Former Kyuss bassist Scott Reeder recently discussed turning down an early opportunity to join Queens of the Stone Age. In an interview with Guitar World, he explained that Josh Homme had reached out during the sessions that would become the band’s debut album, but Reeder declined out of loyalty to a former bandmate.
“Josh [Homme] was recording with Alfredo Hernandez [drummer who replaced Brant Bjork in Kyuss], for what I believe became the Queens record,” Reeder said. “He called and said, ‘Hey, Scotty, we’re recording. Do you want to come over and put some stuff down?’ I was like, ‘So, basically, you want to do Kyuss, but no John Garcia?’”
Reeder’s refusal stemmed from his loyalty to Kyuss vocalist John Garcia and his disappointment over the band’s breakup. “I said, ‘I’m good,’ because I was really loyal to John,” he continued. “I was bitter, I guess, that there was a breakup. Things were going great, then whatever happened between Josh and John destroyed the whole thing. So at the time, I didn’t want anything to do with Queens.”
His comments highlight the complex relationships that lingered after Kyuss’s mid-1990s dissolution, which sent its members in very different directions.
According to Monster Riff, Josh Homme formed Queens of the Stone Age shortly after Kyuss’s breakup around 1995–1996, emerging from the Palm Desert scene that Kyuss helped shape. Homme wanted to explore a new musical direction, which led to a more aggressive songwriting style and helped define QOTSA’s identity.
The relationship between Homme and Garcia has remained strained over the years. Monster Riff reported that they were embroiled in legal battles over the use of the Kyuss name during the Kyuss Lives! era, revealing long-standing tensions. Despite this, Homme has occasionally hinted at the possibility of a future reunion, suggesting there may still be room for reconciliation.
During Kyuss’s later years, Alfredo Hernández replaced Brant Bjork on drums and played a key role in the early development of Queens of the Stone Age. As noted on the band’s Wiki, Hernández collaborated with Homme on the debut album, helping shape QOTSA’s distinctive, layered sound — a clear evolution from Kyuss’s raw desert rock roots.
After Kyuss disbanded, Reeder followed a different musical path. Monster Riff noted that he worked with a range of bands across the hard rock and metal scenes, including Fireball Ministry, Tool, and The Obsessed — demonstrating his versatility and longevity. Unlike Garcia or Nick Oliveri, Reeder hasn’t been closely connected to Homme or QOTSA since. The Guitar World interview also touches on his contributions to a Spinal Tap tribute album and his reflections on the desert rock era that shaped his career.
