Released: 2024
Genre: Stoner rock
Sounds Like: Kal-El, Sasquatch, We Hunt Buffalo
Homeland: Texas
What makes Palm Reader elite and sit atop OHMs Peak?
Palm Reader impresses with its bold and crunchy fuzz, hitting all the right notes and offering a plethora of tremendous hooks
Vocalist Ryan Garney exudes a powerful yet relaxed vibe that complements the music perfectly
The production is spot on, showcasing HDQ's craftsmanship to create this stoner rock classic. It's a must-have on vinyl
The production is spot on, demonstrating HDQ's skill in crafting this stoner rock classic. It's essential to have it on vinyl
Make sure not to overlook their ongoing North America tour, as they are emerging as one of the top heavy bands to experience live
Track Listing: 1. Ancient Aliens 5:24
2. Death Perception 4:23
3. Head Honcho 9:07
4. Palm Reader 4:40
5. Time Waster 4:52
6. Tuesday Night Blues 5:34
7. Solar Rain 9:01
Dive deeper into Palm Reader with our Q&A with vocalist Ryan Garney of High Desert Queen.
OHMS Peak: Congratulations on the release of Palm Reader, it is a terrific follow-up to Secrets of the Black Moon. Upon first rotation, we instantly hear that signature High Desert Queen brand of stoner rock. You play with such raw emotion and every track hits with fuzzy grooves that stick with you. Take us through the making of this album and your psyche in putting such a heavy hitter together.
Ryan Garney: Thank you. We are very happy with how the record came out. We went into the studio after touring Europe for 6 weeks with the legendary Fatso Jetson. We were working on songs like 'Ancient Aliens,' 'Head Honcho' and 'Solar Rain' a lot live getting those down. We decided we wanted to record the album live, not to a click track and with as few overdubs as possible. We took 6 completed songs into the studio and had 3 other ideas we were going to finish. However, the first day in the studio while we were setting up and getting levels, we wrote 3 songs that ended up making the record and we never got around to tracking some of the songs we were planning to.
'Palm Reader,' 'Death Perception' and 'Tuesday Night Blues' were all created in a few hours and we decided to track those to continue to give the album a "raw" and "live" feel to it. Another huge factor in this album was these are the first songs we wrote as a full band with this lineup together. The first record was more or less Rusty (guitar) and myself sending ideas back and forth and having Phil track drums and a friend of mine track bass.
OHMS Peak: The vocal prowess of singer Ryan Garney is strong and distinct. How do you belt out such impressive notes while containing a chilled vibe?
Ryan Garney: This is a great question! Answering for myself will be difficult but I think it stems from the passion I have for the music. I am in no way an angry person and feel music is a great way to spread love and great vibes. Music is about emotion and I get very emotional about ideas I sing about. Sometimes those call for more aggressive notes even though I'm not an aggressive person. If art doesn't cause you to have an emotional response, it's not art. I'm the same way when I'm listening to other bands. I get very animated when I listen to music I enjoy. Luckily I really enjoy the music HDQ is creating too.
OHMS Peak: The music on this album is thick and hits with so many ear worms. What backgrounds do you have as musicians that bring out this high level of talent?
Ryan Garney: We all have different backgrounds. As far as myself, I've sung in several different bands in college but actually haven't had the chance to perform or jam with a band in over 15 years before HDQ. Life just kind of happened and I thought that part of my life was gone. I'm very glad it's not. Rusty has played in bands for decades. He's a big 80's metal guy and it shows in how he shreds, but we love that he's able to come up with some monster heavy riffs. Morgan is Rusty's daughter and has been raised with music. She may be the young one of our group but shes a music encyclopedia and more knowledgeable than the rest of us. She's been playing with School of Rock all through her life which has allowed her to be as skilled as she is. Phil has an extremely eclectic musical background. He's played in death metal bands, prog bands, doom bands, funk bands, country bands and everything in between. He does a lot of work in the studio as well. He's the one that gives us our groove.
OHMS Peak: ‘Death Perception’ could be one of the best stoner rock duets we have heard. How did this collaboration with Gaupa vocalist Emma Naslund form?
Ryan Garney: We love how this song came together. We met Emma and the rest of Gaupa when we played Fuzz Fest in Sweden. They are amazing people. We then got to hang out again when we both played DesertFest London. I got to talking to Emma and told her we were going to record when we got home and it would be great if she added vocals. She was excited to be a part. I had an idea to have her sing on a song we were taking into the studio. However, we wrote "Death Perception" in the studio and we immediately decided to send the song to Emma. She's too talented to make a "guest appearance" and she needed to be featured. It didn't take long for her to send back a vocal melody. She was just singing notes and not saying words. I however wrote words based on what it sounded like she was saying. Then we went back and forth to have the lyrics make sense as I already had the title and chorus written. I had so much fun working with Emma on that song. I hope we get to work together again in the future.
OHMS Peak: The OhmsPeak team is excited to see you play Desertfest New York in September. As a performer, how do you compare playing in collaborative festivals versus your own intimate venue? Which band are you most excited to see while you’re not playing at the 3 day gala?
Ryan Garney: We approach and perform every show the exact same way. It doens't matter if there's 20 people or 20,000 people. We all have the stroies of "I saw ____ in a room of 15 people and they brought it!" Those were some of the best moments as a fan and we keep that in mind.
We will only be there for the day we play so I hope I get to see our good friends Hippie Death Cult. Plus we will watch Dozer who we will be on tour with and will want to check out Acid King, True Widow, Spaceslug, Gozu, Truckfighters, and whoever else we can find time to see! There will be some tough choices!
OHMS Peak: High Desert Queen is a great name for a band, how did this come about and what does it represent?
Ryan Garney: I actually created the band name with my brother Shay. You might know him as the Evil Band Manager in several of our music videos. I was brainstorming ideas and actually combined a few names I like together. He and I go out to the High Desert all the time. It's a magical place. The "Queen" signifies Mother Earth and who would rule over the High Desert. I'm just in love with that part of the world. I'm amazed life exists in a place where it shouldn't
OHMS Peak: The album cover is very unique and colorful, we love the spaced-out neon sign theme. What was the inspiration for the artwork?
Ryan Garney: We took more inspiration from the desert. We wanted something that reminds us of a hotel or casino you randomly see in the middle of nowhere after driving for hours on end. Our artist PabloRR (72826) nailed it. We also loved the colors. We figured those aren't colors you usually see from bands in our genre.
OHMS Peak: High Desert Queen is stranded on an island with only a solar powered turn table and majestic powered solar blue tooth speakers. The band collectively can only choose one album. Which album do you ultimately agree to?
Ryan Garney: I don't think there is any way we could just do one record! We all come from such different musical backgrounds. It's even a struggle in the van picking music everyone will agree on! So I will say for purposes of answering the question, that we would take our new record "Palm Reader" because it's something we are very proud of and each of our styles and influences comes out on the record.
High Desert Queen are:
Ryan Garney – Vocals
Phil Hook – Drums
Morgan Miller – Bass
Rusty Miller – Guitar
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