Death becomes him
Sydney Morning Herald
Friday October 9, 2009
Stoner legend Nick Oliveri unplugged is by no means mellow, discovers George Palathingal. You know him best as the shaven-headed, goateed wild man to Josh Homme's flame-haired, built-like-a-brick-outhouse calm centre in Queens of the Stone Age but it has been nearly six years since Nick Oliveri was fired from the group for his, well, unpredictable tendencies.Bridges have long since been built between the pair they liken their volatile relationship to that of brothers but both have been happily doing their own thing since parting professional ways.For a so-called wild man, Oliveri has been remarkably productive: not only does he still front his own hard-rock outfit, Mondo Generator, he plays bass for several bands (including the Knives and, under the pseudonym Rex Everything, hardcore punk legends the Dwarves).He has even just released an acoustic solo album although it is hardly your standard, mellow singer-songwriter fare.After listening back a bunch of times and laying down a death-metal-style vocal on a couple of tracks I decided to call it Death Acoustic, Oliveri says.It's not a folk acoustic or classical acoustic record; it's a death acoustic record.It's in this solo mode that you'll find Oliveri on his imminent tour of Australia, before he rejoins the Dwarves for a handful of dates.On Death Acoustic, armed only with an aggressively played six-string and his scratchy growl of a voice, he pays tribute to some of his punk-rock idols: there are covers of GG Allin's Outlaw Scumfuc, the Misfits' Hybrid Moments and Raw Power's Start a Fight, as well as of tracks Oliveri knows from being or having been a member of the bands in question (including Love Has Passed Me By from Kyuss, the infamous stoner rockers with which he played alongside Homme before Queens of the Stone Age).Relations with Homme have been good lately Oliveri's old friend lent him recording equipment for Death Acoustic and is warmly thanked in its liner notes. Which brings us to that question will they play together again?We needed a break from each other, that's all, he says. We will play music together again, I'm sure of it. Might not happen for five years but it might happen tomorrow.NICK OLIVERISaturday, 8pm, Hermann's Bar, University of Sydney, 1300 438 849, $33. Sunday, 4pm, Heritage Hotel, Bulli, 4284 5884, $15. Monday, 7.30pm, Mona Vale Hotel, 9999 4214, $15.THE DWARVESOctober 16, 8pm, The Gaelic, Surry Hills, 9211 1687, $45.
Β© 2009 Sydney Morning Herald