Claim: Josh Homme was the founder and lead singer of Queens of the Stone Age.

Queens of the Stone Age is an American rock band formed in 1996 in Palm Desert , California . The band 's line-up includes founder Josh Homme -LRB- lead vocals , guitar , piano -RRB- , alongside longtime members Troy Van Leeuwen -LRB- guitar , lap steel , keyboard , percussion , backing vocals -RRB- , Michael Shuman -LRB- bass guitar , keyboard , backing vocals -RRB- , Dean Fertita -LRB- keyboards , guitar , percussion , backing vocals -RRB- , and recent addition Jon Theodore -LRB- drums , percussion -RRB- .   Formed after the dissolution of Homme 's previous band , Kyuss , Queens of the Stone Age developed a style of riff-oriented , heavy rock music . Their sound has since evolved to incorporate a variety of different styles and influences , including working with ZZ Top member Billy Gibbons and steady contributor Mark Lanegan .