Nick Oliveri

Early life

Nick Steven Oliveri was born in Los Angeles on October 21, 1971. His first instrument was a guitar but later moved to bass. His major influences were Kiss, Black Sabbath, Ramones, Rush and Van Halen.

Katzenjammer/Kyuss

He began his career in 1987 as a guitarist, when he formed Katzenjammer with fellow bandmates; John Garcia, Josh Homme, Chris Cockrell and Brant Bjork. In early 1989, Oliveri's departured the band, shortly after the band would change its name to Sons of Kyuss, after self-releasing the EP in 1990, the band re-recruited Oliveri on bass to replace Cockrell, and shortened their name to Kyuss.

Oliveri left the band following completion of Blues for the Red Sun and was replaced by Scott Reeder, who had been approached about joining Kyuss five to six months earlier during a West Coast tour with The Obsessed. Following his departure from Kyuss Oliveri joined The Dwarves as an on again off again bassist under the moniker Rex Everything.

Mondo Generator

Nick Oliveri (under the moniker Rex Everything) formed Mondo Generator in 1997 and with friends Josh Homme, Brant Bjork, Rob Oswald, Karl Doyle and others, recorded the debut album, Cocaine Rodeo. The albumwouldn't be released until 3 years later due to Oliveri and Homme being full-time members of Queens of the Stone Age. The album was released by cult-favorite Southern Lord Records in 2000. There was little support of the album by the way of live shows, and the band gained cult status among the most devoted Queens of the Stone Age fans.

As of April 2007, Mondo Generator was scheduled to appear on the 12th annual Ozzfest tour (otherwise known as the "FreeFest" tour), but officially dropped off the tour on July 26, 2007 after appearing at 4 Ozzfest dates. Oliveri stated, "We can't keep on touring for free! My band's not free, it's costing me."

Queens of the Stone Age

Oliveri was a core contributor to Queens of the Stone Age from 1998 to 2004, playing bass and providing backup and lead vocals on two of the band's biggest albums, Rated R and Songs for the Deaf, in addition to co-writing most of the album's songs with band mate Josh Homme. He first appeared on the band's self titled debut album in the form of a voicemail confirming his commitment to the band on the album's final song, "I Was a Teenage Hand Model".

Oliveri's lead singing can be heard on songs such as "Auto Pilot", "Tension Head" and "Quick and to the Pointless" from Rated R and "Another Love Song", "Gonna Leave You", "Six Shooter" and "You Think I Ain't Worth a Dollar but I Feel Like a Millionaire," from Songs for the Deaf.

In January 2004, following a string of dates touring in Australia, Oliveri was fired from the band, with reasoning at first being aggressive treatment of the band's fans, later being accusations of possible abuse to his girlfriend. Oliveri has said to have come to the conclusion himself that during a sound check at a show in Spain in 2003 he acted too aggressively to Josh Homme over his relationship with then-girlfriend Brody Dalle after getting too drunk on wine, raising tension between the two.

Post-Queens of the Stone Age

Since his firing from Queens of the Stone Age, Oliveri has recorded an acoustic LP entitled Demolition Day that was eventually released as a second disk in a limited edition of Mondo Generator's latest album, Dead Planet: SonicSlowMotionTrails. Although now concentrating on the Mondo Generator project, in September 2006 Oliveri stated "I feel that Queens is something I can contribute to and [Josh Homme] needs me to do it."

There was speculation that he would return in Queens of the Stone Age during their summer tour due to Josh Homme's dedication of "New Fang" to Nick for "new beginnings". However, this proved to be false. In March 2011, Oliveri stated: "The last time I saw them play was a benefit for Brian O'Connor in L.A., from the Eagles of Death Metal. I was down there and I mentioned to them, "Why don't I come up and do "Millionaire" or something, and sing it and not play bass?" [Josh] was like, "Nah, I don't think that's a good idea yet." It's kind of in his court for stuff like that. I don't think he wants to give anybody the wrong idea. I don't necessarily know if that would happen. And he's got a good band—he's taking the band in the direction he wants it to go."

In late November 2012 Oliveri contributed vocals on the track "If I Had a Tail" for his former band Queens of the Stone Age on their album …Like Clockwork. Upon hearing fellow former Queens member Dave Grohl would make a return to drums on the album, Oliveri inquired to Josh Homme if he could play bass: "I actually put in a request with Josh. I heard Dave was playing on the record, and I was like, 'Dude! I wanna play bass on it!' I'd be a fool not to ask. If Dave Grohl was playing drums, then I want in. He's an amazing drummer. I never had a better time in my life than when Dave was in the band." Homme instead opted for current bassist Michael Shuman.

In April 2014, Moistboyz opened for Queens of the Stone Age at a concert at the Keller Auditorium in Portland, Oregon. Oliveri then joined Queens of the Stone Age on stage for the first time in over a decade to sing "You Think I Ain't Worth a Dollar, But I Feel Like a Millionaire."

