The Desert Sessions are a musical collective series, founded by Josh Homme in 1997. 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.

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. The ranch, located in the Mojave Desert, has an old house filled with rare and unique recording equipment and instruments, and is owned by Dave Catching and the late Fred Drake. 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.

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. Since then, the Desert Sessions have become legendary, growing in intensity and artistic merit. Homme said:

Improvisational atmosphere

Desert Sessions songs are written "on the spot," often in a matter of hours. 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. 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.

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. 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. 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".

In September 2019, Desert Sessions Volumes 11 & 12 were officially announced, along with a comedic promo video featuring Homme and Liam Lynch. The promo includes Homme running through some of the featured artists such as Billy Gibbons, Les Claypool, and Jake Shears.

In October 2019, recordings of the Desert Sessions were released for the first time in sixteen years.

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.

The updated Desert Sessions website featured a "World Tour" page coincident with the release of Vol. 11/12 but no dates were ever added. Whether this indicates possible intent to tour the material at the time is unknown.

Streaming issues Due to licensing issues involving Man's Ruin, none of the official Desert sessions recordings were available on streaming services until as late as March 23, 2019, when Volumes 9 & 10 were added (excluding bonus tracks such as Shepherd's Pie), to help boost demand for the release of Volumes 11 & 12 later that year.

Awards

The art directors for Desert Sessions Volumes 11 & 12, Doug Cunningham and Jason Noto, won the Grammy Award for Best Recording Package at the 2021 Grammy Awards.

Discography Volumes 1-6 were released as individual LPs and were eventually re-released as compilation albums in pairs. Volumes 7 and onward were never released as LPs, but rather as compilation albums only.

Man's Ruin volumes +VolumeNameRelease DateCompilation AlbumCompilation Release Date1Instrumental Driving Music for FelonsNovember 18, 1997Volumes 1 & 2February 24, 19982Status: Ships Commander ButcheredFebruary 10, 19983Set Coordinates for the White Dwarf!!!May 12, 1998Volumes 3 & 4October 23, 19984Hard Walls and Little TripsSeptember 22, 19985Poetry for the Masses (SeaShedShitheadByTheSheSore)July 21, 1999Volumes 5 & 6September 10, 19996Black Anvil EgoAugust 16, 1999

Rekords Rekords volumes +VolumeNameCompilation AlbumRelease Date7Gypsy MarchesVolumes 7 & 8October 16, 20018Can You See Under My Thumb? There You Are.9I See You Hearin' MeVolumes 9 & 10September 23, 200310I Heart Disco

Matador volumes +VolumeNameCompilation AlbumRelease Date11Arrividerci DespairVolumes 11 & 12October 25, 201912Tightwads & Nitwits & Critics & Heels

Collaborating artists MemberAssociated acts1 & 23 & 45 & 67 & 89 & 1011 & 12Josh HommeQueens of the Stone Age, Kyuss, Eagles of Death Metal, Screaming Trees, Them Crooked Vultures, Masters of RealityXXXXXXFred Drakeearthlings?, Ministry of FoolsXXXXDave CatchingQueens of the Stone Age, earthlings?, Mondo Generator, Eagles of Death Metal, Yellow#5, Masters of Reality, Ringling Sisters, Tex and the Horseheads, Goon Moon, PeachesXXXXXBrant BjorkKyuss, Fu Manchu, Brant Bjork & The Bros, Fatso Jetson, Mondo Generator, Yellow #5, Vista Chino, StönerXXAlfredo HernándezKyuss, Queens of the Stone Age, Orquesta del Desierto, Yawning Man, Across the RiverXXPete StahlScream, Wool, Goatsnake, earthlings?, Orquesta del DesiertoXXBen ShepherdSoundgarden, Hater, Wellwater ConspiracyXXJohn McBainMonster Magnet, Hater, Wellwater ConspiracyXXNick OliveriKyuss, Queens of the Stone Age, Dwarves, Mondo Generator, Vista Chino, Bl'ast, StönerXXMario LalliFatso Jetson, Yawning Man, Across The RiverXXLarry LalliFatso JetsonXJesse HughesEagles of Death MetalXCraig ArmstrongXLoo BallsXT. FreshXBlag DahliaDwarves, Mondo Generator, Queens of the Stone AgeXGene TrautmannThe Miracle Workers, Dig, Queens of the Stone Age, Eagles of Death Metal, Sumo PrincessXBarrett MartinScreaming Trees, Mad Season, Queens of the Stone AgeXAdam Maplesearthlings?XTeddy QuinnDig Your Own Cactus, Ministry of FoolsXTony MasonDig Your Own CactusXChris GossMasters of Reality, Goon MoonXXAlain JohannesEleven, What Is This?, Chris Cornell, Queens of the Stone Age, Them Crooked Vultures (live)XXNatasha ShneiderEleven, Black Russian, Chris Cornell, Queens of the Stone AgeXMark LaneganScreaming Trees, Mad Season, Queens of the Stone Age, The Twilight Singers, The Gutter Twins, Isobel Campbell, SoulsaversXBrendon McNicholRattlebone, Masters of Reality, Queens of the Stone AgeXSamantha MaloneyHole, Mötley Crüe, Eagles of Death Metal, PeachesXNick EldoradoLIKEHELLXPJ HarveyPJ HarveyXTroy Van LeeuwenFailure, A Perfect Circle, Enemy, Gone Is Gone, Queens of the Stone Age, SweetheadXJoey CastilloZilch, Wasted Youth, Danzig, Goatsnake, Sugartooth, Queens of the Stone Age, Eagles of Death Metal, Bl'ast, California BreedXDean WeenWeen, MoistboyzXJosh FreeseThe Vandals, Devo, A Perfect Circle, Nine Inch NailsXJeordie WhiteNine Inch Nails, Goon Moon, A Perfect Circle, Marilyn MansonXBrian O'ConnorEagles of Death MetalXChristian GrahnThe HivesXSasha VallelySpindrift, Lords of Altamont, Mondo Generator, King Adora, Sash The Bash, Midnight Larks, The Mobsters, The Silver ChordsXMatt BerryXBilly GibbonsZZ TopXStella MozgawaWarpaintXJake ShearsScissor SistersXMike KerrRoyal BloodXCarla AzarAutolux, Jack WhiteXLes ClaypoolPrimus, Blind Illusion, the Holy Mackerel, Buckethead, Fearless Flying Frog Brigade, Oysterhead, Colonel Claypool's Bucket of Bernie Brains, The Claypool Lennon DeliriumXMatt SweeneyChavez, Zwan, SkunkXLibby GraceXTöôrnst HülpftX

Notes

References

External links Desert Sessions Official site