Shuman.

In April 2014, Moistboyz opened for Queens of the Stone Age at a concert at the Keller Auditorium in Portland, Oregon. Oliveri then joined Queens of the Stone Age on stage for the first time in over a decade to sing "You Think I Ain't Worth a Dollar, But I Feel Like a Millionaire."[9][10][11]

Kyuss Lives![edit]

Oliveri performing with Kyuss Lives! at Manchester Academy in England on 5th April 2011

In June 2010, former Kyuss members Oliveri and Bjork joined Garcia onstage to perform "Green Machine" and "Gardenia" during a headlining appearance by "Garcia Plays Kyuss" at Hellfest in Clisson, France[12] and they also appeared onstage with Garcia in other concerts on the tour.

In November 2010, Oliveri joined Kyuss Lives! with fellow ex band members Garcia and Bjork. The band initially toured Europe, Australian and New Zealand markets in early 2011, and later toured North America.[13] A new studio album was also being planned following the tour.[14] Due to Oliveri's ongoing legal problems resulting from a July 2011 incident, he was unable to leave the US and Scott Reeder filled in for him on several international dates. 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.[15]

However, in March 2012, it was revealed that Josh Homme, after persuading bassist Scott Reeder to support him, had filed a federal lawsuit against John Garcia and Brant Bjork alleging "trademark infringement and consumer fraud" over the use of the Kyuss name despite the fact Brant Bjork had originally created the name. Nick Oliveri left Kyuss later that month after it was revealed that Garcia and Bjork had tried to take control of the Kyuss trademark.[16]

In December 2012, he announced his return to Kyuss Lives!, however all touring and promotions since have not featured Oliveri.[17] In August 2013, singer John Garcia said that the band "is a three-piece band with [himself], Brant [Bjork, drummer] and Bruno [Fevery, guitarist]. It always will be." and described Oliveri as "an honorary band member".[18]

Additional projects and contributions[edit]

In early 2008, Nick joined a West Coast offshoot of Moistboyz dubbed Dickie Moist OTC, on bass.[19] 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 first of which a song that Queens of the Stone Age covered on the Alpha Motherfuckers Turbonegro tribute album, and 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.[20]

In July 2013 while on tour in Alaska, Oliveri met members of Men With Guns, Lowell George Granath and Cody Kniceley. They formed a band called The Situationalists and recorded two demo tracks days later. An LP was planned, but as of Fall 2015 has not materialized.

In late November 2013, Oliveri announced that he would be touring with, and playing bass for Moistboyz, the punk/rock project of Dean Ween, which also featured then Mondo Generator drummer Hoss Wright, Guy Heller, and Stephen Haas.

Oliveri also announced that he and Hoss were also providing the rhythm section for the recently reunited California thrash outfit Bl'ast!.

In late 2015 Oliveri joined Russian punk rock band Svetlanas as recording and touring bassist. Their new record was recorded at Josh Homme's Pink Duck studios in California.[21]

In November 2016, Oliveri announced the release of a series of compilations titled N.O. Hits At All, to be issued on Heavy Psych Sounds Records. Oliveri commented "...Now for the first time, all these songs and bands I've recorded with over the past 25 years are together and available to you to trip out on. So get your head right, put this record on and play it loud!"[22] N.O. Hits At All Vol.1 was issued on January 27, 2017.[22] N.O. Hits At All Vol.2 was issued on July 7, 2017.[23] N.O. Hits At All Vol.3 was released on October 20, 2017, a day before Oliveri's birthday.[24] N.O. Hits At All Vol.4 was released on February 23, 2018.[25] N.O. Hits At All Vol.5 was released on October 12, 2018.[26]

Legal issues and controversy[edit]

On July 10, 1999, Oliveri and Josh Homme were involved in an altercation with English rock band Terrorvision while Queens of the Stone Age were on tour in London. Oliveri was arrested as a result, but was released several hours later without being charged.[27]

On January 19, 2001, Oliveri was arrested after a performance at Rock in Rio III in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil for performing nude on stage. Oliveri apologised for the incident and stated that he was not aware that it was a crime in Brazil.[28]

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 standoff 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.[29][30][31] In August 2012, Oliveri's lawyer reached a plea agreement with prosecutors in his case. Oliveri's lawyer, Freddy Sayegh, told TMZ, "Mr. Oliveri agreed to plead to one count of possession of cocaine and a dismissal of the remaining six felony counts." Oliveri's record in the case will be expunged as long as he completes a court ordered community service, anger management, and remains out of trouble for three years.[32]

Pseudonyms[edit]

Oliveri adopted the "Rex Everything" moniker after shattering a vase over a former Dwarves bassist's house, upon which he replied to Oliveri with "Rex Everything". The nickname "Rex" was originally given to Oliveri by Blag Dahlia, but a last name, which became Everything, was needed to go along with it.[33] "Pierre Pressure" was a nickname given to Oliveri by lifelong friend Josh Homme, to which Homme stated Oliveri pressures people into doing things they should not. "The Great French Manipulator" also came from Homme.[34] The aliases "Rock & Roll Komodo Dragon" and "Hardcore Troubadour" originated from an interview with Revolver magazine where Homme states that Oliveri's "a bit like a rock and roll komodo dragon, it's been that way for thousands of years", whereas the latter appeared during the intro segment of the interview during which Oliveri sings "Six Shooter" from Songs for the Deaf.[35]

Discography[edit]

Main article: Nick Oliveri discography

Studio albums[edit]

Compilation albums[edit]

Main article: N.O. Hits At All

References and notes[edit]

