The rumors are true - Josh Homme, Dave Grohl and John Paul Jones are currently holed up in a Los Angeles recording studio, working on an album that's been the biggest secret in rock for what seems like years now.
I pressed for more information in an interview I did yesterday with Homme's wife, Brody Dalle of Spinnerette. Who's singing? Who's behind the kit? When do we get to hear it? She was faithfully tight-lipped, unfortunately, but did offer the following tease:
"I'm not at liberty to talk about it... but I think [the project] is pretty fucking amazing. Just beats and sounds like you've never heard before."
We'll let our imaginations take that ball and run with it (Songs For The Deaf meets Zeppelin IV? Yes please...)
Back in 2005, Mojo magazine did an interview with Grohl, who dropped the news as casually as mentioning the weather: “The next project that I’m trying to initiate involves me on drums, Josh Homme on guitar, and John Paul Jones playing bass. That’s the next album. That wouldn’t suck.”
We didn't hear much more about the project after that until this past April, when French journalist Cyril Deluermoz reported that Grohl and Homme were recording together, which was shortly followed by an interview with John Paul Jones, who said the following: "I’m working on some other music, which is more rock based, with a couple of other people. We hope to be everywhere this summer." When pressed for more information, the legendary bassist clammed up. "It’s a secret, actually," he said. "I shouldn’t have even said that, you know? There are some exciting projects coming up, let’s put it that way."
Exciting indeed. But summer's here, so what gives? Chris Cornell’s guitar tech claims to have heard it, and legendary rock photographer Ross Halfin has acknowledged the recording sessions as well.
With the Foo Fighters on hiatus, Zeppelin down for what looks like the count and Queens Of The Stone Age enjoying some downtime, it would make sense that the long-discussed project would finally come to fruition this year.
Grohl has never made any attempt to hide his love for Led Zeppelin, be it with tattoos or all but offering to sell his kids for a chance to sit in John Bonham's place for a Zeppelin reunion tour that never happened.
Read more, as well as news of a possible new project involving Homme and Faith No More/Tomahawk/Fantomas singer Mike Patton, here.
