Sweethead
Encyclopedia
Sweethead is an American alternative rock
group formed in 2008. The group's lineup consists of singer Serrina Sims, guitarist Troy Van Leeuwen
(of Queens of the Stone Age
, formerly of A Perfect Circle
, Enemy
and Failure
), bassist Eddie Nappi (formerly of Handsome
, Enemy and Mark Lanegan Band
) and drummer Norm Block (formerly of Plexi
and Mark Lanegan Band).
To date, Sweethead have released one studio album – Sweethead
(2009) and one extended play – The Great Disruptors
(2009).
) and Norm Block (formerly of Plexi
) in the Mark Lanegan Band
(Nappi was also part of his previous group Enemy
) while also writing material with singer Serrina Sims over the years, Queens of the Stone Age
guitarist Troy Van Leeuwen
formed Sweethead in 2008. The group's name was taken from the David Bowie
song "Sweet Head
" with Van Leeuwen stating that "I think band names are becoming sillier and sillier. That song just seemed to encapsulate what we thought of ourselves." The band, in 2009, toured as part of Snow Patrol
's Taking Back the Cities Tour
playing in Sweden
, Denmark
, Germany
, Austria
, Switzerland
and France
from May 18 through to June 2. Commenting on how the group came to tour with Snow Patrol:
They recorded their debut EP
, titled The Great Disruptors
, at Van Leeuwen's home studio and eventually released it on July 13, 2009. Van Leeuwen stated that the EP included the first songs recorded by the band with a cover
of The Kinks
' "Tired of Waiting for You
" added, describing it as "a single with four B-sides." In August, the group released the video to the title track from the EP before going on to play a show at the London
Barfly
followed by appearances at both the Reading and Leeds Festivals
. In late October and early November, the group supported Eagles of Death Metal
for a number of shows on their UK tour.
(of A Perfect Circle
and Ashes Divide
) among others. The album was also mastered by Alain Johannes
The group went on to tour as the main support for the German/UK leg of the Deserve the Future Tour
with Them Crooked Vultures
. In a November interview, Van Leeuwen hinted that should his commitments with Queens of the Stone Age clash with Sweethead, he would allow the group to continue with him switching to a writing and recording capacity until he could return:
Serrina Sims stated in an interview that the group may record a new album in the first part of the new year, before the US release of the debut album in March 2010, and when Queens of the Stone Age release a new album and tour, Sweethead will reconvene and continue.
On April 5, 2010, the group announced a string of dates in Europe, including the Rock im Park Festival, as well as the UK, including the Download Festival
. In June of the same year, they announced a handful of dates touring in the western US.
EPs
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
group formed in 2008. The group's lineup consists of singer Serrina Sims, guitarist Troy Van Leeuwen
Troy Van Leeuwen
Troy Dean Van Leeuwen is an American musician and producer. Van Leeuwen began playing music at young age and started playing guitar at age 13. Soon Van Leeuwen was playing in various local bands such as Jester, 60 Cycle and later Failure...
(of Queens of the Stone Age
Queens of the Stone Age
Queens of the Stone Age is an American rock band from Palm Desert, California, United States, formed in 1997. The band's line-up has always included founding member Josh Homme , with the current line-up including longtime members Troy Van Leeuwen and Joey Castillo , alongside Michael Shuman and...
, formerly of A Perfect Circle
A Perfect Circle
A Perfect Circle is an American rock supergroup formed in 1999 by guitarist Billy Howerdel and Tool vocalist Maynard James Keenan. The original incarnation of the band also included Paz Lenchantin on bass, Troy Van Leeuwen on guitar, and Tim Alexander on drums...
, Enemy
Enemy (band)
Enemy is an American band fronted by guitarist and vocalist Troy Van Leeuwen , with bassist Eddie Nappi and drummer Kelli Scott . Former Quicksand drummer Alan Cage was a founding member before being replaced by Scott...
and Failure
Failure (band)
Failure was an American rock band that was active from 1990 to 1997, during which they recorded and released three critically acclaimed albums...
), bassist Eddie Nappi (formerly of Handsome
Handsome (band)
Handsome was an American rock supergroup formed in 1996. The group's lineup was singer Jeremy Chatelain, guitarists Peter Mengede , Tom Capone , bassist Eddie Nappi, and drummer Pete Hines . Capone would leave the group in 1997, replaced by Donni Campion...
, Enemy and Mark Lanegan Band
Mark Lanegan
Mark Lanegan is an American rock musician and songwriter. Lanegan began his music career in the 1980s, forming the grunge group Screaming Trees with Gary Lee Conner, Van Conner and Mark Pickerel. During his time in the band Lanegan would start a low-key solo career...
) and drummer Norm Block (formerly of Plexi
Plexi
Plexi was a gothic noise rock band consisting of Michael Angelos , Michael Barragan , and Norm Block . No other members were ever in the band, though they occasionally utilized a Moog player during live performances. Their original name was Godseed...
and Mark Lanegan Band).
