Tool pictures from Rolling Stone

Picture: The 20 Best Live Bands Playing Right Now

Picture: Pearl Jam’s “Backspacer” On Pace For Number One Debut

Picture: Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Tool’s Stunning Spectacles Score at Lollapalooza

Picture: My Bloody Valentine, Arctic Monkeys Rock All Points West on Moody, Muddy Day Two

Picture: All Points West’s Acts to Watch

Maynard James Keenan’s Puscifer: Tool Leader Speaks on Enigmatic Side Project

When you say the name of Maynard James Keenan’s new recording project, Puscifer, it is “Pus as in Puss’n'Boots,” says the Tool singer on a recent afternoon at Electric Lady Studios in New York. “Not as in a boil,” he adds with a dry chuckle. Keenan, working on the record on a rare day away from Tool’s current world tour, explains that Puscifer “is my attempt to make music to inspire people. Heavy rock is sinking, the industry is dying. This is definitely not thinking man’s music” — elliptically referring to Tool’s dense, serpentine metal — “but groove-oriented music that makes you feel good.” The music Keenan previews at Electric Lady is suitably provocative, with a good-time roll. “Queen B” features a bee’s nest of overlapping, processed vocals — including Keenan’s own deep country baritone — over noir-ish hip-hop drumming, like Keenan’s previous side outing, A Perfect Circle, in Tennessee-midnight-radio dub. “Dojo” is marching percussion and sinister electronics with what sounds like the death gulp of a Duane Eddy-treble guitar. “World Up My Ass” is Keenan’s version of the 1980 Circle Jerks song — total psychic collapse as straight-up backwoods fun. “Country Boner” is delightfully offensive and something of an antique — a cover of a song by the Illinois garage band Electric Sheep, which featured pre-Tool guitarist Adam Jones and his high school buddy, Tom Morello, later in Rage Against The Machine. Keenan describes Puscifer as “more of a collaboration” than a group. Contributors include Primus drummer Tim Alexander, guitarist-soundscaper Jonny Polonsky and, on vocals, Lisa Germano and actress Milla Jovovich. And Keenan says the music could end up as more than just an album, which he expects to issue in October. “I’d like to release it in different ways — maybe two songs at a time, every three

Published: 2007-07-19
Provider: Rolling Stone
Keywords: Rock News

Picture: Weekend Rock List: “Rock Band” and “Guitar Hero” Greatest Hits

Picture: Former Replacements Drummer Chris Mars’ Dark “Tolerance”

Picture: Single Minded: Britney Spears, Eagles, Puscifer, Backstreet Boys and Armor for Sleep

Rock’s Top Five April Fool’s Hoaxes

Photo: Mazur/WireImage You have to wake up pretty early in the morning to trick your pals at Rock Daily, which is why we didn’t bite when we stumbled upon these totally fake stories today. Here’s a quick survey: By now, Trent Reznor has made it clear he loathes ex-Soundgarden frontman Chris Cornell’s latest solo album, the Timbaland-produced disco-rock amalgamation Scream. This morning, Reznor upped the ante with a Twitter post proclaiming, “I’ve been busy. Brand new FULL LENGTH NIN record available now.” A click on the accompanying link redirected fans to nin.com/strobelight — a Casio-saturated site promising a free download of Nine Inch Nails‘ Timbaland-helmed new studio effort Strobe Light. The faux record, the site claims, includes “Everybody’s Doing It” (featuring Coldplay’s Chris Martin, Bono and Jay-Z), “Coffin On the Dancefloor,” “Even Closer” (featuring guest spots by Justin Timberlake and Tool’s Maynard James Keenan), “Laid, Paid and Played” (with Fergie and Ministry’s Al Jourgensen) and “Still Hurts,” which boasts a duet with Alicia Keys. A press release posted on Kid Rock’s official Website this morning claimed the rocker had “acquired the naming rights to the home of the Detroit Tigers.” Hey, the dude tied the knot with Pamela Anderson, trounced Tommy Lee at the VMAs, and can’t even sit down for a short stack without getting arrested — stranger things have happened. The release, which was also distributed via e-mail to members of the media, revealed Rock had purchased the naming rights for “an undisclosed sum,” and that Comerica Park would be renamed Kid Rock Park. “This has been a dream of mine for a long time, and with the banks in trouble it seemed like the right time for me to reach out to the fine people at Comerica Bank,” Rock is quoted as saying. Perhaps more believable, but still far-fetched, was a news post claiming that, contrary to recent reports, Megadeth’s Dave Mustaine would be joining Metallica — the band he was booted from back in 1983

