Rancho De La Luna is a recording studio in Joshua Tree, California that was founded in 1993 by Fred Drake and David Catching. After Drake's death in 2002, the studio was operated by David Catching and Drake's collaborators Tony Mason, Ted Quinn, Dean Chamberlain, Billy Bizeau and Fred Burke until 2004. [1] It has since doubled as Catching's home, where he serves as engineer, producer, joins as guest musician and cooks for bands.
The studio is cited as everything in it being "weird and wonderful but functional", [2] filled with vintage and new idiosyncratic recording gear and a raw desert vibe curated by studio founders Fred Drake and David Catching . [3]
It is most well known for being the home of the Desert Sessions. (including sessions with Josh Homme, Alain Johannes, Natasha Shneider, Dean Ween, Twiggy Ramirez, Joey Castillo, Pete Stahl, Mario Lalli, Troy van Leeuwen, Nick Oliveri, Brant Bjork, Chris Goss, Ben Shepherd, Alfredo Hernandez, David Catching, Brian O'Connor, Jesse Hughes) [4] [5] [6] [7]
According to Catching: "There is something about this studio. Everyone that's been here and recorded here, including me, feels it, so there is something to it. Maybe it's just all the love that's accumulated here from over the years. People do freak out about the drum room: many say it's the best drum sound they have ever gotten—even the engineers." [8]
Catching has talked about the special nature of the studio in multiple sources. [9] [10] and due to the pastoral and unique location it is a favorite spot for tech gear spotlights. Many artists have talked about the relaxed and easy nature of the studio, citing the lack of distraction and easy availability of uncommon and interesting instruments as welcoming and unique. [11] [12]
Alain Johannes explains: "Everything is the opposite of a, quote-unquote, professional studio: 'What is this – are you sure it's a mic? It looks like a grenade…' You plug it in… find out if it goes off." [13]
In 2016, David Catching and Bingo Richey released a signature brand of Mezcal named after the studio. Built, in part, off of the "consumption" of liquor at the studio for sessions. [15] [16] [17]
The studio was also the focus of the fifth episode of the Foo Fighters Sonic Highways series [18]
Anthony Bourdain filmed an episode of No Reservations at the Rancho De La Luna.
The studio is also featured heavily in the documentary American Valhalla, which chronicles the creation of the Post Pop Depression record by Iggy Pop and ensuing tour. [19] [20]
Kyuss was an American stoner rock band formed in Palm Desert, California, in 1987, and considered one of the pioneers of the genre. After disbanding in 1995, a number of band members have gone on to form or play in several notable bands including Queens of the Stone Age, Screaming Trees, Fu Manchu, Dwarves, Eagles of Death Metal, Mondo Generator, Hermano, Unida, Slo Burn and Them Crooked Vultures.
Joshua Michael Homme is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer. He is best known as the founder and only continuous member of the rock band Queens of the Stone Age, which he formed in 1996. Homme is the band's primary songwriter and mainly sings lead vocals and plays guitar. He also plays drums in the rock band Eagles of Death Metal, which he co-founded in 1998.
David Catching is an American musician from Memphis, Tennessee. He is a founding member of the California stoner rock bands earthlings? from 1993–present, and Queens of the Stone Age from 1996-2000, a former touring member of Eagles of Death Metal from 2003-2017 and the current operator of the Rancho De La Luna recording studio.
The Desert Sessions are a musical collective series, founded by Josh Homme in 1997. Artists such as Brant Bjork, PJ Harvey, Twiggy Ramirez, Dave Catching, Nick Oliveri, Mark Lanegan, John McBain, Ben Shepherd, Josh Freese, Chris Goss, Alain Johannes, Troy Van Leeuwen, Dean Ween, Les Claypool and many others from the Palm Desert Scene have contributed as songwriters and musicians.
The Palm Desert Scene is a group of related bands and musicians from Palm Desert, California. Their hard rock sound – sometimes described as desert rock – contains elements of heavy metal, psychedelia, blues, punk, alternative, grunge, and other genres. It often features distinctive repetitive drum beats, a propensity for free-form jamming, and "trance-like" or "sludgy" grooves. The involved musicians often play in multiple bands simultaneously, and there is a high rate of collaboration between bands. The Palm Desert Scene is also notable for fostering stoner rock pioneers Kyuss. The term "stoner rock" is sometimes used interchangeably with the term "desert rock". However, not all Palm Desert scene bands are "stoner rock" and not all stoner rock bands sound exactly like those in Palm Desert. Palm Desert has been named by Blender magazine as "one of the top seven rock n' roll cities in America".
Brant Bjork is an American musician, singer, songwriter and record producer. He is best known as the drummer and founder of the influential Californian stoner rock band Kyuss. Bjork has also been a member of Fu Manchu, Mondo Generator and Vista Chino, the latter with former Kyuss members John Garcia and Nick Oliveri. He is currently the frontman and co-founder of the stoner rock power trio, Stöner. Bjork is one of the more notable figures in the stoner rock and Palm Desert scene and maintains a prolific solo career with over a dozen released albums.
