Video: "If You Run" & "Move Together" - Desert Sessions & NYFA Collaboration
Joshua Homme’s Desert Sessions collective is proud to unveil the first fruits of its expansion into visual collaboration: Homme’s recent meetings with students at the New York Film Academy’s Los Angeles campus have resulted in unique works by two filmmakers, each of whom was given a production budget to translate the music and lyrics of the Desert Sessions into their own vision.
Purchase/Stream Desert Sessions Vols. 11 & 12
Italian filmmaker Gabriele Fabbro took on the acoustic ballad “If You Run,” creating a haunting exploration of violence told through the eyes of a curious young woman, specifically inspired by deadly attacks on European journalists. “I used to read a lot of news about murders, especially on European newspapers. I remember one in particular that happened in a cornfield. That article came to mind while hearing ‘If You Run.’” The filmmaker said in a statement, “With this music video I want to touch themes such as ‘femicide’, ‘chase for justice’, ‘innocent curiosity vs violence’. But on top, I want to play with an existential fear. The fear of being powerless. Every tool in the video, from the shakiness of the handheld shots to the distorted sound of the radio, serves to exaggerate this fear.”
Filmmaker Jonathan Samukange employed a wholly different direction, reimagining Vols. 11 &12’s groove-heavy opener “Move Together” as the soundtrack to a psychedelic take on the story of Adam and Eve. In his statement on the video, Samukange says, “I wanted to create a seamless balance between computer graphics and reality. I want my audience to escape into a time capsule, following the tragic love story of Adam and Eve.” Filmed in the director’s home country of Zimbabwe, the video enlisted residents of an entire village and used the region’s stunning natural landscape to create the hallucinatory trip through time. “This idea is completely nuts, but it is also grounded in reality with themes of love, togetherness, collaboration, betrayal, and even brainwashing.”
Desert Sessions Online :
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Video: Desert Sessions "If You Run" + Announcing DessertSessions.com
Joshua Homme’s collaborative motley crew Desert Sessions follow up the recent fever dream vision of their “Easier Said Than Done” clip with the latest music video from Desert Sessions Vols. 11 & 12 (aka respectively Arrivederci Despair and Tightwads & Nitwits & Critics & Heels): "If You Run.” Directed by filmmaker / actor Rio Hackford, “If You Run” stars Homme and DS newcomer Libby Grace as a mysterious hitchhiker, following them on a sinister trip through the Joshua Tree desert, culminating in a freakishly hallucinatory finale set at the famed Rancho De La Luna studio. Hackford’s “If You Run” visualization also stars DS collaborators Billy Gibbons, Dave Catching, Matt Sweeney, Stella Mozgawa, and Carla Azar.
Stream/Purchase Desert Sessions - Vols. 11 & 12 HERE.
Director Rio Hackford said of the video: "The video was inspired by Josh bringing an unknown Libby Grace into the Dessert Sessions arena to show her haunting magic to the world. Homme, Sweeney and I are some of the only people who have heard Libby’s music, so the idea of them introducing her to the players and recording process lit the fuse. The song lent itself perfectly to the lonesome desert landscape and the spell that the Rancho can cast on anyone that passes through its doors."
In other news… Inspired by the (disappointingly) frequent misspelling of the Desert Sessions, the desert collective have launched the Dessert Sessions: Feral Recipes for the Joyful Destruction of Taste Buds, a unique collection of otherworldly recipes created and inspired by the music of the Desert Sessions. Cheese stuffed meat rings, sardine topped doughnut cakes, avocado and sour cream gelatin plates abound! Fans can try their hands at one of these recipes here and share their creations by tagging #dessertsessions.
Desert Sessions Online :
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Desert Sessions - "Easier Said Than Done" Video + The Bizarre Bazaar Premiere
Joshua Homme’s collaborative motley crew Desert Sessions return with the music video to "Easier Said Than Done”, from Vols. 11 & 12 (aka respectively Arrivederci Despair and Tightwads & Nitwits & Critics & Heels). Directed by photographer-director Chapman Baehler, this nightmare vision contains fascist-humiliating watersports, pig-men ejaculating glitter, a little defenestration, some light immolation… and Joshua Homme on roller skates.
For further edification, just watch the video over and over until the next one.
STREAM/PURCHASE DESERT SESSIONS VOLS. 11 & 12 HERE
Joshua Homme's Team of Crazed Collaborators Announce "The Bizarre Bazaar”, a Bi-Weekly Series of Desert Sessions Inspired Artwork Auctions for Charity with Limited Edition Quilt by Ben Venom.
The unique delight of Desert Sessions lies in unexpected collaborations between musicians who might otherwise never work together, and alongside the new video, Desert Sessions have teamed up with artists in other media including palm-painting, sculpture, jewelry, film-making, and, in this instance, quilting, to create one-of-a-kind pieces of art inspired by, and indelibly connected to — the music, for a series of charity auctions benefiting The Sweet Stuff Foundation. For the inaugural auction in this "Bizarre Bazaar," hosted on a dedicated eBay page, acclaimed textile artist Ben Venom has created a 3' X 3' quilt expressing the sounds of Desert Sessions in fabric and thread:
"I describe my art as a collision between fine art, craft, and the fringes of society. Working with textiles, I contrast the often menacing and aggressive counterculture components of gangs, punk/metal music, and the occult with the comforts of domesticity. For the Crawling Death quilt, the fragility of the materials and their assaulting imagery are brought together in the form of a functional piece of art. This piece was made in collaboration with the Desert Sessions and it has been an honor to participate in the project."
Find more information on the Sweet Stuff Foundation HERE.
