Vista Chino is an American
rock
Rock most often refers to:
* Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids
* Rock music, a genre of popular music
Rock or Rocks may also refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...
band formed in 2010 by vocalist
John Garcia
John is a common English name and surname:
* John (given name)
* John (surname)
John may also refer to:
New Testament
Works
* Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John
* First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John
* Second E ...
, drummer
Brant Bjork
Brant Bjork (born March 19, 1973) is an American musician, singer, songwriter and record producer. He is perhaps best known as the drummer and founder of the influential Californian stoner rock band Kyuss. Bjork played in Vista Chino, along with ...
and bassist
Nick Oliveri
Nick Steven Oliveri (born October 21, 1971) is an American multi-instrumentalist, singer and songwriter. He is perhaps best known as a former bassist of Kyuss and later Queens of the Stone Age from 1998 to 2004. Oliveri is also a solo artist and ...
, all previously members of
Kyuss
Kyuss ( ) was an American rock band, formed in Palm Desert, California, in 1987. The band disbanded in 1995, and since then, members of Kyuss have gone on to form or play in several notable bands including Queens of the Stone Age, Fu Manchu, D ...
, along with guitarist
Bruno Fevery.
The band formed under the name Kyuss Lives! as a short-lived venture touring the music of the original Kyuss, with a line-up excluding
Josh Homme
Joshua Michael Homme ( ; born May 17, 1973) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer. He is best known as the founder, primary songwriter, and only continuous member of the rock band Queens of the Stone Age, which he form ...
. In 2012, the band announced plans to continue touring indefinitely and begin work on a studio album using the Kyuss Lives! moniker. However, a lawsuit by Homme and former Kyuss bassist
Scott Reeder prohibited the use of the name for recordings, prompting the band to rename themselves Vista Chino. After a tour and one album, ''
Peace
Peace is a concept of societal friendship and harmony in the absence of hostility and violence. In a social sense, peace is commonly used to mean a lack of conflict (such as war) and freedom from fear of violence between individuals or groups. ...
'', Vista Chino broke up in 2014 when Garcia and Bjork supported solo releases.
History
Formation and touring (2010–2011)
file:Nick Oliveri performing as Kyuss Lives!.jpg, left, upright=0.7, Former member
Nick Oliveri
Nick Steven Oliveri (born October 21, 1971) is an American multi-instrumentalist, singer and songwriter. He is perhaps best known as a former bassist of Kyuss and later Queens of the Stone Age from 1998 to 2004. Oliveri is also a solo artist and ...
performing with the band as Kyuss Lives! in April 2011
In 2010, a European "John Garcia plays Kyuss" tour was announced, starting with a gig at Roadburn Festival. His backing-band was composed of Belgian and Dutch musicians from Agua de Annique, Kong, Celestial Season and Arsenal. The setlists were almost exclusively Kyuss songs.
In June 2010, former Kyuss members Nick Oliveri and Brant Bjork joined John Garcia onstage to perform "Green Machine" and "Gardenia" during a headlining appearance by "Garcia Plays Kyuss" at
Hellfest
Hellfest (), also called Hellfest Summer Open Air, is a rock festival focusing on heavy metal music, held annually in June in Clisson, France. Its high attendance makes it the French music festival with the largest turnover. It is also one of ...
in
Clisson
Clisson (; br, Klison), is a commune in the Loire-Atlantique department in the Pays de la Loire region in western France.
It is situated at the confluence of the Sèvre Nantaise and the Moine southeast of Nantes.
The town and the celebrat ...
, France and they also appeared onstage with Garcia in other concerts on the tour, representing of Kyuss' ''
Blues for the Red Sun
''Blues for the Red Sun'' is the second studio album by American rock band Kyuss, released in 1992. While the album received mainly favorable reviews, it fared poorly commercially, selling only 39,000 units. It has since become a very influential ...
'' lineup.
In November 2010, Garcia, Oliveri and Bjork announced a
European tour under the moniker "Kyuss Lives!", with Bruno Fevery serving as the band's guitarist. In reference to the new band name, Garcia stated that "there is never going to be a Kyuss without
Josh Homme
Joshua Michael Homme ( ; born May 17, 1973) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer. He is best known as the founder, primary songwriter, and only continuous member of the rock band Queens of the Stone Age, which he form ...
" and that "hopefully in the future him and I can get together and do some writing."
They toured Australia and New Zealand in May. They toured Europe in June 2011 and announced a North and South America tour for late Summer and Fall, 2011, with Scott Reeder playing many dates outside of the United States. The tour wrapped up on New Year's Eve 2011 at Cherry Cola's Rock 'n' Rolla Cabaret and Lounge, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Kyuss Lives! planned to record a new studio album for a summer 2012 release.
