Kyuss’ John Garcia on animal hospitals, returning to the road ahead of Friday’s Liberty Hall bash

John Garcia and band. // photo by Richard Sibbald

If we only counted the five albums John Garcia released with stoner rock band Kyuss from 1990-1995, he’d be an absolute legend in the heavy music world. Upon splitting, that band would spawn the likes of Mondo Generator and Queens of the Stone Age, both of whom have their own stellar discographies.

However, his work in the years since with Slo Burn, Unida, Hermano, and his own solo work means that Garcia has solidified his place in the genre for all time.

Now, John Garcia makes his return to the area for the first time for what is sure to be an amazing show, performing music from all of his musical projects when he takes the stage with his band at Liberty Hall in Lawrence on Friday, May 17. Given that it’s been such a long time, we hopped on the phone with John Garcia about his musical legacy.

The Pitch: When this show got announced in Lawrence, my Facebook feed blew up.

John Garcia: Wow. I can’t remember the last time I was in Lawrence, Kansas. I think it was it was Kyuss and the Dwarves way back in the ’90s sometime. [Editor’s note: October 25, 1991, with Paw, Slackjaw, and Cocknoose] That’s the only thing that kind of stuck out. I remember that because we left Blag, the singer from the Dwarves, in Lawrence. We thought he was riding with the Dwarves, and the Dwarves thought he was riding with us, and so he got left in Lawrence.

You’re bringing along a lot of really great support on this tour. How did you pick this lineup as your openers?

I’ve known Jared [James Nichols] for quite some time. I know his music. He’s a badass. There’s no doubt about it. But a lot had to do with my agent. He’s a music guru himself, so Eric Jarvis–he’s really the mastermind behind this. It’s almost like a traveling festival. We’re stoked to be a part of it.

This is something I do not do. Obviously, the last time I toured the States was in Vista Chino, well over a decade ago. Before that, I can’t remember when I did the States, so it’s something special, and the moons have to align just right in order for us to do something like this. Not only is my family involved, but Greg [Saenz]’s family, my drummer; Billy [Cordell]’s family, my bass player; Johnny B, my guitar player’s family, and everybody’s family has to be involved with, in this.

The unsung heroes are the wives. Leaving the wives, and from what we do–because we all have other careers that we love to do–and so to be able to do something like this, if only for two weeks, is something special. So I hope everybody you know, comes out and enjoys a little bit of a break from normality from their jobs and to come see just a good rock show. It’s as simple as that.

Speaking of your band, I imagine that this has to be a crack ensemble of folks to be able to perform music from throughout your career.

Yeah, and they show these songs an incredible amount of respect. They’re great musicians and great humans and they care about wanting to make “Gardenia” their own; “Supa Scoopa and Mighty Scoop,” their own; “Odyssey,” their own; and even Vista Chino their own. We play the songs as close as we can to the originals but I also let them spread their wings a little bit and and make it their own.

Again, they just show these songs an incredible amount of respect and it’s really cool. They want to be there. They want to be a part of this and they want to be involved so it’s special for everybody.

Even though you are playing songs from throughout your career and sure, people are hyped for things from Hermano and Unida and Kyuss, but you also have a rich solo career. How do you balance all of these different facets of your career into a set list that satisfies both the audience but also yourself?

We go through the songs that’ve always been crowd favorites historically. We want to bring that energy and we want to have a good time and we want the audience and the people to have a good time and if it brings you back to the early ’90s and the early 2000s, that’s our plight. It’s a celebration of my past.

And look, I’m very lucky to be doing this. I’m very fortunate, very lucky, very appreciative that I’m still able to do this at the big man upstairs. I’m not a holy roller, but listen, that the big man upstairs allows me to do something like this, it’s a big honor, and it’s a big deal for me to be gone from my wife, to be gone from my son, and it’s going to be tough.

This is not something I, again, do all the time. I’m not saying that I’m a pussy and I can’t do it, but I’m just saying, “Look, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that came in front of me from my agent and it just so happened that, again, the moons aligned just right, and he made it happen, and I’ve got a great team–my tour manager, my driver, the rest of the boys in the band, and the other acts as well, so we’re all in this together, and it’s going to be something special.”

You mentioned that you have other jobs. What are those other jobs?

I help run a very successful animal hospital in Palm Springs. I help my doctors run the practice along with my wife and my son who, every once in a while, will volunteer there and who one day, himself–at least right now–wants to become a veterinarian. So that’s what I do: I help run Palm Springs Animal Hospital, five days a week.

I’ve been a veterinary technician ever since I was 18 years old. Even in Kyuss, I would–in between tours and in between records–I would work at a veterinary clinic because I like helping people. I like helping people with their sick animals, and that’s what I do. That’s my normal 7:30 to 6:30 jam, and that’s what I do five days a week, and I like what I do. I love my doctors. They have an incredible amount of passion and empathy for people and animals who need help. In California, there’s a shortage of veterinarians and so we do our best.

That’s my day job. I’m proud of it and I’m very lucky to have two things I love to do. One: Run Palm Springs Animal Hospital, and two: to be able to go to rehearsal tonight with my guys and get ready to hop on the road.

John Garcia plays Liberty Hall on Friday, May 17, with Jared James Nichols, Telekinetic Yeti, Left Lane Cruiser, and Drifter. Details on that show here.