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Kyuss Lives!

In June 2010, former Kyuss members Oliveri and Bjork joined Garcia onstage to perform "Green Machine" and "Gardenia" during a headlining appearance by "Garcia Plays Kyuss" at Hellfest in Clisson, France and they also appeared onstage with Garcia in other concerts on the tour.

In November 2010, Oliveri joined Kyuss Lives! with fellow ex band members Garcia and Bjork. The band initially toured Europe, Australian and New Zealand markets in early 2011, and later toured North America. A new studio album was also being planned following the tour. Due to Oliveri's ongoing legal problems resulting from a July 2011 incident, he was unable to leave the US and Scott Reeder filled in for him on several international dates. After touring domestically in the US with Kyuss Lives! during 2011, Oliveri decided to leave the band in favor of returning to working on Mondo Generator.

However, in March 2012, it was revealed that Josh Homme, after persuading bassist Scott Reeder to support him, had filed a federal lawsuit against John Garcia and Brant Bjork alleging "trademark infringement and consumer fraud" over the use of the Kyuss name despite the fact Brant Bjork had originally created the name. Nick Oliveri left Kyuss later that month after it was revealed that Garcia and Bjork had tried to take control of the Kyuss trademark.

In December 2012, he announced his return to Kyuss Lives!, however all touring and promotions since have not featured Oliveri. In August 2013, singer John Garcia said that the band "is a three-piece band with [himself], Brant [Bjork, drummer] and Bruno [Fevery, guitarist]. It always will be." and described Oliveri as "an honorary band member".

Additional projects and contributions

In early 2008, Nick joined a West Coast offshoot of Moistboyz dubbed Dickie Moist OTC, on bass. In June 2008, Nick joined Los Angeles-based rock band, The Knives, on bass.

On August 7, 2008, Nick Oliveri appeared on stage with Turbonegro to sing "Back to Dungaree High" and "Nervous Breakdown," the first of which a song that Queens of the Stone Age covered on the Alpha Motherfuckers Turbonegro tribute album, and the latter being a Black Flag cover. The band's performance at the Øyafestivalen was a 10th Anniversary celebration of their critically hailed album, Apocalypse Dudes.

Nick Oliveri appears on Slash, Slash's first solo album. He sings the song "Chains and Shackles" (only on the Australian version of the album).

In 2010, Oliveri announced that he is now in a new as yet unnamed band with Euroboy and Happy-Tom of Turbonegro, as well as Tommy Akerholdt from Serena-Maneesh.

In July 2013 while on tour in Alaska, Oliveri met members of Men With Guns, Lowell George Granath and Cody Kniceley. They formed a band called The Situationalists and recorded two demo tracks days later. An LP was planned, but as of Fall 2015 has not materialized.

In late November 2013, Oliveri announced that he would be touring with, and playing bass for Moistboyz, the punk/rock project of Dean Ween, which also featured then Mondo Generator drummer Hoss Wright, Guy Heller, and Stephen Haas.

Oliveri also announced that he and Hoss were also providing the rhythm section for the recently reunited California thrash outfit Bl'ast!.

In late 2015 Oliveri joined Russian punk rock band Svetlanas as recording and touring bassist. Their new record was recorded at Josh Homme's Pink Duck studios in California.

In November 2016, Oliveri announced the release of a series of compilations titled N.O. Hits At All, to be issued on Heavy Psych Sounds Records. Oliveri commented "...Now for the first time, all these songs and bands I've recorded with over the past 25 years are together and available to you to trip out on. So get your head right, put this record on and play it loud!" N.O. Hits At All Vol.1 was issued on January 27, 2017. N.O. Hits At All Vol.2 was issued on July 7, 2017. N.O. Hits At All Vol.3 is planned for release October 20, 2017 and plans for a fourth volume have been set.

Legal issues and controversy

On July 10, 1999, Oliveri and Josh Homme were involved in an altercation with English rock band Terrorvision while Queens of the Stone Age were on tour in London. Oliveri was arrested as a result, but was released several hours later without being charged.

On January 19, 2001, Oliveri was arrested after a performance at Rock in Rio III in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil for performing nude on stage. Oliveri apologised for the incident and stated that he was not aware that it was a crime in Brazil.

On July 12, 2011, Oliveri was arrested for suspicion of felony domestic violence after a standoff with police SWAT team. He allowed his girlfriend to exit the house two hours into the standoff and two hours before the SWAT team made entry into the home and arrested Oliveri. Drugs and a loaded rifle were found in the home. In August 2012, Oliveri's lawyer reached a plea agreement with prosecutors in his case. Oliveri's lawyer, Freddy Sayegh, told TMZ, "Mr. Oliveri agreed to plead to one count of possession of cocaine and a dismissal of the remaining six felony counts." Oliveri's record in the case will be expunged as long as he completes a court ordered community service, anger management, and remains out of trouble for 3 years.