| Earthlings? | |
|---|---|
 Earthlings? live at Pappy and Harriets circa 2010. | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | Joshua Tree, California, USA |
| Genres | Stoner Rock, Desert Rock, Space Rock, Psychedelic Rock |
| Years active | 1994 - Present |
| Labels | Man's Ruin Records, Crippled Dick Hot Wax!, Last Hurrah |
| Associated acts | The Desert Sessions, Queens of the Stone Age, Mondo Generator, Orquesta del Desierto, Goatsnake, Scream, Wool, The Modifiers, Tex and The Horseheads, The Ringling Sisters, Honk If You're Horny, Eagles of Death Metal, House of Love, Shy Party |
| Website | Earthlings? Official Website |
Earthlings? are a psychedelic rock band based out of Joshua Tree, California. Beginning in 1994 as a collaboration with Pete Stahl (Goatsnake, Scream) and Rancho de La Luna owners Dave Catching and Fred Drake, this group initially formed as an eclectic project also featuring a host of different musicians joining with them in various roles with sounds also drifting into stoner rock, space rock and acid rock. Like many desert bands of the 90s they held ties with Frank Kozik's Man's Ruin Records though also worked frequently with German label Crippled Dick Hot Wax! The band has performed as a live act over the years, with the recent lineup being a quartet who has toured the USA and Europe and proven to become a legendary act among the desert scene, often playing at Pappy and Harriet's in Pioneertown, California.
History[]
Earthlings? got it's start with three different musicians in three different scenes all meeting together by fate. Fred Drake originally hailed from Texas, having previously performed in House of Love and Shy Party. Eventually he would move to California and then moved to Joshua Tree in 1992 in the wake of the LA riots. He would befriend a Memphis musician moved to Los Angeles in one Dave Catching and co-found Rancho de la Luna. Pete Stahl, formerly of DC punk legends Scream!, had moved from DC to California with his brother Franz and started the short-lived band Wool and a demo of theirs reached Rancho, to which he was invited to jam.
Eventually in 1994 the trio had formed this new group and began to compose psychedelic jams and occasionally play around the California area. The band' earliest known live performance dates back to 4 November 1995 at Edinburgh Castle Pub in San Fransisco (With The Mudkats)[1] Eventually a host of work in the studio would lead to the band releasing an eponymous debut album in 1998 on Crippled Dick Hot Wax!. The next year that same label would follow up with a 7" entitled Pleasure Seekers, with the band touring Europe in support.[2] The year 2000 would see the band sign with Man's Ruin Records, releasing their self-titled album in the states on 2 April 2000 and later the band's second album Human Beans that same year. The band would also contribute heavily to later volumes of The Desert Sessions.
The band would tour Europe in 2002, sharing the stage with the likes of Queens of the Stone Age and J.G. Thirlwell. The lineup would change in 2002 after the passing of Drake on 20 June that year, with new members in the lineup (Molly Mcguire, Adam Maples and Mathias Schneeberger) for live shows. The band would release an EP via Crippled Dick Hot Wax! around the same time entitled Disco Marching Kraft. After performing live that same year in December it would be two years before they'd perform again, in April 2004 at Pappy and Harriet's alongside Throwrag and Brant Bjork and the Bros.[3] The band would perform sporadically throughout 2004 and 2005 before releasing a new EP in Individual Sky Cruiser Theory in 2005.
After a time of dormancy due to Catching and Stahl's commitments to their respective bands Earthlings? would release a new EP in 2009 entitled Humalien and start playing shows again.[4] Their earliest known show back was at Pappy and Harriet's on 23 January 2010.[5] The band would keep performing live mostly in the California area over the next few years alongside the likes of Alain Johannes, GRW, Masters of Reality (In New Orleans)[6] and Farflung among others, not including appearances at Desert Daze.
Now signed to Last Hurrah the band would finally release a third album in 2016 entitled Mudda Fudda. In support of the new record, Earthlings? would make an appearance at Desert Daze and tour Europe.[7] The band remains active in the California stoner scene to this day.
Discography[]
Studio Albums[]
- Earthlings? (1998, Crippled Dick Hot Wax!, Man's Ruin Records)
- Human Beans (2000, Crippled Dick Hot Wax!, Man's Ruin Records)
- Mudda Fudda (2016, Last Hurrah)
Misc. Releases[]
- Volume 3: Set Coordinates For The White Dwarf!!! (As part of The Desert Sessions) (1998, Man's Ruin Records)
- Volumes 3 & 4 (As part of The Desert Sessions) (1998, Man's Ruin Records)
- Pleasure Seekers (EP) (1999, Crippled Dick Hot Wax!)
- Disco Marching Kraft (EP) (2002, Crippled Dick Hot Wax!)
- Individual Sky Cruiser Theory (EP) (2005, Empirical)
- Humalien (EP) (2009, Treasure Craft)
- ecaps (EP) (2014, Self-Released)
Members[]
Current Lineup[]
- Dave Catching - Guitar, Bass, Keyboards, Engineering (1994 - Present)
- Pete Stahl - Vocals, Loops, Guitar, Verbulator, Bass (1994 - Present)
- Adam Maples - Drums, Vocals, Guitar (2003 - Present)
- Edmund Monsef - Guitar, Bass, Keyboards, Engineering (2008 - Present)
Past Members[]
- Fred Drake - Keyboards, Guitar, Bass, Engineering (1994 - 2002; died 2002)
- Molly McGuire - Bass, Accordion, Backing Vocals (2002 - 2008)
- Mathias Schneeberger - Keyboards, Guitar, Bass (2002 - 2008)
Notable Collaborators[]
- Wendy Rae Fowler - Bass, Backing Vocals
- Gene Trautmann - Drums, Backing Vocals
- Josh Homme - Guitar, Bass, Backing Vocals
- Dave Grohl - Drums
- Clint Walsh - Guitar, Bass, Keyboards, Vocals
- Jonathan Hischke - Bass, Noises
- Victoria Williams - Bass, Theremin, Vocals
- Tony Mason - Guitar, Engineering