Complete List Of Josh Homme Bands And Musical Projects

Feature Photo: Selbymay, CC BY 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Long before Josh Homme became associated with Queens of the Stone Age and major rock festival stages around the world, he was playing loud guitar-driven music in the isolated desert communities surrounding Palm Desert, California. The atmosphere and local music culture of that region became deeply intertwined with his early career, especially through his work with Kyuss in the late 1980s and early 1990s. He began playing guitar as a child and joined the band Katzenjammer while still very young. By the mid 1980s, he became part of Kyuss, the groundbreaking group that helped establish stoner rock and desert rock as recognized genres. Performing at legendary generator parties in the California desert, Kyuss built a reputation for thunderous live performances and a sound rooted in downtuned guitars, psychedelic textures, and crushing rhythms.

Kyuss released four studio albums during Homme’s time in the band, Wretch, Blues for the Red Sun, Welcome to Sky Valley, and …And the Circus Leaves Town. The albums gradually became enormously influential within heavy rock circles, especially Welcome to Sky Valley, which many fans and musicians viewed as a landmark release in desert rock. Songs such as “Green Machine,” “Gardenia,” and “Demon Cleaner” helped establish Homme’s guitar style, built around groove, repetition, and hypnotic riff construction rather than flashy solos. Although Kyuss never achieved massive commercial success during its original run, the band’s influence expanded dramatically after its breakup in 1995.

Following Kyuss, Homme briefly joined Screaming Trees as a touring guitarist before launching Queens of the Stone Age in 1996. Originally conceived as a studio project called Gamma Ray, the group eventually adopted the Queens of the Stone Age name and became Homme’s primary artistic vehicle. The self titled debut arrived in 1998, followed by Rated R in 2000, which introduced a broader audience to the band through songs such as “The Lost Art of Keeping a Secret.” The breakthrough came with Songs for the Deaf in 2002, a record featuring Dave Grohl on drums and former Kyuss bassist Nick Oliveri. The album became one of the defining hard rock releases of the decade, producing “No One Knows,” “Go with the Flow,” and “First It Giveth.” “No One Knows” earned the band Grammy nominations and became a massive rock radio staple.

Queens of the Stone Age continued to evolve through albums such as Lullabies to Paralyze, Era Vulgaris, …Like Clockwork, Villains, and In Times New Roman. Homme consistently shifted the band’s sound between heavy riff rock, psychedelic experimentation, dark balladry, and dance-influenced grooves. …Like Clockwork became especially important because it debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 and featured collaborations with Elton John, Trent Reznor, Jake Shears, Alex Turner, and Dave Grohl. Songs such as “My God Is the Sun,” “I Sat by the Ocean,” and “The Way You Used to Do” demonstrated Homme’s ability to balance accessible songwriting with unconventional arrangements. Throughout Queens of the Stone Age’s catalog, Homme became known not only as a guitarist and singer but also as a producer, arranger, and musical architect, constantly reshaping the band’s identity.

Outside Queens of the Stone Age, Homme built one of the busiest collaborative careers in modern rock music. In 2009, he formed Them Crooked Vultures alongside Dave Grohl and John Paul Jones. Their self-titled album combined hard rock, progressive textures, and blues influences while producing songs such as “New Fang” and “Mind Eraser, No Chaser.” Homme also became deeply connected to the Desert Sessions series, collaborative recordings featuring constantly rotating musicians who work together in loose, experimental environments. Those sessions included artists connected to PJ Harvey, Dean Ween, Mark Lanegan, Billy Gibbons, Les Claypool, and many others. His collaborations spanned rock, alternative, and electronic music, as well as hip-hop-influenced projects, reinforcing his reputation as one of the most versatile musicians of his generation.

Awards and critical recognition followed Homme throughout his career. Queens of the Stone Age earned multiple Grammy Award nominations, including nominations for Best Rock Album and Best Hard Rock Performance. “No One Knows” became one of the most successful rock singles of the early 2000s, while albums such as Songs for the Deaf and …Like Clockwork regularly appeared on major year-end critics’ lists. Fans admired Homme for combining heavy music with melody, groove, dark humor, and experimentation without sacrificing accessibility. His live performances, distinctive guitar tone, and ability to recruit major collaborators also helped keep Queens of the Stone Age among the most respected bands in modern rock.

Homme’s activities outside traditional band work often centered on collaborative music culture and benefit performances. He participated in numerous charity concerts and tribute events, including performances connected to the Sweet Stuff Foundation, a nonprofit founded by former Queens of the Stone Age bassist Scott Hutchinson to assist career musicians facing illness and financial hardship. Homme also worked on benefit recordings and fundraising efforts connected to musicians in need. Through the Desert Sessions projects, he helped create spaces where artists from very different musical backgrounds could experiment freely without commercial pressure. That spirit of collaboration became one of the defining themes of his career because Homme consistently treated music as a constantly evolving community rather than a closed-off brand.

Personal health struggles also became part of Homme’s later life story. He revealed that he underwent surgery for cancer in 2022 before successfully completing treatment. Despite health challenges and personal turmoil, he continued touring and recording with Queens of the Stone Age, including the release of In Times New Roman… in 2023. The persistence, unpredictability, and creative ambition that marked Homme’s early desert performances continued decades later, helping explain why his influence stretches far beyond hard rock audiences. His career became defined not by following trends but by creating an atmosphere and sound that other musicians spent years trying to replicate.

Wretch (1991)

Blues for the Red Sun (1992)

Welcome to Sky Valley (1994)

…And the Circus Leaves Town (1995)

With Queens Of The Stone Age

Queens of the Stone Age (1998)

Rated R (2000)

Songs for the Deaf (2002)

Lullabies to Paralyze (2005)

Era Vulgaris (2007)

…Like Clockwork (2013)

Villains (2017)

In Times New Roman… (2023)

With Eagles of Death Metal

Peace, Love, Death Metal (2004)

Death by Sexy (2006)

Heart On (2008)

Zipper Down (2015)

Check out similar articles on ClassicRockHistory.com

Classic Rock Bands List And Directory

Top 200 Classic Rock Bands and Artists of All Time

Top 200 Pop Songs Of The 1970s

Top 500 Classic Rock Songs Of All Time

Top 500 Rock Songs Of The 80s

Artists’ Interviews Directory At ClassicRockHistory.com

Classicrockhistory.com claims ownership of all its original content and Intellectual property under United States Copyright laws and those of all other foreign countries. No one person, business, or organization is allowed to republish any of our original content anywhere on the web or in print without our permission. All photos used are either public domain Creative Commons photos or licensed officially from Shutterstock under license with ClassicRockHistory.com. All photo credits have been placed at the end of the article. Album Cover Photos are affiliate links and the property of Amazon and are stored on the Amazon server. Any theft of our content will be met with swift legal action against the infringing websites.