To date, Sweethead have released one studio album – Sweethead
Sweethead (album)
-Personnel:Sweethead*Serrina Sims – vocals*Troy Van Leeuwen – guitar, backing vocals, keyboards, bass*Eddie Nappi – bass*Norm Block – drumsProduction personnel*Troy Van Leeuwen – production, mixing, engineering*Norm Block – engineering...
(2009) and one extended play – The Great Disruptors
The Great Disruptors
-Personnel:Sweethead*Serrina Sims – vocals*Troy Van Leeuwen – guitar, backing vocals, keyboards, bass*Eddie Nappi – bass*Norm Block – drumsProduction personnel*Troy Van Leeuwen – production, mixing, engineering...
(2009).
Formation and The Great Disruptors (2008–2009)
Having played with Eddie Nappi (formerly of HandsomeHandsome (band)
Handsome was an American rock supergroup formed in 1996. The group's lineup was singer Jeremy Chatelain, guitarists Peter Mengede , Tom Capone , bassist Eddie Nappi, and drummer Pete Hines . Capone would leave the group in 1997, replaced by Donni Campion...
) and Norm Block (formerly of Plexi
Plexi
Plexi was a gothic noise rock band consisting of Michael Angelos , Michael Barragan , and Norm Block . No other members were ever in the band, though they occasionally utilized a Moog player during live performances. Their original name was Godseed...
) in the Mark Lanegan Band
Mark Lanegan
Mark Lanegan is an American rock musician and songwriter. Lanegan began his music career in the 1980s, forming the grunge group Screaming Trees with Gary Lee Conner, Van Conner and Mark Pickerel. During his time in the band Lanegan would start a low-key solo career...
(Nappi was also part of his previous group Enemy
Enemy (band)
Enemy is an American band fronted by guitarist and vocalist Troy Van Leeuwen , with bassist Eddie Nappi and drummer Kelli Scott . Former Quicksand drummer Alan Cage was a founding member before being replaced by Scott...
) while also writing material with singer Serrina Sims over the years, Queens of the Stone Age
Queens of the Stone Age
Queens of the Stone Age is an American rock band from Palm Desert, California, United States, formed in 1997. The band's line-up has always included founding member Josh Homme , with the current line-up including longtime members Troy Van Leeuwen and Joey Castillo , alongside Michael Shuman and...
guitarist Troy Van Leeuwen
Troy Van Leeuwen
Troy Dean Van Leeuwen is an American musician and producer. Van Leeuwen began playing music at young age and started playing guitar at age 13. Soon Van Leeuwen was playing in various local bands such as Jester, 60 Cycle and later Failure...
formed Sweethead in 2008. The group's name was taken from the David Bowie
David Bowie
David Bowie is an English musician, actor, record producer and arranger. A major figure for over four decades in the world of popular music, Bowie is widely regarded as an innovator, particularly for his work in the 1970s...
song "Sweet Head
Sweet Head
"Sweet Head" is a song written by David Bowie and recorded in 1972. It took a while before it was released, and it first appeared on the Rykodisc CD release of Ziggy Stardust in 1990. It also appeared on the 30th Anniversary Reissue bonus disc of Ziggy Stardust in 2002...
" with Van Leeuwen stating that "I think band names are becoming sillier and sillier. That song just seemed to encapsulate what we thought of ourselves." The band, in 2009, toured as part of Snow Patrol
Snow Patrol
Snow Patrol are an alternative rock band from Bangor, County Down, Northern Ireland. Formed at the University of Dundee in 1994 as an indie rock band, the band is now based in Glasgow...
's Taking Back the Cities Tour
Taking Back the Cities Tour
The Taking Back the Cities Tour was a concert tour by Northern Irish alternative rock band Snow Patrol. It was launched in support of the group's 2008 album A Hundred Million Suns. The band visited numerous arenas internationally from 2008 throughout 2009. The tour was the collective name of many...
playing in Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
, Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
and France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
from May 18 through to June 2. Commenting on how the group came to tour with Snow Patrol:
They recorded their debut EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
, titled The Great Disruptors
The Great Disruptors
-Personnel:Sweethead*Serrina Sims – vocals*Troy Van Leeuwen – guitar, backing vocals, keyboards, bass*Eddie Nappi – bass*Norm Block – drumsProduction personnel*Troy Van Leeuwen – production, mixing, engineering...
, at Van Leeuwen's home studio and eventually released it on July 13, 2009. Van Leeuwen stated that the EP included the first songs recorded by the band with a cover
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
of The Kinks
The Kinks
The Kinks were an English rock band formed in Muswell Hill, North London, by brothers Ray and Dave Davies in 1964. Categorised in the United States as a British Invasion band, The Kinks are recognised as one of the most important and influential rock acts of the era. Their music was influenced by a...
