John Garcia, revered Kyuss legend and founder of desert rock institutions such as Unida, Slo-Burn, Hermano and Vista Chino, has returned with his next incarnation: John Garcia and The Band Of Gold.
I drove out to the California desert to connect with one of the greatest rock singers to ever step to the mic. Garcia is a singer-songwriter who first came to prominence with desert-rock legends Kyuss (alongside Queens Of The Stone Age frontman Josh Homme, drummer Brant Bjork and bassists Nick Oliveri and later Scott Reeder). The legend of Kyuss has grown to mythical levels, having set the template for a now legendary desert rock scene that put the images of stoner-rock generator parties in the middle of tumbleweed country in the heads of rock fans around the world.
Kyuss parted ways in 1996 breakup, but are still referenced to this day with deep reverence among artists and fans. But after the split, Garcia dove into a number of high-potency projects including Slo Burn, Unida, Hermano, Vista Chino and others. In 2014 he put out a self-titled solo release, followed by 2017’s The Coyote Who Spoke In Tongues which mixed original new songs in with acoustic reworkings of older songs.
Kicking off 2019, John is back now with a new record, called John Garcia and the Band of Gold. The 11-track LP was released on January 4th via Napalm Records, and it’s a righteous blast of potency from the voice we’ve been chasing for over two decades. The record is in your face, a groove-driven rocker that inspires high speeds and higher volume.
In AQ Podcast episode 43 I connect with Garcia and guitarist Ehren Groban on the long and thorny road to making the new album, set the record straight on some old desert myths and take a look at what lies ahead.
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Pick up John Garcia and The Band of Gold on Napalm Records.
