Queens of the Stone Age have been an iconic part of the musical landscape for a long while now and one of the reasons why they continue to be held in such high regard is their ability to transcend genre troupes and make music that is as interesting as it is sincere. The band is set to release a new live video entitled “Alive in the Catacombs” on June 7th and it is a perfect reminder of why they are held in such high regard. The video, set in the catacombs underneath Paris, shows the band at their most vulnerable. Completely stripped down of the bombast normally associated with the group, this live concert allows the band’s song to breathe and shows that buried underneath the distorted guitars and thunderous drums are compositions of the highest quality. Queen’s drummer Jon Theodore, the man also behind the amazing grooves of The Mars Volta, gets to show a softer side of his exemplary musicianship on “Alive in the Catacombs” forgoing his regular drum kit for found percussion items like chopsticks and chains. When contacted via zoom in his home state of Massachusetts, Theodore has just run back to his home from his practice shed in the middle of a blustering Nor’easter storm.

“So sorry for the wait,” Theodore apologizes, “There’s some pretty bad weather out there right now.” Dressed in a warm beanie and heavy jacket the thoughtful and composed drummer details the path the band took to create their new live concert video. “This was something that we as a band have talked about doing for a long while. We really thrive on taking these challenges head on and really want to do things that make us uncomfortable. Playing a big rock show is obviously amazing but to do something like this is a challenge that we don’t shy away from.” The steps to recording in the Paris catacombs wasn’t without any bureaucratic red tape. “It took a really long time to get permission to do this and with every step, the longer we had to wait the more we wanted to make this happen.” Beautifully shot and recorded, “Alive in the Catacombs” shows the band performing with a trio of string musicians which adds to the beautiful complexity of the songs. “We got lucky finding the players that we did for the video. It was these three women who are incredibly talented but willing to forget their training and go on the journey with us,” Theodore explains.

The band met with these musicians for a few days in Rome to figure out the new reimagined arrangements for their songs and then spent a full day recording the concert in the catacombs. Not only being crunched for time, the band wanted to keep some spontaneity in their performances so they only recorded at most a couple takes of each song. “Film sets are very slow going. So we didn’t have a ton of time to go thoroughly through a ton of takes for this,” explains Theodore on the filming process. “Plus watching Josh (Homme, lead singer and mastermind of the band) was really emotional. We had almost lost him,” Theodore says of the singer’s recent cancer diagnosis and surgery that he had to undertake. “To see Josh just absolutely crushing it, seeing my friend who had gone through so much was a really special part of this. It’s pretty emotional just thinking about it.” While Homme is now recovered, the band is set to launch a new tour in a few weeks and Theodore is excited about it. “It’s been a year and we are just getting ready to hit the road again and I’m so happy to get out there and play with the band and share these songs.”

Theodore also just launched his new signature snare drum via Ludwig drums. When mentioned this to him, the drummer’s eyes light right up. “Every day I wake up and think how wild it is that I have this, my own signature snare drum.” Watching him discuss the subtle complexities of creating a new instrument based on the type of sound he has always wanted is so endearing. “The best part about it is the classic blue and olive Ludwig badge with my name underneath it. Absolutely insane,” he says with an excited laugh.

Alive In The Catacombs Global Screening Dates

June 3rd
MK2 Quai de Loire, Paris, France
The Royal, Toronto, Canada
Kino Konepaja, Helsinki, Finland

June 4th
Prince Charles Cinema, London, UK
Brain Dead Studios, Los Angeles, US
Kino Central, Berlin, Germany
Sphinx Cinema and Cafe, Ghent, Belgium
Cineclub Cortina, Sao Paulo, Brasil
Cinema Barberino, Rome, Italy
Eye Filmmuseum, Amsterdam, Netherlands

June 5th
Cinema Nova, Melbourne, Australia
Cine Tonala, Mexico City, Mexico
MONA / Dark Mofo – Hobart State Cinema, Tasmania (HOBART), Australia
Double Whammy, Auckland, New Zealand
Empire Bio, Copenhagen, Denmark
Irish Film Institute, Dublin, Ireland
Sala X, Madrid, Spain
CGV Grand Indonesia West Mall, Jakarta, Indonesia
EMU Cinema Space, Seoul, South Korea
Cinema Oasis, Bangkok, Thailand

June 6th
Spot Cinema Taipei, Taipei, Taiwan

The band kick off their North American and European tour next month and you can catch the hauntingly beautiful “Alive in the Catacombs” starting June 7th exclusively for rent or purchase at qotsa.com