Cocaine Rodeo is the debut studio album by American rock band Mondo Generator, released through Southern Lord Records on 18 July 2000. It was compiled of material recorded by vocalist/bassist Nick Oliveri with drummer Rob Oswald, vocalist/guitarist Brent Malkus, and his ex-Kyuss bandmates Josh Homme, Brant Bjork and John Garcia. Recorded in 1997, the material was shelved for three years due to disinterest from the band to release it and Oliveri's full-time commitment to Queens of the Stone Age.
Godzilla's/Eatin' Dust is the fifth studio album by American stoner rock band Fu Manchu, released on February 19, 1999, on the now defunct Man's Ruin label. The album combines what were originally two limited 10" releases: "Godzilla" (1997) and "Eatin' Dust" (1999).
Jalamanta is the stoner rock and Palm Desert scene musician Brant Bjork's debut solo album after leaving Kyuss and joining Fu Manchu. Originally released on October 11, 1999, through Man's Ruin Records, Jalamanta was later re-released on Bjork's own label, Duna Records, in 2003, 2006 and 2009. In 2019, Bjork's current label, Heavy Psych Sounds, released a remixed and remastered version of the album with new artwork.
Local Angel is the fourth solo album by desert rock musician Brant Bjork. It is considered his most intimate and laid back record, mixing acoustic guitars and simple melodies.
Fred Drake (January 28, 1958 – June 20, 2002) was an American musician best known as a founding member of earthlings?. Drake is also renowned for having been co-owner of Rancho De La Luna, the setting for the collaborative musical project The Desert Sessions, in which he took part.
Volume 5: Poetry for the Masses (SeaShedShitheadByTheSheSore) is the fifth extended play (EP) by American desert rock collective The Desert Sessions. Recorded in March 1999 at Rancho De La Luna, it was released by Man's Ruin Records on July 21, 1999. The album features eleven credited musicians, including Josh Homme, Dave Catching and Gene Trautmann. It was later re-released with Volume 6: Black Anvil Ego as Volumes 5 & 6.
Volume 6: Black Anvil Ego is the sixth extended play (EP) by American desert rock collective The Desert Sessions. Recorded in March 1999 at Rancho De La Luna, it was released by Man's Ruin Records on August 16, 1999. The album features eleven credited musicians, including Josh Homme, Dave Catching and Gene Trautmann. It was later re-released with Volume 5: Poetry for the Masses (SeaShedShitheadByTheSheSore) as Volumes 5 & 6.
Volume 1: Instrumental Driving Music for Felons is the debut extended play (EP) by American desert rock collective The Desert Sessions. Recorded in August 1997 at Rancho De La Luna, it was released by Man's Ruin Records on November 18, 1997. The album features nine credited musicians, including Josh Homme, John McBain and Ben Shepherd. It was later re-released with Volume 2: Status: Ships Commander Butchered in 1998 as Volumes 1 & 2.
Volume 3: Set Co-ordinates for the White Dwarf!!! is the third extended play (EP) by American desert rock collective The Desert Sessions. Recorded in February 1995 and August and September 1997 at Rancho De La Luna, it was released by Man's Ruin Records on May 12, 1998. The album features eight credited musicians, including Josh Homme, Peter Stahl and Ben Shepherd. It was later re-released with Volume 4: Hard Walls and Little Trips as Volumes 3 & 4.
Volumes 1 & 2 is the first full-length album by The Desert Sessions. It features the ten tracks found on the original 10-inch EPs.
Volume 2: Status: Ships Commander Butchered is the second extended play (EP) by American desert rock collective The Desert Sessions. Recorded in August 1997 at Rancho De La Luna, it was released by Man's Ruin Records on February 10, 1998. The album features eight credited musicians, including Josh Homme, John McBain and Ben Shepherd. It was later re-released with Volume 1: Instrumental Driving Music for Felons in 1998 as Volumes 1 & 2.
Josh Homme is an American rock musician who has released 18 studio albums and collaborated with over 25 different artists. He started playing guitar in the 1980s and formed a band with Palm Desert, California schoolmates John Garcia and Brant Bjork, initially under the name Katzenjammer, then Sons of Kyuss, and later shortened to simply Kyuss. The band released an EP called Sons of Kyuss (1990) when Homme was 16 years old, before going on to record four critically acclaimed studio albums and a greatest hits release without breaking through to mainstream success. After the breakup of the band in 1995, Homme considered abandoning his music career, but was persuaded by vocalist Mark Lanegan to join the Screaming Trees on tour as second guitarist.
Post Pop Depression is the seventeenth studio album by American rock singer Iggy Pop, released by Caroline International / Loma Vista Recordings on March 18, 2016. Produced by Josh Homme of Queens of the Stone Age, the album was recorded in secrecy and features contributions from Queens of the Stone Age keyboardist and guitarist Dean Fertita, and Arctic Monkeys drummer Matt Helders.