Them cryptic virals update: Dave Grohl coffee vid catches on

Monday's YouTube upload by Them Crooked Vultures has caught on, having attracted over 180,500 187,700 views in only two days. Group insider Lee Martin reports via Twitter that "Fresh Pots," starring Dave Grohl, has become the No. 12 video on YouTube, confirmed in the following screen shot.

The reason probably has most to do with the comedic factor of this sketch. In fact, watching a caffeine-fueled drummer in this video is funnier than "Saturday Night Live"'s pre-taped Tooter commercial segment that included Them Crooked Vultures but never made it to air when the band was the musical guest.

Some of the mainstream attraction could have to do with a probably unintended pop culture reference. As Gustavo Turner pointed out on an L.A. Weekly blog, Josh Homme looks at certain times in the video like he could pass for one of the cat people in "Avatar."

For hardcore fans of Them Crooked Vultures, "Fresh Pots" holds some additional appeal because it might actually contain some footage from recording sessions for the band's second album.

While the band has not confirmed reports that the recording of a sophomore disc could be completed by this summer, subtle hints suggest this could be the case.

For one thing, there's that official newsletter from the band issued two days ago that says "new 'in the studio' footage" would become available on the Amazon artist page for Them Crooked Vultures beginning Sunday, March 21.

Another clue may be the length of Dave Grohl's hair as worn in the video. Fony Fontana, in a post Monday on the Led Zeppelin discussion group For Badgeholders Only, points out, "In some shots Dave's hair looks shorter then [sic] before so looks like this is new footage and they are in the studio again."

To suggest that the group may have been in a recording studio during their recent off time is not completely unfounded.

Of course, the footage in the "Fresh Pots" video might also be only of Them Crooked Vultures during rehearsal sessions rather than recording sessions. For one thing, some of the new video's footage was already seen in the "Elephants" clip released Aug. 26, 2009.

This still from the studio footage released by Them Crooked Vultures in August 2009, showing Dave Grohl raising one eyebrow and with a mug in hand, hints toward the video that was yet to come half a year later.

Furthermore, the "new 'in the studio' footage" set to be shown on Sunday could be from the same recording sessions from last year, from more recent rehearsal sessions that don't amount to recording sessions.

Lee Martin, the group insider who is responsible for the band's Crooked Times e-mail distribution, announced via Twitter on Tuesday that he's been "working on the most important Crooked Times yet." To sign up for the newsletter, visit the band's official Web site.