Joey Castillo was born March 30, 1966, in Gardena, CA. He is best known as the powerhouse drummer currently playing in Queens of the Stone Age. Castillo joined the band in 2002 after the departure of Dave Grohl who played and toured with Queens while his Foo Fighter’s album at the time was on hiatus.
A native of southern California, Castillo began playing drums at age fifteen, influenced by everyone from Al Green to Zeppelin to Black Flag. Prior to Queens of the Stoneage, Joey completed an eight-year tenure with Danzig, preceded by gigs with Wasted Youth, Sugartooth, and the Mark Lanegan Band.
Although Songs for the Deaf gained major attention, Grohl returned to his other projects and was replaced on the European leg of the album’s supporting tour by former Danzig drummer Joey Castillo, who joined the band full time. Castillo joined Queens of the Stone Age without an audition, playing through half a song at an informal rehearsal before frontman Josh Homme walked out of the room, returned saying “The tour starts tomorrow”, and offered Castillo the gig as drummer for Queens.
Castillo’s first studio album with the band was Lullabies to Paralyze. Castillo uses Vic Firth drum sticks, DW drums, pedals and hardware and has recently switched from using Paiste cymbals to all Zildjian cymbals. Castillo uses a Latin Percussion jam block. The penetrating tone of the jam block appears solo at the outset of the Queens of the Stone Age hit Little Sister.