Desert Sessions Online
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Out Today : Desert Sessions - 'Vols. 11 & 12', "Crucifire" Video
(directed by Anthony Francisco Schepperd)
Ending a 16-year hiatus since its last installment, the most mythical, longest running rock n roll mixtape odyssey in existence, Desert Sessions has finally returned: The most ambitious entries yet in its expansive and elusive catalog: 'Vols. 11 & 12' (a/k/a respectively as ?'Arrivederci Despair?' and 'Tightwads & Nitwits & Critics & Heels?') are now available on LP, CD and via all streaming services.
Highlights of the eight-song two-session collection include the creeping slowburn boogie of “Move Together” with its sublime Billy Gibbons (ZZ Top) vocal, the propulsive rocker “Crucifire” fueled by an incendiary vocal performance from Mike Kerr (Royal Blood), the self-explanatory “Chic Tweetz” featuring the enigmatic Töôrnst Hülpft, and the lush melodies of grand finale "Easier Said Than Done” featuring a showstopping vocal from ringleader Joshua Homme (Queens of the Stone Age).
Desert Sessions 'Vols. 11 & 12'also arrive in a limited edition first vinyl pressing including a one of a kind custom mix & match body swap booklet. Exclusive merchandise bundles are available now.
'Vols. 11 & 12' were recorded (mostly) in December 2018 at Rancho De La Luna studios in Joshua Tree, CA, with Queens of the Stone Age founder and Desert Sessions ringleader/producer Joshua Homme enlisting a cast of players including:
Billy Gibbons (ZZ Top)
Stella Mozgawa (Warpaint)
Jake Shears (Scissor Sisters)
Mike Kerr (Royal Blood)
Carla Azar (Autolux, Jack White)
Les Claypool (Primus)
Matt Sweeney (Chavez, Superwolf, Endless Boogie)
Matt Berry (What We Do in the Shadows, Toast of London)
Libby Grace
Töôrnst Hülpft
The resulting eight songs embody the legacy of freedom from expectations and inhibitions that stretches back to 1997, when Homme led a first retreat to the Joshua Tree desert. What began as a casual writing and recording session amongst friends—isolated from daily distractions and comforts—has since become a possibly infinite body of work. Now spanning 12 volumes over the course of two decades (and a total of two documented live performances), The Desert Sessions has featured some of music’s most cherished icons—past players have included Polly Harvey, Mark Lanegan, Josh Freese, Dean Ween, among many others—deliberately removing themselves from their comfort zones and working together to create some of their most relaxed yet challenging work.
The tracklist for Desert Sessions 'Vols. 11 & 12' (a/k/a ?'Arrivederci Despair'? and ?'Tightwads & Nitwits & Critics & Heels')? is:
Move Together (lead vocal: Billy F. Gibbons)
Noses in Roses Forever (lead vocal: Joshua Homme)
Far East for the Trees
If You Run (lead vocal: Libby Grace)
Crucifire (lead vocal: Mike Kerr)
Chic Tweetz (vocals: Töôrnst Hülpft, Matt Berry)
Something You Can’t See (lead vocal: Jake Shears)
Easier Said Than Done (lead vocal: Joshua Homme)
(photo : Andreas Neumann
STREAM/ORDER : Desert Sessions - Vols. 11 and 12
Desert Sessions Online :
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Coming October 25 : Desert Sessions - Vols. 11 and 12
(directed by Liam Lynch)
(photo by Andreas Neumann)
Ending a 16-year hiatus since its last installment, the most mythical, longest running rock n roll mixtape odyssey in existence, Desert Sessions will return this October with the most ambitious entries yet in its expansive and elusive catalog: Vols. 11 & 12 (a/k/a respectively as 'Arrivederci Despair' and 'Tightwads & Nitwits & Critics & Heels') will be released October 25th. A limited edition first vinyl pressing will include a one of a kind custom mix & match body swap booklet. Exclusive merchandise bundles are available for pre-order now
Vols. 11 & 12 were recorded mostly in a six-day span in December 2018 at Rancho De La Luna studios in Joshua Tree, CA, with Queens of the Stone Age founder and Desert Sessions ringleader/producer Joshua Homme enlisting a cast of players including:
Billy Gibbons (ZZ Top)
Stella Mozgawa (Warpaint)
Jake Shears (Scissor Sisters)
Mike Kerr (Royal Blood)
Carla Azar (Autolux, Jack White)
Les Claypool (Primus)
Matt Sweeney (Chavez, Superwolf, Endless Boogie)
Matt Berry (What We Do in the Shadows, Toast of London)
Libby Grace
Töôrnst Hülpft
The results are eight new songs that embody the legacy of freedom from expectations and inhibitions that stretches back to 1997, when Homme led a first retreat to the Joshua Tree desert. What began as a casual writing and recording session amongst friends—isolated from daily distractions and comforts—has since become a possibly infinite body of work. Now spanning 12 volumes over the course of two decades (and a total of two documented live performances), The Desert Sessions has featured some of music’s most cherished icons—past players have included Polly Harvey, Mark Lanegan, Josh Freese, Dean Ween, among many others—deliberately removing themselves from their comfort zones and working together to create some of their most relaxed yet challenging work.
The tracklist for Desert Sessions 'Vols. 11 & 12' (a/k/a 'Arrivederci Despair' and 'Tightwads & Nitwits & Critics & Heels') is:
Move Together (lead vocal: Billy F. Gibbons)
Noses in Roses Forever (lead vocal: Joshua Homme)
Far East for the Trees
If You Run (lead vocal: Libby Grace)
Crucifire (lead vocal: Mike Kerr)
Chic Tweetz (vocals: Töôrnst Hülpft, Matt Berry)
Something You Can’t See (lead vocal: Jake Shears)
Easier Said Than Done (lead vocal: Joshua Homme)
PREORDER Desert Sessions - Vols. 11 and 12
Desert Sessions Online :
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