Meat Puppets Reunite Original Lineup, Share New Song, “Warranty”

The original lineup of the Meat Puppets—brothers Curt (guitar, vocals) and Cris (bass, vocals) Kirkwood and drummer Derrick Bostrom—have reunited for their first new album in over 20 years, Dusty Notes. In advance of the record’s release, they’ve shared a new song, “Warranty.” You can check it out above.

Due March 8 via Megaforce, Dusty Notes is the first Meat Puppets studio album to feature the original trio since 1995’s No Joke! The album is available for preorder here, and the band will touring the U.S. in 2019.  

The Kirkwoods and Bostrom joined together onstage for the first time in over two decades at their induction into the Arizona Music & Entertainment Hall of Fame in 2017.

“It was so intense that even I couldn’t deny it!,” Bostrom said about playing together again. “I remember why we did this. It was magical.”  

“It was the psychedelic fuckin’ time machine,” added Cris. “Mind-blowing.” 

Dusty Notes also features keyboardist Ron Stabinsky and Curt’s son Elmo on guitar. Said Curt jokingly of the expanded lineup, “I can ignore my vocal and listen to the other four guys play. They’re all so good.” 

“The band has been a really, really deep font of creativity,” Derrick said. “Love it or hate it, hit or miss, Curt is just prodigious. They are still living the rock lifestyle; they’re not doing it by half measures. They stayed on the road. These guys are uncompromising. I consider the Meat Puppets to be a national treasure.”

Richard Bienstock

Rich is the co-author of the best-selling Nöthin' But a Good Time: The Uncensored History of the '80s Hard Rock Explosion. He is also a recording and performing musician, and a former editor of Guitar World magazine and executive editor of Guitar Aficionado magazine. He has authored several additional books, among them Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck, the companion to the documentary of the same name.