The band was originally formed in 1989 in Palm Desert, California under the name "Sons of Kyuss". They took the name from a monster in Dungeons and Dragons. Shortly after the release of their self-titled EP, the name was shortened to just Kyuss.
The quartet gained popularity around the desert due to their famous generator parties. These were parties fueled by gas generators in the canyons and isolated desert surrounding the small valley towns.
The group disbanded in 1997. They felt that they were in a decline and felt it best to call it quits before it escalated into something that could not be fixed. The line up had shifted dramatically between 1989 and 1997. Josh Homme, John Garcia, Brant Bjork, and Chris Cockrell were the original members. Chris was replaced by Nick Oliveri during high school. That line up recorded Wretch (released in 1991) and Blues for the Red Sun (released in 1992), after which Nick soon left. The eighteen year older, but very able Scott Reeder from The Obsessed was brought in. This line up recorded the famous self-titled album Kyuss (released in 1994; due to the album front cover often referred to as "Welcome to Sky Valley", a small town outside of Palm Desert — wrongly labelled by many). Brank Bjork left after this due to personal reasons. Alfredo Hernandez was brought in. The final line-up recorded ...And the Circus Leaves Town (released in 1995). The band toured and soon disbanded. With the compilation Muchas Gracias: The best of Kyuss, one final greatest hits CD was released in 2000.
All band members still influence the genre they helped to create. The most notable is Queens of the Stone Age. Josh Homme, Nick Oliveri, and Alfredo Hernandez started this up after Josh had experimented with his famous Desert Sessions.
John Garcia took a path geared more towards traditional rock. He opened with Slo Burn. It was a harder Kyuss, and still played in drop C. That project did not last for over a year, although one EP was released. Following Slo Burn came Unida. This band was steered toward rock n' roll and away from the stoner rock genre. John has most recently been involved with the band Hermano. Many consider this the greatest post-Kyuss project. In 2010 a Garcia Plays Kyuss gig at Roadburn Festival (Netherlands), to be followed by a proper European tour, was announced. The line-up of this band includes (former) members of Agua de Annique, Celestial Season, Kong and Arsenal.
Nick Oliveri also has created waves in the music world. Apart from playing for years in Queens of the Stone Age he has played on and off in The Dwarves. He is most known for his side project, which has become his full-time band, Mondo Generator.
Scott Reeder pursued a career of producing mainly (most notably Orange Goblin's Coup de Grace). In 2006, he released a solo album called Tunnelvision Brilliance. He also played in Unida for a little bit.
Brant Bjork has the most stable musical career of them all. He turned down playing with Queens of the Stone Age to pursue a journey with his surfing buddies, Fu Manchu. He left after making numerous records with them to focus on his already blossoming solo career, playing the guitar instead of drums. He has worked with many people since, releasing records with Ché, touring as Brant Bjork and the Bros, and occasionally playing drums as well. Brant Bjork also played on some Desert Sessions.
Los Angeles based drummer Gene Trautmann played for a brief period between Brant Bjork and Alfredo Hernandez.
Alfredo Hernandez has guest starred on too many CDs and bands to count including Yawning Man, Orquestra Del Desierto, Fatso Jetson, and many others. He also played in a local band located in Palm Desert and is the drummer of Brant Bjork and the Bros.
A big influence on the sound of Kyuss was Chris Goss (frontman of Masters of Reality), who produced Blues for the Red Sun, and everything that followed.
Although Queens of the Stone Age has been, and continues to be, a great deal more popular than Kyuss or any of its offshoots for many Kyuss is considered far superior than anything the disbanded members created afterward.
A lot of bands have been inspired by Kyuss, including Electric Wizard, Monster Magnet, Orange Goblin, Beaver, Dozer, Los Natas, Truckfighters, Acid King, Fu Manchu, Clutch, Pelican, Torche.
For 2011 touring line-up, see Kyuss Lives!.
Thumb
Kyuss Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I don't give two shits on how you feel
You're burned by my lighter
You've been burned by my lighter
And my lighter is held down by my thumb
You're living in thought so
You're living in thought so
You tried to turn me off
But you couldn't even turn me down
As I sat and I told you were living in hell
You're in desert ground
And now you've found
My foreman and you
And you'll since I got in this well...
You're living in thought so
You're in thought so
You're in thought so...
The song "Thumb" by Kyuss is a powerful and angst-ridden piece that talks about the singer's lack of interest in and disregard for another person's feelings. The lyrics show the singer's apathy towards how the other person feels, represented by the line, "I don't give two shits on how you feel." The singer also talks about how he has burned the other person using his lighter and how he holds the lighter down with his thumb. The repetition of the line, "You're living in thought so," suggests that the other person is only living in their thoughts and not doing anything about their situation.
The lyrics show the frustration and anger that the singer feels towards the other person, who he believes is stuck in a state of inertia, unable to change their situation. The line "You tried to turn me off, but you couldn't even turn me down" suggests that the other person has failed in their attempts to gain control over the singer's actions. Despite their efforts, the singer is still not interested in the other person's feelings.
The final lines of the song convey a sense of hopelessness and despair as the singer talks about the other person being trapped in the desert. They have found the singer's foreman, meaning that the singer has some sort of power over them. The repetition of the line, "You're living in thought so," suggests that the other person is still stuck in their thoughts and is unable to break free from their situation.
Line by Line Meaning
You don't seem to understand the deal
You are lacking comprehension about the situation at hand
I don't give two shits on how you feel
I am indifferent to your emotional state
You're burned by my lighter
You have been injured by the heat I generate
You've been burned by my lighter
You have experienced injury from my heating tool
And my lighter is held down by my thumb
I am controlling the lighter's flame with my hand
You're living in thought so
You are consumed by your own thoughts and not reality
You tried to turn me off
You attempted to silence me
But you couldn't even turn me down
Your efforts to silence me were unsuccessful
As I sat and I told you were living in hell
I explained to you that you are currently in a state of misery
You're in desert ground
You are currently in a desolate, arid location
And now you've found
You have stumbled upon
My foreman and you
My supervisor and yourself
And you'll since I got in this well...
You will feel it ever since I arrived in this area
You're in thought so
You are consumed by your own thoughts and not reality
You're in thought so...
You are consumed by your own thoughts and not reality
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: JOSH HOMME, BRANT BJORK
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Forest Speyer
That main riff is just disgustingly good.
Craig Keidel
Randomly popped into my head an hour out from the end of my shift, knew what I had to put on when I got home \m/
Flannigan79
I also failed English brah
Forest Speyer
@Flannigan79 noice
D Owens
Definitely. Very clever use of the pentatonic scale.
virtual1994
josh... effin'... homme...
the key is polka lessons in the desert...
stonethecrow80
The Doors vocal attitude, sung by a young Hetfield, through Sabbath's Hole In The Sky.
Kyuss are fucking great
Aqua Man
Basically Blue Cheer.
Flannigan79
@Aqua Man yezzir tad Dickie-ish
speed kingLTHL1882
that's just the opening riff and not even exactly the same.