Biography
Who is Troy Van Leeuwen?
Early musical career
Troy Van Leeuwen began his music career in the late 1980s. He started playing with a southern California band named Jester, which featured vocalist Eric Book. This early group released an EP that contained the first recording of Troy at age sixteen. Following this experience, he played in a local band called Little Boots. This project recorded several demos and performed about a dozen shows before the group disbanded.
His next musical project was a band called 60 Cycle. They released their debut single titled Pretender in 1995, followed by a self-titled album the next year. During his tenure with 60 Cycle, Troy met Kellii Scott. The two musicians began collaborating on a new project that would eventually become known as Enemy. Troy also spent time touring with the band Failure in support of their third studio album, Fantastic Planet. Although the band did not achieve big commercial success, critics praised their work as revolutionary. While touring with Failure, Troy met guitarist Josh Homme, who was performing with The Screaming Trees at the time.
Work with A Perfect Circle
While working as a session musician and recording engineer for groups like Orgy, Crazy Town, and Korn, Troy met Maynard James Keenan. Keenan was the frontman for the band Tool and offered Troy a position in his new group, A Perfect Circle. The band also included Billy Howerdel. They played their first show at the Viper Club in Los Angeles on August 15, 1999.
The band entered the studio to record their debut album, Mer de Noms. Released on May 23, 2000, the album reached number four on the Billboard 200 chart and sold over 188,000 copies in its first week. Troy toured extensively with A Perfect Circle, acting as the opening act for Nine Inch Nails before moving on to headline tours around the world. He recorded guitar parts for three tracks on their second album, Thirteenth Step, before he left the group to join Queens of the Stone Age.
Queens of the Stone Age and other projects
Troy Van Leeuwen joined Queens of the Stone Age in 2002 after a successful audition. He played guitar on the tour for the album Songs for the Deaf. Beyond guitar, he performed on keyboards, lap steel, and bass. He recorded his first studio album with the band, Lullabies to Paralyze, which was released in 2005. The record debuted at number five on the Billboard Music Chart. In 2013, he contributed to the album...Like Clockwork, which became the first Queens of the Stone Age record to reach number one on the Billboard 200.
Outside of his primary band, Troy has participated in numerous side projects and collaborations. He has worked with The Desert Sessions, Mondo Generator, Eagles of Death Metal, and The Gutter Twins. He was also a member of the supergroup Gone Is Gone and started his own projects, Enemy and Sweethead. Also, he has performed as a touring member for artists including Iggy Pop, The Damned, and Jane's Addiction. His extensive resume highlights his versatility as a performer across multiple genres like alternative rock and heavy metal.
Birthday and age
Troy Van Leeuwen was born on January 5, 1970, which makes Troy 56 years old today. That birthday falls under the Capricorn sign. Troy shares the date with 50 other famous people.
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