Shaggy-haired, Seattle-bred singer Mark Lanegan has been a part of two major trends in music--the growling grunge of the '90s act Screaming Trees [ tickets ] and now the burgeoning math-rock band Queens of the Stone Age [ tickets ].

Although stylistically the two bands are diametrically different, it is all the same to Lanegan.

"It's all rock 'n' roll to me," said Lanegan, calling from Boston. "A band is a band. They're really not that radically different. It's all rock music. I've been blessed to be able to do all kinds of different things. I just enjoy playing. I enjoy singing. I enjoy the collaborative effort of the Queens.

"My relationship with these guys is one of the most satisfying that I've had. It's great to play with, essentially, my best friends."

Lanegan has been with Queens of the Stone Age for four years, joining fellow singer Josh Homme and new bandmates multi-instrumentalist Troy Van Leeuwan (also of A Perfect Circle), bassist Alain Johannes and drummer Joey Castillo (formerly of Danzig).

On March 22, the group of friends released "Lullabies to Paralyze," the first Queens album since Homme dismissed co-founding bassist Nick Oliveri from the band. The group appears to have survived the lineup change just fine: The Queens' first post-Oliveri single, "Little Sister," reached No. 2 on Billboard's Modern Rock Tracks chart.

liveDaily.com: How's the tour going so far?

Mark Lanegan: It's going great. It's going great. The weather sucks. It's rainy and cold.

How did you meet the guys in Queens of the Stone Age?

Josh played in the Screaming Treees between 1996 and 2000.

Describe the songwriting process with Queens of the Stone Age.

It's always different. Usually Josh has a song. He shows the lyrics to the guys. Sometimes I'll collaborate on lyrics with him.

Is it difficult to collaborate on lyrics with someone else?

Not at all. It's a lot of fun. At least for us it isn't tough. I don't know about other people.

Where do you usually write?

We just write anywhere, wherever it might come up. Wherever it is we're at, really. We don't really have the luxury of having a set place where we write. We always end up doing stuff on the road because that's where we are. It's mainly out of necessity.

How long will this tour last?

The last record, we were out for almost three years. It really depends. It could last six months. It could last for years. We're hoping for a good, long tour.

It sounds like you're having a good time on the road.

Always.

Reviews of your tour have implied that you're a special guest on this tour who makes an appearance in the middle of the show. Is that correct or do you change it up every night?

It always changes. Sometimes I start in the middle, sometimes from the start. We try to change the list every night. There are a lot of people who follow us every night.

Did you record this "Lullabies to Paralyze" any differently that you did the last Queens of the Stone Age album? Besides the fact that that Nick Oliveri is no longer in the band?

This went a lot faster. We had a different producer, Joe Barresi. This is [one of the] first Queens records with a different producer. The last one who attempted to do it was Eric Valentine, but it didn't work out well. We ended up finishing it ourselves.

What did you learn by working with Joe Barresi?

Hmmm. That's a tough one. It's really not something that's tangible. We learned that the process was the way it should be--a lot more easy. Hopefully you learn something new every time you do something. What we learned is something we already knew--it doesn't have to be tough.

How did the chemistry of the band change when Nick Oliveri left?

I don't know. I really can't answer that.

Have you started working on your next solo record?

I'm always working on something. I'm always working on a new record.

When you're writing songs, do you specifically tag them for either Queens of the Stone Age or your solo work?

I don't really think about it in that way. I write them, and when it's time to do something I always have a pool of songs to choose from. Anybody who writes songs, I'm pretty sure, will say that. I don't specifically write for something.

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