Lawsuit (2012–2013)
In March 2012, it was revealed that Josh Homme and bassist Scott Reeder had filed a federal lawsuit against John Garcia and Brant Bjork alleging "trademark infringement and consumer fraud" over the use of the Kyuss name. Nick Oliveri left Kyuss later that month, stating managerial issues and was replaced by Billy Cordell.
Bjork spoke to ''
Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...
'' magazine about the bitterness which has developed between Homme and his former Kyuss bandmates:
In August 2012, Judge S. James Otero of the United States District Court Central District of California ruled partly in Homme's favor, declaring that Garcia and Bjork could not release audio recordings under the Kyuss Lives! moniker and encouraging them
re-brand under a new name. However, the band scored a partial victory as the court ruling permitted the band to use the Kyuss Lives! name and logo for performances and promotional materials, provided the words "Kyuss" and "Lives" were printed in "equally-prominent lettering."
The band renamed themselves in response.
The name Vista Chino refers to a street of the same name in the city of
Palm Springs, California
Palm Springs (Cahuilla: ''Séc-he'') is a desert resort city in Riverside County, California, United States, within the Colorado Desert's Coachella Valley. The city covers approximately , making it the largest city in Riverside County by land a ...
. The name of the street (Spanish for 'Chino view') in turn refers to the
Chino Canyon Chino Canyon is a desert canyon in Riverside County, California, United States. It is one of the steepest canyons in North America, dropping from over at the south rim to less than on the valley floor in less than a mile. The Palm Springs Aerial ...
, which is part of the
San Jacinto Mountains
The San Jacinto Mountains (''Avii Hanupach''Munro, P., et al. ''A Mojave Dictionary''. Los Angeles: UCLA. 1992. in Mojave) are a mountain range in Riverside County, located east of Los Angeles in southern California in the United States. The mou ...
southwest of Palm Springs, and which lies directly in line of this street. The San Jacinto mountains are a prominent mountain range forming the southwest border of the
Coachella Valley
, map_image = Wpdms shdrlfi020l coachella valley.jpg
, map_caption = Coachella Valley
, location = California, United States
, coordinates =
, width =
, boundaries = Salton Sea (southeast), Santa Rosa Mountains (southwest), San Jacint ...
, the desert valley part of the
Sonoran Desert
The Sonoran Desert ( es, Desierto de Sonora) is a desert in North America and ecoregion that covers the northwestern Mexican states of Sonora, Baja California, and Baja California Sur, as well as part of the southwestern United States (in Arizona ...
, where Palm Springs and
Palm Desert
Palm Desert is a city in Riverside County, California, United States, in the Coachella Valley, approximately east of Palm Springs, northeast of San Diego and east of Los Angeles. The population was 48,445 at the 2010 census. The city has been ...
(of the famous
Palm Desert Scene
The Palm Desert Scene is a group of related bands and musicians from Palm Desert, California. Their hard rock sound – sometimes described as desert rock – contains elements of heavy metal, psychedelia, blues, punk, alternative, grunge, and ...
) are located. John Garcia said about the band name:
In November 2012,
Nick Oliveri
Nick Steven Oliveri (born October 21, 1971) is an American multi-instrumentalist, singer and songwriter. He is perhaps best known as a former bassist of Kyuss and later Queens of the Stone Age from 1998 to 2004. Oliveri is also a solo artist and ...
announced that he would be rejoining Kyuss Lives!. Kyuss Lives! played their final performances under that name at the Soundwave Festivals in 2013. However,
Mike Dean played bass on all the 2013 Soundwave shows and sidewaves.
Oliveri has not been seen to actively participate with the band since, having not appeared in recent photoshoots or toured with the band, and Dean has been acting as the band's touring and session bassist, having played one track on the band's album, ''Peace''. In August 2013, singer John Garcia said that Vista Chino "is a three-piece band with
imself Brant
jork, drummerand Bruno
every, guitarist It always will be." but also described Oliveri as "an honorary band member".
[
]
''Peace'' (2013–present)
On May 23, 2013, it was announced that Vista Chino had signed with Napalm Records
Napalm Records is an Austrian independent record label focused on heavy metal and hard rock. Originally, Napalm focused on black metal bands, such as Abigor and Summoning, and folk metal bands, such as Falkenbach and Vintersorg. The label later ...
. That same day a new song, "Dargona Dragona," was posted on the band's SoundCloud
SoundCloud is an online audio distribution platform and music sharing website that enables its users to upload, promote, and share audio. Founded in 2007 by Alexander Ljung and Eric Wahlforss, SoundCloud is one of the largest music streaming se ...
page. Their debut album, ''Peace
Peace is a concept of societal friendship and harmony in the absence of hostility and violence. In a social sense, peace is commonly used to mean a lack of conflict (such as war) and freedom from fear of violence between individuals or groups. ...
