Vista Chino Detail Kyuss Lives! Lawsuit With Josh Homme

Fan hopes for a full on Kyuss reunion with Josh Homme were pretty much shattered when Homme sued the former members who were touring as Kyuss Lives! over the usage of the name. The Kyuss Lives! members eventually went on to take the moniker Vista Chino, and they recently opened up about some of the ugly details of the suit.

Drummer Brant Bjork stated in a lengthy interview with Antiquiet that he believes Homme wanted to create misinformation in the media. He also positioned the suit as a case of David vs. Goliath, saying, "I think part of [Josh Homme's] strategy from day one was to, you know, set things up so the media wouldn’t get things straight. That’s kind of been the cornerstone of Josh’s whole trip for years. And this lawsuit was just a super extreme extension of that kind of manipulation and falsity."

He added, "It’s a real drag and it really makes it stressful and painful and frustrating, because you know, he’s got a voice and he’s got a lot of money. When you’re dealing with someone who is aggressive and bitter and bullying you with that kind of power, it’s a difficult thing to manage."

Bjork said the Queens of the Stone Age frontman accused his former bandmates of doing things they never did and they say that it's he who infringed on the trademark, not them. "[Vocalist] John [Garcia] and I fought as hard as we could, and we educated ourselves, and I studied the law every day, but in the end we just couldn’t afford to move forward, there was just nothing we could do," he admitted.

Garcia diplomatically declared that things could have been settled via some old fashioned communication. "I think it could have been settled with one phone call, by Josh calling me and going, ‘Hey dude, change the name or I’m going to sue you,'" the singer said. "As simple as that. But it was, you know, I think it was a huge embarrassment, for Scott [Reeder] and Josh, and as well as Brant and I." Garcia furthered, "Brant and I don’t like parking tickets, let alone federal lawsuits slapped upon our … I mean, who does?"

Bjork revealed that he and Homme haven't been friends for years, admitting, "There’s been pockets of time where we’ve been amicable and we tried to deal with our differences and whatever. Over the years, I’ve reached out to try and just kind of smooth things out, and for whatever reason, he just has always continuously fallen into this like, disdain for me. I don’t know what it is. It’s no big deal to me really. I don’t really care. I don’t need him as a friend, and Scott, I could say the same."

Bjork revealed that this legal issue really soured him further, since it affected his livelihood on multiple levels, saying, "This lawsuit affected me and my family, man, you know? I can’t tolerate that on any level. Scott Reeder and Josh Homme are two people that I just don’t recognize, I don’t believe in them at all."

Garcia was again more diplomatic. While frustrated, he added, "I’m not the type of guy that holds a grudge. There’s a word I’ve used only once in the past, it’s the ‘pardoned’ word. And I pardoned them. I’m willing and eager to let that all go behind me and move on. It’s not that I’m eager to go and kick the ball around with them at the park or anything like that. I’m more concerned about, really, what type of fishing bait I’m going to be using when I get back to California and I take my kids fishing."

Vista Chino's 'Peace' is out now.