Stoner music, stoner metal and stoner rock are interchangeable terms describing a sub-genre of rock music. Stoner music often fuses slow-to-mid tempo, bassy guitar riffs, psychedelic jams, melodic, often slightly raspy vocals and stripped down 'raw' production to figuratively melt "a hundredweight of hot desert sand into metal". (NME about showcase stoner rockers Kyuss [2].) Stoner Metal and Sludge Metal are often used interchangeably, but some fans make distinctions: Sludge metal has more similarities with grindcore and hardcore punk. ... The 1960s decade refers to the years from 1960 to 1969, inclusive. ... Garage rock (performed by garage bands, not to be confused with UK Garage dance music) was a simple, raw form of rock and roll that emerged in the mid-1960s, largely in the United States. ... Acid rock is a form of psychedelic music and was the first form of it to achieve popular acclaim. ... The 1970s decade refers to the years from 1970 to 1979, inclusive. ... Heavy Metal is a genre of music that emerged as a defined musical style in the 1970s, having its roots in hard rock bands which between 1967 and 1974 took blues and rock to create a hybrid with a thick, heavy, guitar-and-drums-centered sound, characterised by the use... Psychedelic music draws its inspiration from the experience of mind-altering drugs such as cannabis, psilocybin, mescaline, ecstasy and especially LSD. Characteristic features of the style include modal melodies, lengthy instrumental solos, esoteric lyrics and trippy special effects such as reversed, distorted, delayed and/or phased sounds. ... The 1970s decade refers to the years from 1970 to 1979, inclusive. ... A musical instrument is a device constructed or modified with the purpose of making music. ... In music a singer or vocalist is a type of musician who sings, i. ... A guitar is a stringed musical instrument. ... Bass guitars typically have four strings instead of six as found on regular guitars. ... For other kinds of drums, see drum (disambiguation). ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Doom metal. ... Grunge music (sometimes also referred to as the Seattle Sound) is an independent-rooted music genre that became a commercially successful offshoot of hardcore punk, thrash metal, and alternative rock in the late 1980s and early 1990s. ... It has been suggested that sludge metal be merged into this article or section. ... The Palm Desert Scene is just one name to give them: the group of closely related bands and musicians around bands like Kyuss, Queens of the Stone Age and Masters of Reality. ... Rock and roll (also spelled Rock n Roll, especially in its first decade), also called rock, is a form of popular music, usually featuring vocals (often with vocal harmony), electric guitars and a strong back beat; other instruments, such as the saxophone, are common in some styles. ... In music, a riff is an ostinato figure: a repeated chord progression, pattern or melodic figure, often played by the rhythm section instruments, that forms the basis or accompaniment of a rock music or jazz composition. ... A jam session is a musical act where musicians gather and play (or jam) without extensive preparation or predefined arrangements. ... Heavy Metal is a genre of music that emerged as a defined musical style in the 1970s, having its roots in hard rock bands which between 1967 and 1974 took blues and rock to create a hybrid with a thick, heavy, guitar-and-drums-centered sound, characterised by the use... The New Musical Express (better known as the NME) is a music magazine in the UK which has been published weekly since March 1952. ...

The Stoners

The progenitors of stoner rock, just like stoner rockers today, often share the characteristic that they and their audiences are stoners (i.e. recreational users of marijuana). While it would be grossly inaccurate to describe all fans and performers of the styles and bands listed on this page as marijuana users, it is certainly accepted that the effects of marijuana and the often low or psychedelic riffs of stoner music complement each other — which eventually lead to the common usage of the term "stoner rock" to define the genre. Screenshot from the stoner film Half Baked. ... Species Cannabis indica Cannabis ruderalis Cannabis sativa Cannabis is a genus of flowering plant that includes one or more species. ...

Fans of stoner music are often associated with recreational use of marijuana.

There are synonyms to stoner rock, some of them in part created to separate the art itself from stoner-clichés, e.g. the term "desert rock", which is so called primarily because of Palm Desert stoner pioneers Kyuss. While desert rock is so closely related to stoner metal as to be synonymous, other related but not identical genres include sludge metal and doom metal. Image File history File linksMetadata Weeed1. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Weeed1. ... A cliché (from French origin) originally was a printing term for a semi-permanently assembled piece of type which could easily be inserted into the document being printed (see Block printing). ... Desert Rock is a term given to several bands that hail from the California desert. ... Palm Desert is a city located in Riverside County, California, in the Palm Springs area, approximately eleven miles east of Palm Springs. ... Kyuss (pronounce: KIGH-us; original name was Sons of Kyuss until the release of their first album) was an influential stoner rock band, originally from Palm Desert, California. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Doom metal. ... It has been suggested that sludge metal be merged into this article or section. ...

