Superfriends Unite!

The term 'supergroup' is getting tossed around as easily as a five-year old in a mosh pit. Supergroup used to mean something. Cream...that's a supergroup. Asia, not as much, but still had some power back in the day. Try to resist "Heat of the Moment" all these years later. I dare you. Then there's the Pearl Jam / Soundgarden collabo Temple of the Dog. That is a supergroup for this generation if there ever was one.

The problem with supergroups is that the cumulative talent rarely fails to deliver the expected goods. Whether it's a case overthinking or disparate elements that look good on paper never achieving cohesiveness in the studio or on stage, supergroups are rarely anything more than a one-off side project fueled by a desire to branch out (read: be spontaneously creative and infuse life into a dying career) that results in bland and predictable output. See Audioslave as an example of all the above.

This year has seen a couple of supergroups that failed to deliver the goods.

Chickenfoot (Sammy Hagar, former Van Halen bassist Michael Anthony, Red Hot Chili Pepper time-keeper Chad Smith, and some guitar player named Joe Satriani). The sum is not greater than the parts. I loved all these guys in their former incarnations at one time or another. Sammy...I got nothin' but love for you buddy, but it's time to stick to Tequila makin'. The cha-ching of cash registers has got to better than the thud you hear when the window of opportunity - and for Sammy it was a BIG window - closes.

Tinted Windows - All growed up Taylor Hansen (no more MmmBop for him), Fountains of Wayne leader (and all around pop song God) Adam Schlesinger, former Smashing Pumpkins guitarist James Iha, and Cheap Trick drummer Bun. E. Carlos. I expected great things from this band, but aside from a song or two, the shimmery summer pop vibes I'd hoped for were lost amidst sub-par songs. Too much cheese is never a good thing, even when we're talking about straight-up pop music.

So here we are. Another supergroup is upon us. This one is called Them Crooked Vultures. I want to get excited. I really do.

Dave Grohl - some think he's become douchey - I say he's one of the best rock drummers of our time. Sure, the Foo Fighters' records are becoming boring, but the dude still has a little of "it" in him I think.

Josh Homme - some think he's always been douchey - I say he brings a killer aesthetic and some pretty kick-ass riffage to the table. Not to mention the fact both these guys can sing.

I was blessed to see the one-time-only Queens of the Stone Age with Dave Grohl tour supporting Songs For the Deaf. I stood but ten feet away from the side of the stage and witnessed Grohl's thunderous drumming and Homme's 'cool as fuck' axe slinging from the best seat in the house. Chemistry. You can't fake it. It has to happen. And with these two, it happens in abundance.

And certainly not the least of the These Crooked Vultures triangle is Led Zeppelin bassist/keyboardist, John Paul Jones. If anyone says he's douchey, I will not just kick their ass, but I will cover it with gas and set the thing on fire. 'Nuff said.

Jonesy, Grohl and Josh...hmmm. Potential, yes. Optimism flowing through my veins, not quite. I've been burned by the 'Supergroup' before and I'm more than guarded about this one. I want it to be amazing. The pieces are in place. Time will tell if These Crooked Vultures will break the mold and restore a little dignity to the term, well...you know the term by now.