' "Tired of Waiting for You
Tired of Waiting for You
"Tired of Waiting for You" was a hit 1965 rock song by the English band The Kinks. It reached #1 on the UK Singles Chart and #6 in the USA. It was recorded late August 1964 at Pye Studios , London, with additional guitar overdub at IBC Studios, London on 29 December 1964. "Come On Now" was recorded...
" added, describing it as "a single with four B-sides." In August, the group released the video to the title track from the EP before going on to play a show at the London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
Barfly
Barfly (club)
Barfly is a chain of live music venues nightclubs in the UK operating as part of the MAMA Group. It has venues in Brighton, London & York. They regularly feature live music. Their club nights tend to feature rock, alternative and independent music...
followed by appearances at both the Reading and Leeds Festivals
Reading and Leeds Festivals
The Reading and Leeds Festivals are a pair of annual music festivals that take place in Reading and Leeds in England. The events take place simultaneously on the Friday, Saturday and Sunday of the August bank holiday weekend, sharing the same bill. The Reading Festival is held at Little John's Farm...
. In late October and early November, the group supported Eagles of Death Metal
Eagles of Death Metal
Eagles of Death Metal is an American rock band from Palm Desert, California, formed in 1998 by Jesse Hughes and Josh Homme. Despite their band name, Eagles of Death Metal are not a death metal band. Hughes stated that a friend was introducing Josh Homme to the death metal genre...
for a number of shows on their UK tour.
Self-titled debut album (2009–present)
With new material recorded, the group released Sweethead on November 2, 2009. The album was produced by Van Leeuwen with recording and engineering by Van Leeuwen, Block and Billy HowerdelBilly Howerdel
Billy Howerdel is the founding member, guitarist, songwriter, and producer for the bands A Perfect Circle and Ashes Divide. He has recorded three acclaimed studio albums with the former, and in 2008, Ashes Divide released their debut album, Keep Telling Myself It's Alright.-Early life:Howerdel was...
(of A Perfect Circle
A Perfect Circle
A Perfect Circle is an American rock supergroup formed in 1999 by guitarist Billy Howerdel and Tool vocalist Maynard James Keenan. The original incarnation of the band also included Paz Lenchantin on bass, Troy Van Leeuwen on guitar, and Tim Alexander on drums...
and Ashes Divide
Ashes Divide
Ashes Divide is an American rock band formed by guitarist Billy Howerdel, who had also formed A Perfect Circle. Howerdel is the primary songwriter, musician, producer, and vocalist for the band....
) among others. The album was also mastered by Alain Johannes
Alain Johannes
Alain Johannes Moschulski is a guitarist and, along with his late partner Natasha Shneider and drummer Jack Irons, a founding member of the band Eleven...
The group went on to tour as the main support for the German/UK leg of the Deserve the Future Tour
Deserve the Future Tour
The Deserve the Future Tour was a worldwide concert tour by American rock supergroup Them Crooked Vultures. The tour began on August 9, 2009, and ran until July 30, 2010, after a run of shows in Japan, and visited North America, Europe and Oceania...
with Them Crooked Vultures
Them Crooked Vultures
Them Crooked Vultures is a rock supergroup formed in Los Angeles in 2009 by John Paul Jones , Dave Grohl , and Josh Homme . The group also includes guitarist Alain Johannes during live performances...
. In a November interview, Van Leeuwen hinted that should his commitments with Queens of the Stone Age clash with Sweethead, he would allow the group to continue with him switching to a writing and recording capacity until he could return:
Serrina Sims stated in an interview that the group may record a new album in the first part of the new year, before the US release of the debut album in March 2010, and when Queens of the Stone Age release a new album and tour, Sweethead will reconvene and continue.
On April 5, 2010, the group announced a string of dates in Europe, including the Rock im Park Festival, as well as the UK, including the Download Festival
Download Festival
The Download Festival is a three day rock music festival held annually at Donington Park, England . It usually takes place in June...
. In June of the same year, they announced a handful of dates touring in the western US.
Members
- Serrina Sims - vocals
- Troy Van LeeuwenTroy Van LeeuwenTroy Dean Van Leeuwen is an American musician and producer. Van Leeuwen began playing music at young age and started playing guitar at age 13. Soon Van Leeuwen was playing in various local bands such as Jester, 60 Cycle and later Failure...
- guitar, backing vocals - Eddie Nappi - bass
- Norm Block - drums, percussion
Discography
Studio albums- SweetheadSweethead (album)-Personnel:Sweethead*Serrina Sims – vocals*Troy Van Leeuwen – guitar, backing vocals, keyboards, bass*Eddie Nappi – bass*Norm Block – drumsProduction personnel*Troy Van Leeuwen – production, mixing, engineering*Norm Block – engineering...
(2009)
EPs
- The Great DisruptorsThe Great Disruptors-Personnel:Sweethead*Serrina Sims – vocals*Troy Van Leeuwen – guitar, backing vocals, keyboards, bass*Eddie Nappi – bass*Norm Block – drumsProduction personnel*Troy Van Leeuwen – production, mixing, engineering...
(2009)