  1. ^ "Nick Oliveri". allmusic.com. Retrieved on October 5, 2013.
  2. ^ "My Life Story: Nick Oliveri". 2016-09-06. Retrieved 2018-08-26.
  3. ^ "Nick Oliveri: 'The New QOTSA Record, I Can't Wait For People To Hear It'". ultimate-guitar.com. February 18, 2013. Retrieved 2014-10-30.
  4. ^ "Nick Oliveri: "Rock & Roll Komodo Dragon" of Kyuss, Queens of the Stone Age". revolvermag.com. March 21, 2018. Retrieved 2018-06-02.
  5. ^ "Nick Oliveri Quits Kyuss Lives". YouTube. Retrieved January 26, 2015.
  6. ^ "The Skinny – Nick Oliveri – Mondo Uncontrollable". Theskinny.co.uk. October 13, 2006. Retrieved 2011-07-18.
  7. ^ Prato, Greg (March 23, 2011). "Nick Oliveri Interview". UGO.com. Archived from the original on March 25, 2012. Retrieved July 18, 2011.
  8. ^ Bogosian, Daniel (February 18, 2013). "Nick Oliveri: 'The New QOTSA Record, I Can't Wait For People To Hear It". Ultimate Guitar. Retrieved June 3, 2013.
  9. ^ Bowe, Miles (April 16, 2014). "Photos: Queens Of The Stone Age @ Keller Auditorium, Portland 4/15/14". stereogum.com. Retrieved 2014-04-16.
  10. ^ Scoczynski Filho, Fernando (April 16, 2014). "Watch Nick Oliveri Join QOTSA Onstage and Sing 'Millionaire' in Portland". antiquiet.com. Retrieved 2014-04-16.
  11. ^ Coplan, Chris (April 16, 2014). "Watch: Queens of the Stone Age reunite with Nick Oliveri for first performance in 10 years". consequenceofsound.net. Retrieved 2014-04-16.
  12. ^ "Three Quarters Of Kyuss Reunites At France's Hellfest; Video Available - Blabbermouth.net". BLABBERMOUTH.NET. Archived from the original on August 11, 2010. Retrieved January 26, 2015.
  13. ^ "Blabbermouth.Net – Kyuss Lives Without Josh Homme". Roadrunnerrecords.com. Archived from the original on November 5, 2010. Retrieved July 18, 2011.
  14. ^ "Kyuss Lives! To Record New Album – in Metal News". Metal Underground.com. Retrieved 2011-07-18.
  15. ^ SKWERL. "The Devil Comes Clean". Antiquiet. Retrieved July 5, 2012.
  16. ^ "Bassist NICK OLIVERI Quits KYUSS LIVES!". Blabbermouth.net. March 22, 2012. Archived from the original on March 25, 2012.
  17. ^ "KYUSS LIVES! Becomes VISTA CHINO". Blabbermouth.net. November 29, 2012.
  18. ^ "John Garcia Says Vista Chino Will 'Always' Be A Three Piece Band - Blabbermouth.net". BLABBERMOUTH.NET. Retrieved January 26, 2015.
  19. ^ ZW. "Dickie Moist OTC MySpace". Myspace.com. Retrieved 2011-07-18.
  20. ^ Niesel, Jeff. "Cleveland Scene". Clevescene.com. Retrieved 2011-07-18.
  21. ^ "Svetlanas tap Nick Oliveri for upcoming album". PUNKNEWS.ORG.
  22. ^ a b "NICK OLIVERI To Release 'N.O. Hits At All'". BLABBERMOUTH.NET. 2016-11-29. Retrieved 2017-08-25.
  23. ^ "NICK OLIVERI-N:O: Hits At All Vol. 2, by HEAVY PSYCH SOUNDS Records". HEAVY PSYCH SOUNDS Records. Retrieved 2017-08-25.
  24. ^ "Nick Oliveri (ex- QOTSA) to release collaborative album ‘N.O. Hits At All, Vol.3’ in OctoberMetal Insider". Metal Insider. 2017-08-10. Retrieved 2017-08-25.
  25. ^ "Full Album Stream: Nick Oliveri – "N.O. Hits at All Vol. 4"". Decibel Magazine. 2018-02-20. Retrieved 2018-08-18.
  26. ^ "Nick Oliveri Announces Oct. 12 Release for N.O. Hits at All Vol. 5". The Obelisk. 2018-07-13. Retrieved 2018-08-18.
  27. ^ enter your name here. "QOTSA Articles - July 22, 1999 - MTV News: Queens Of The Stone Age In Backstage Brawl; Band Lands New Deal". Retrieved January 26, 2015.
  28. ^ "Nude Queens Of The Stone Age Bassist Arrested In Rio". MTV News. Retrieved January 26, 2015.
  29. ^ "Former Queens of the Stone Age Member Nick Oliveri Arrested After S.W.A.T. Team Face-Off". Pitchfork. Retrieved 2011-07-18.
  30. ^ "Queens of the Stone Age's Nick Oliveri arrested after standoff - latimes.com". Latimesblogs.latimes.com. July 13, 2011. Retrieved 2011-07-18.
  31. ^ Partridge, Kenneth (August 13, 2011). "Former Queens of the Stone Age Bassist Faces 15 Years in Jail". Noise Creep. AOL Inc. Retrieved 2011-08-13.
  32. ^ "Ex Queens of the Stone Age bassist Nick Oliveri Dodges Jail Time in Plea Deal".
  33. ^ "Nick Oliveri: Feeling Like a Millionaire". Consequence of Sound. 2014-10-29. Retrieved 2018-08-18.
  34. ^ "Confessions: Nick Oliveri". Metal Hammer. 2014-08-19. Retrieved 2018-08-18.
  35. ^ "Nick Oliveri: "Rock & Roll Komodo Dragon" of Kyuss, Queens of the Stone Age"". Revolver. 2018-03-21. Retrieved 2018-08-18.

External links[edit]

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