'', was released on September 3, 2013. Guest appearances included Mike Dean on "As You Wish" and Chris Cockrell on "The Gambling Moose." The album peaked at #14 on the ''Billboard'' Heatseekers Album chart.
In an interview with About.com
Dotdash Meredith (formerly About.com) is an American digital media company based in New York City. The company publishes online articles and videos about various subjects across categories including health, home, food, finance, tech, beauty, l ...
, John Garcia spoke of the band's recent success and possibilities for the future.
The first show played under the new moniker was on June 9, 2013 at the Orion Music and More Festival.
In October 2014, former bassist Nick Oliveri claimed that the band had broken up due to a falling out that led to Garcia leaving the band. During this period, Bjork and Garcia decided to continue their solo careers, with Garcia releasing an eponymous debut album and Bjork releasing an album with his new backing band, the Low Desert Punk Band. Garcia had denied the falling out earlier, stating, "There was never any breakup or any bad blood, it was just really me wanting to get this monkey off my back with my solo record." When asked whether there would be a second album, Garcia replied, "I doubt if there'll be another Vista Chino record. I seriously, seriously doubt it." The band has remained active on social media, however, and on December 31, posted a picture of Garcia and Bjork, and teased a new album for 2015. As of 2022, no announcements of a second studio album have been made.
Discography
*''Peace
Peace is a concept of societal friendship and harmony in the absence of hostility and violence. In a social sense, peace is commonly used to mean a lack of conflict (such as war) and freedom from fear of violence between individuals or groups. ...
'' (2013, Napalm Records
Napalm Records is an Austrian independent record label focused on heavy metal and hard rock. Originally, Napalm focused on black metal bands, such as Abigor and Summoning, and folk metal bands, such as Falkenbach and Vintersorg. The label later ...
)
Band members
;Former
* John Garcia
John is a common English name and surname:
* John (given name)
* John (surname)
John may also refer to:
New Testament
Works
* Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John
* First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John
* Second E ...
– lead vocals (2010–2014)
* Bruno Fevery – guitar (2010–2014)
* Brant Bjork
Brant Bjork (born March 19, 1973) is an American musician, singer, songwriter and record producer. He is perhaps best known as the drummer and founder of the influential Californian stoner rock band Kyuss. Bjork played in Vista Chino, along with ...
– drums (2010–2014)
* Nick Oliveri
Nick Steven Oliveri (born October 21, 1971) is an American multi-instrumentalist, singer and songwriter. He is perhaps best known as a former bassist of Kyuss and later Queens of the Stone Age from 1998 to 2004. Oliveri is also a solo artist and ...
– bass, backing vocals (2010–March 2012, November 2012–December 2012)
;Touring
* Mike Dean – bass (2013–2014)
* Billy Cordell – bass (March–November 2012)
* Scott Reeder – bass (select shows in 2011)
Timeline
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DateFormat = mm/dd/yyyy
Period = from:01/01/2010 till:12/31/2014
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ScaleMajor = increment:1 start:2010
ScaleMinor = increment:1 start:2010
Colors =
id:Vocals value:red legend:Lead_vocals
id:Guitar value:green legend:Guitar
id:Bass value:blue legend:Bass
id:Drums value:orange legend:Drums
LineData =
at:03/09/2013 color:black layer:back
BarData =
bar:John text:"John Garcia"
bar:Bruno text:"Bruno Fevery"
bar:Nick text:"Nick Oliveri"
bar:Billy text:"Billy Cordell"
bar:Mike text:"Mike Dean"
bar:Brant text:"Brant Bjork"
PlotData=
width:11 textcolor:black align:left anchor:from shift:(10,-4)
bar:John from:01/01/2010 till:10/01/2014 color:Vocals
bar:Brant from:01/01/2010 till:10/01/2014 color:Drums
bar:Bruno from:01/01/2010 till:10/01/2014 color:Guitar
bar:Nick from:01/01/2010 till:03/01/2012 color:Bass
bar:Nick from:11/01/2012 till:12/31/2012 color:Bass
bar:Billy from:03/01/2012 till:11/01/2012 color:Bass
bar:Mike from:01/01/2013 till:10/01/2014 color:Bass
References
External links
*
*
*
{{Authority control
Kyuss
American stoner rock musical groups
Heavy metal musical groups from California
Musical groups established in 2010
2010 establishments in California
Musical quartets
Palm Desert, California
Musical groups from Riverside County, California