Mondo Generator stream a live version of their track »Dead Silence« from the upcoming live album »Live At Bronson«

»Dead Silence« is the first single taken from the Mondo Generator‘s upcoming new live album »Live At Bronson«, which will see the light on July 2nd, 2021 via Heavy Psych Sounds.

This was one of the last shows before the pandemic exploded. One incredible band from the West Coast recorded in a very good quality in the mighty Italian club on the East Coast, the Bronson! An incredible performance featuring Mondo Generator hits and a bunch of Queens Of The Stone Age and Kyuss songs!

Tracklist:
01. Nowhere Man
02. 13th Floor
03. F.Y.I.F.
04. Gonna Leave You
05. Turboner
06. Up Against The Void
07. Shawnette Jackson
08. Invisible Like The Sky
09. Green Machine
10. Kyuss Dies!
11. Allen’s Wrench
12. Fuck It
13. Dead Silence
14. It’s You I Don’t Believe
15. Listening To The Daze
16. Last Train
17. MillioLove Has Passed Me By

Mondo Generator can trace their roots back to 1997. The band was founded by Nick Oliveri in the Van Nuys neighbourhood of Los Angeles. At the time, Oliveri was a full time member of the band Queens Of The Stone Age. He produced the very first Mondo Generator album, »Cocaine Rodeo«, along with some of his friends, including Josh Homme (also a member of Queens Of The Stone Age), Rob Oswald, Brant Bjork and Karl Doyle, among others.

The ‘Mondo’ in the band’s name is the Italian word for ‘world’. Back in the early 90s, Brant Bjork spray painted the phrase ‘Mondo Generator’ onto Oliveri’s amplifier. Oliveri liked the phrase and ended up writing a song named after it, which appeared on the 1992 »Blues For The Red Sun« album by Kyuss, which Oliveri was a member of at the time. When it came to forming his own side project, he decided to use the name ‘Mondo Generator’ and it stuck.

Due to Oliveri working with Queens Of The Stone Age, »Cocaine Rodeo« didn’t get a proper release until 2000. It was distributed by the heavy metal label Southern Lord Records, though its release was supported with very few live performances. As such, most of the people who purchased the first Mondo Generator album were Queens Of The Stone Age fans.

For the band’s second album, »A Drug Problem That Never Existed«, much more promotion was done. The album came out in 2003 and was jointly released on two labels: Ipecac Recordings and Rekords Rekords, which was formed by Josh Homme. For this release, the band embarked on a three month tour visiting numerous places throughout North America and Europe.

Oliveri was fired from Queens Of The Stone Age in early 2004 and decided to focus entirely on Mondo Generator. Later that year, the album »Demolition Day« was released and toured, with a four track EP, »III the EP«, also being produced and released that year.

Fast forward to 2006 and the band’s name officially changed to Nick Oliveri and the Mondo Generator. Oliveri, along with two new members, signed up to the label Mother Tongue Records, and released the album »Dead Planet«. In 2007, the band accepted a slot on the Ozzfest 2007 tour, though they ended not committing to all of the dates they were booked for because of complications with Queens Of The Stone Age not joining the tour.

Then in 2012, the album »Hell Comes To Your Heart« was released and promoted with a tour. Two years later, Oliveri released a solo album, »Leave Me Alone«, under the name Nick Oliveri’s Uncontrol lable. He went on to promote the album at various gigs and once that was done, Mondo Generator continued doing various tours and gigs. It wasn’t until 2020 that new Mondo Generator music was released. In the build up to the new music, the band still did tours. Nowadays, the riding high off the back of their two new albums. Though nothing’s been confirmed as of yet, it’s very likely that more Mondo Generator music is being worked on right now.

Over the years, Mondo Generator has had quite a few line up changes. In fact, there are just over twenty former members. Of these, one was a bassist, nine were guitarists, and no fewer than eleven were drummers. The only member who’s been around since day one is Nick Oliveri, the band’s founder. He’s currently the lead vocalist and bass player, though for a brief period from 2003 to 2004 he was the band’s guitarist. The other two current members are guitarist Mike Pygmie, who’s been a member since 2012; and drummer Mike Amster, who joined in 2018.

Some very high profile musicians have played for Mondo Generator at some point or other. For example, there’s drummer Dave Grohl, who was with the band from 2003 to 2004. He’s best known for being Nirvana’s longest serving drummer and for founding Foo Fighters, a hugely successful act with nine albums to their name. There’s also Josh Homme, who cofounded Eagles Of Death Metal in 1998 and, two years earlier, founded Queens Of The Stone Age.

Many of the other instrumentalists who have been part of the band at some stage have played with other bands producing similar sorts of music, such as Marc Diamond (Dwarves, Motochrist), Dave Catching (Eagles Of Death Metal, Earthlings?), Troy Van Leeuwen (QOTSA, Gone Is Gone, ex-A Perfect Circle), Alfredo Hernández (ex-Kyuss, ex-QOTSA, ex-Yawning Man), Joey Castillo (ex-Danzig, ex-QOTSA, ex-Eagles Of Death Metal), Brant Bjork (Vista Chino, ex-Kyuss, ex-Fu Manchu), Rob Oswald (ex-Year Long Disaster, ex-Karma To Burn, ex-Nebula), Molly McGuire (The Spores) and more.

Mondo Generator is:
Nick Oliveri – Bass, Vocals
Mike Amster – Drums
Mike Pygmie – Guitar

Bojan Bidovc // music enthusiast, promoter, misanthrop and sometimes a journalist as well