The kind of connection between stoner rock and the use of marijuana is not unique in music culture. Similar comparisons can be made between dance music and recreational drugs such as ecstacy. Various bands and artists who identify themselves as marijuana users, notably Pantera (who have included cannabis leaves on their t-shirts and other promotional items) do not qualify as "stoner music" as the style of their musical output is largely outwith the genre. Dance music is music composed, played, or both, specifically to accompany social dancing. ... ecstasy and religious ecstasy MDMA, most commonly known today by the street name ecstasy, is a synthetic entactogen of the phenethylamine family whose primary effect is to stimulate the brain to rapidly secrete large amounts of serotonin, causing a general sense of openness, empathy, energy, euphoria, and well-being. ... Pantera was a popular heavy metal band from Arlington, Texas that formed in 1981. ...

History

The origins

Like most subgenres of music, the origins of stoner rock are hard to trace and pinpoint. Nevertheless, stoner rock has its known progenitors and signature songs that helped shape the genre. The notoriously influencing metal idols of Black Sabbath — especially due to their song "Sweet Leaf" — were a significant force in the evolution of stoner music while various artists such as The Grateful Dead have also played a part in the evolution of the genre. THIS BAND IS F$#@!#@&^ AWESOME This article is about the British heavy metal band. ... Sweet Leaf is a 1971 song by Black Sabbath on their album Master of Reality. ... Jerry Garcia later in life The Grateful Dead was an American rock band, which was formed in 1965 in San Francisco from the remnants of another band, Mother McCrees Uptown Jug Champions. ...

Jimi Hendrix' psychedelic style of guitar play proved an invaluable influence to stoner music.

As noted above, Black Sabbath were one of the first bands to popularize this type of music, although they were not the first to produce it, nor can they be accurately described as a stoner band. Various 60's and 70's bands experimented with guitar sounds that inspired future generations, with Jimi Hendrix, Pink Floyd and Led Zeppelin firmly among them. Hendrix's "Band of Gypsys" pumped out riff-laden, jam session type tunes with obvious psychedelic overtones, while Led Zep's "Physical Graffiti" displayed a lighter side to the emerging genre. However, it wasn't until after the electropop of the 80's and eventually grunge of the early 90's had taken the stage that people noticed that a new style of music was being created... out in the desert, where different styles of rock would be melted into something new, that is nowadays known as stoner rock. AllMusic summarizes this fusion as follows: Image File history File links Hendrix_peace. ... Image File history File links Hendrix_peace. ... James Marshall Jimi Hendrix (November 27, 1942 – September 18, 1970) was an American musician, singer, songwriter, guitarist, and cultural icon. ... Pink Floyd (formed in 1965 in Cambridge, England) is an English rock band, noted for progressive compositions, philosophic lyrics, sonic experimentation, cover art, and elaborate live shows. ... Led Zeppelin was a British rock band that became one of the most popular and influential musical ensembles ever. ... Electropop (also called Technopop) is a subgenre of synth pop music which flourished during the early 1980s, although the first recordings were made in the late 1970s. ... Grunge music (sometimes also referred to as the Seattle Sound) is an independent-rooted music genre that became a commercially successful offshoot of hardcore punk, thrash metal, and alternative rock in the late 1980s and early 1990s. ... The All Music Guide (AMG) is a metadata database about music owned by All Media Guide. ...

"Stoner metal bands updated the long, mind-bending jams and ultra-heavy riffs of bands like Black Sabbath, Blue Cheer, Blue Öyster Cult, and Hawkwind by filtering their psychedelia-tinged metal and acid rock through the buzzing sound of early Sub Pop-style grunge." [3]

Blue Cheer was a San Francisco-based heavy metal group of the late 1960s. ... Blue Öyster Cult is a psychedelic/heavy metal band probably best known for two songs: their 1976 single (Dont Fear) The Reaper from the album Agents of Fortune (also featured in the cult movie Halloween, and in Stephen Kings novel The Stand), and their 1981 single Burnin for... Hawkwind is a British rock music group. ... Sub Pop logo Sub Pop is a record label in Seattle, Washington famous for first signing Nirvana, Soundgarden, and many other bands from the local scene. ...

