“For 20 years people have asked me what my dream band line-up is,” Dave Grohl said in a recent interview. “And now I can say I’m in it!”

Dave is refering to his latest project, Them Crooked Vultures. Formed in 2009 in LA California, the groups members include drummer Dave Grohl (Foo Fighters, Nirvana), vocalist and guitarist Josh Homme (Queens of the Stone Age), and legendary bassist and keyboardist John Paul Jones (Led Zeppelin). The band also features Alain Johannes (Queens of the Stone Age) as a live rhythm guitarist and back up vocalist when touring. Their self titled album was released on November 17, 2009 in the US.

The trio of Grohl, Homme, and Jones started working together sometime around or before 2005. That is when Grohl first made public remarks pertaining to the collaboration stating: “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.” The band entered the recording studio in July 2009 and threw down their 14 track album. The single Mind Eraser (No Chaser) was made available to fans that had bought tickets to a live performance and then was offered on iTunes as a free download. The band later made their entire album available to stream through their website themcrookedvultures.com on November 9th. Them Crooked Vultures just finished up their fist USA tour in November and have moved on to a December Europe tour.

Josh Homme confesses “it was the most difficult record I’ve ever made knowing I wanted it to be as good as possible” while Dave Grohl enthusiastically adding: “I consider the album to be the most exciting thing I’ve done in my entire life.” The music is unique and can be described (not surprisingly) as a mix of Zeppelin, Foo Fighters, and Queens of the Stone Age. I can only hope that Them Crooked Vultures will come back to the USA for another tour soon.

Listen to “New Fang” by Them Crooked Vultures below

As I have written about before, the act of drumming can be beneficial to both physical and mental health. An article was just written for the Denver Post about the research of Dr. Barry Bittman, a neurologist who studies the effects of making music on stress levels and mood. Dr. Bittman’s research shows that drumming can be an enjoyable form of exercise. As the Denver Post states, ” He found that people were having so much fun playing on a drum that they did not feel that they were exercising, even though they burned an average of 270 calories in a half-hour. By engaging mind and body, the entire activity was fun and exhilarating, not tedious.”

Dr. Bittman’s study shows that drumming can have some very specific health benefits. The article states:

Bittman’s research between 2001 and 2005 shows that drumming:

• Improves the aerobic and cardiovascular system.

• Strengthens the immune system.

• Improves mood and reduces burnout from workers under stress.

• Reverses the ravages of stress at the cellular level.

• Reduces anxiety, depression and feelings of loneliness.

It is amazing that the simple act of drumming can have so many health benefits. Wouldn’t it be neat if corporations started providing drum circles as a way for their employees to relax and reduce stress levels. I know I would enjoy my work day even more if I could play in a drum circle on my lunch break. Perhaps that is just wishful thinking, but regardless, I encourage everyone to pick up a drum and beat it, tap on your desk along to music or bang out a beat on some pots and pans. It’s good for you! Visit the Denver Post to read the article in its entirety.

Aerosmith drummer Joey Kramer will publish an autobiography on June 30th entitled “Hit Hard: A Story of Hitting Rock Bottom at the Top.” Kramer, one of the founding members of Aerosmith, describes his personal experiences battling depression while being part of one of the most popular rock bands in American history.

Below is a video of Kramer discussing the book along with some classic Aerosmith videos and pictures.

Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith, guitarist Joe Satriani and former Van Halen members Sammy Hagar and Michael Anthony have joined forces to form the supergroup Chickenfoot. They will have a self titled album coming out on June 7th that will only be available at Best Buy.

RollingStone.com interviewed Sammy Hagar about the new collaboration:

…each member’s rock roots play a role in the band’s music. “Kind of like who we are. Like kind of Zeppelin, Van Halen ­you know hard rock-y, Rush-y, kind of progressive a little bit. Hard rock. Hard sophisticated rock,” Hagar said, adding that “Joe Satriani, he’s the doctor man. He is the professor, this guy ­he’s awesome.”

When Hagar realized he didn’t like singing and playing guitar at the same time, he thought, “‘We need a great guitar player. Who’s the best guitar player out there?’ Joe Satriani. And Joe’s a buddy right here in San Francisco, so I called him and boom.”

As an attempt to make the album more tempting to purchase, the CD is reported to come with heat sensitive artwork with hidden pictures that can only be seen after warming the graphics with your hand. As a big fan of Chad Smith and Joe Satriani, I know that I am excited to hear how hard Chickenfoot can rock.

For more information, check out the full article at RollingStone.com

Playing the drums can be quite a workout, maybe even more than you think. BBC News reported about an ongoing study into the health benefits from drum playing. The drummer from Blondie, Clem Burke, has been participating in the study which was conducted jointly by the University of Gloucestershire and the University of Chichester. BBC News reports:

Burke was connected to equipment to measure his heart rate and oxygen uptake, and the levels of lactic acid in his blood. … A hour in concert could burn between 400 and 600 calories, he said.

He found that during a performance, his heart averaged between 140 and 150 beats a minute, peaking at 190, levels comparable to other top athletes….

…”It is clear that their fitness levels need to be outstanding – through monitoring Clem’s performance in controlled conditions, we have been able to map the extraordinary stamina required by professional drummers.”

For more information about the study, check out the Full Article