The Palm Desert Scene

Main article: Palm Desert Scene

Kyuss were the harbingers of modern stoner rock.

If any one band has become synonomous with a particular style or genre, Kyuss and stoner music are probably it. After a couple of EP releases they came rumbling out of Palm Desert with 1992's Blues for the Red Sun and a generation of kids who just didn't click with the grunge sound of Seattle (whose mainstream popularity peaked during that time) instantly knew thay had found the answer. Kyuss were throughout their existence a rare thing in music - a band whose fans worshipped them, who received critical praise from all the right sources but never became over-exposed or pressured to conform - exactly what their fans wanted them to be. The Palm Desert Scene is just one name to give them: the group of closely related bands and musicians around bands like Kyuss, Queens of the Stone Age and Masters of Reality. ... Image File history File links Promo photo of Kyuss, Photographer Michael Anderson This is a copyrighted promotional photo with a known source. ... Image File history File links Promo photo of Kyuss, Photographer Michael Anderson This is a copyrighted promotional photo with a known source. ... Blues for the Red Sun is a 1992 (see 1992 in music) album by stoner metal band Kyuss. ... Grunge music (sometimes also referred to as the Seattle Sound) is a genre of alternative rock inspired by hardcore punk, heavy metal, and indie rock. ...

Since their break-up, the success of Queens of the Stone Age and various other bands in the Kyuss family tree combined with internet file-sharing has seen the Kyuss back catalogue become more widely listened to and their fanbase has inevitably swelled. Their sound has also been continued on by descendant bands Unida, Hermano and Fu Manchu. Former Kyuss vocalist John Garcia appeared with old partner Josh Homme at a QOTSA gig in 2005 where they performed three Kyuss songs together. While rumours of a reunion may well be wide of the mark, stoners everywhere rejoiced that the chance to see Kyuss in the flesh might not have disappeared forever. Queens of the Stone Age (QOTSA) is a rock music band from the Palm Desert, California area in the United States, formed in 1997. ... After the dissolution of Kyuss, and a short aventure in Slo Burn, John Garcia (vocals) comes back with Unida also featuring Arthur Seay (guitar), Dave Dinsmore (bass) and Mike Cancino (drums). ... Hermano consists of vocalist John Garcia (Kyuss, Unida), bassist David Angstrom (Supafuzz, Black Cat Bone), drummer Steve Earle (Afghan Whigs), and guitarists Mike Callahan (Disengaged) and Dandy Brown (Orquesta del Desierto). ... This article is about the fictional literature character. ... John Garcia (born May ?, 1972) was a former singer of Kyuss, which he helped form in 1990 with guitarist Josh Homme, the original name was Sons of Kyuss. ... Joshua (Josh) Homme (born May 17, 1973) is a United States musician from Palm Desert, California. ...

The New Era

Later bands such as Monster Magnet (pictured above) often play with stoner rock clichés: their debut was described as "the ultimate stoner goof".[1]

Debate abounds today about who qualifies as stoner music, and indeed if "stoner metal", "stoner rock" and "stoner music" are interchangeable or distinct. In a world confused by the myriad of genres, sub-genres, overlaps, collaborations and general eclecticism of the modern music scene, the question of attitude has become an important one in the minds of stoner music fans - which bands were jamming to Kyuss CD's in their garages and getting high after school 10 years ago? Commercial success has clearly visited QOTSA and Monster Magnet while Fireball Ministry are currently turning heads in stoner music circles. Image File history File links MonsterMagnetMonolithic. ... Image File history File links MonsterMagnetMonolithic. ... Monster Magnet: From left to right; Jim Baglino, Ed Mundell(back), Dave Wyndorf, Bob Pantella Monster Magnet is an American rock band founded by Dave Wyndorf (vocals and guitar), John McBain (guitar), Tom Diello (drums), and Tim Cronin (vocals and bass). ... Fireball Ministry Fireball Ministry is a rock / stoner metal band. ...

List of stoner rock bands

The bands mentioned so far represent a fraction of those who are significant acts in the genre. Others include, but are not limited to:

(note: This is a list of qualified bands, please check the talk page before making additions.)