Published: 2009-04-01
Provider: Rolling Stone
Keywords: Rock News

Tool Announce Plans to Hit the Road Summer 2009

Photo: Grimwade/WireImage Last year was a quiet one for Tool, with frontman Maynard James Keenan concentrating on Puscifer and not much activity to follow up Tool’s 2006 album 10,000 Days. But the band’s vacation will end soon, as the Tool Website has revealed plans for a summer tour. No dates have been confirmed as yet, but “once they are finalized and official, we’ll be sure to announce them on the site,” the band writes. According to a press release announcing the performers at Denver’s Mile High Festival on July 18th and 19th, Tool are confirmed headliners. The announcement of the summer trek comes as a minor surprise, as Tool tour rumors have been buzzing about the Internet. Tool was last week mentioned by the Chicago Tribune as one of the bands possibly headlining this year’s Lollapalooza festival, so the fact that the band revealed plans to tour this summer lends credence to that theory. Plus, Tool took part in the 1993 and 1997 mobile Lollapaloozas, and with rumored headliners like Jane’s Addiction, the Killers, Beastie Boys and Kings of Leon all having previously played the fest through the years, Tool’s addition makes sense. The band’s last tour was an 18-month world-spanning jaunt that kicked off at April 2006’s Coachella Festival and wrapped up December 14th, 2007 in Las Vegas. In between, the quartet headlined a night at the 2007 Bonnaroo. If you really can’t wait until this summer to see Tool, there’s some good news: Keenan will be hosting a wine signing at the Whole Foods Market today, March 26th in Houston, Texas and tomorrow at a Whole Foods in San Antonio. The Tool site promises that the tour dates will be “posted soon,” so check back with Rock Daily soon for all the details. Related Stories: • How Tool Came to “Guitar Hero World Tour”: Exclusive Video • Maynard James Keenan’s Puscifer: Tool Leader Speaks on Enigmatic Side Project • Cop Buys Pot Brownie at Tool Show, Things Go Downhill From There

Published: 2009-03-26
Provider: Rolling Stone
Keywords: Rock News, On Tour

Picture: Gadget Envy: “Guitar Hero: World Tour”

Having Survived Industrial Rock, Ogre Takes on the Future

Nivek Ogre, the founder of industrial icons Skinny Puppy who was born Kevin Ogilvie but now just goes by “Ogre,” has been around both literally and figuratively. Born and raised in Canada, his work with Skinny Puppy (as well as KMFDM, Pigface, Ministry, Revolting Cocks and just about every other major band in the genre) took him all around the world before he finally settled in a serene mountain area in suburban Los Angeles. “My head is always my head, and it’s my most dysfunctional tool, but I have a sense of comfort in places that don’t feel like home,” he explains. He’s produced all brands of art and survived heroin addiction and has had an amazingly productive year: he stars in the surreal movie musical Repo! The Genetic Opera and also has a new album from his project OhGr called Devils In My Details. The album, a left-field construction of processed jams and samples, moves further away from the pounding noise of his former bands towards something more abstract without sacrificing Ogre’s trademark theatricality. “We wanted to make the album an immersive experience. For me, records used to be that, but for today’s kids it’s video games, so we crafted a lot of sound design based on jump starts from video games. It’s a very crafted record. You’ve got to turn it up really loud.” “Looking for a reason to do the record became a big deal for us,” adds Mark Walk, the other half of OhGr. “A lot of people make a record just because the label says they can.” Walk created a number of audio-video loops based on images and films in the public domain. “We started jamming while watching these loops and using them as inspiration. We had a clip of Liberace performing this sort of classical lick, so at least part of the record was inspired by the image of his hands playing the keys. It was a different way to make a record, but it felt really natural after a while.” As for his participation in Repo!, it was a dream come true for Ogre. “My fantasy as a kid was to be able to sit in

Published: 2008-10-16
Provider: Rolling Stone
Keywords: Rock News

Otep Win MySpace Voter Registration Contest, Rocking Denver Tonight

Photo: Getty Like the Democratic nominee himself, Otep have been relying on first time voters this summer. As recent winners of Rock the Vote and MySpace’s DemROCKracy contest, which kicked off on July 1 and encouraged bands with MySpace pages to have their fans register to vote, Otep was awarded a spot on the bill of Rock the Vote’s Ballot Bash tonight, joining Fall Out Boy, N.E.R.D. and Jakob Dylan on stage at Denver’s Elli Caulkins Opera House. The contest awarded a spot on the bill to the band registering the most fans using their online voter registration tool. “We got involved about 48 hours before the contest ended. It was pretty intense,” Otep, the band’s front-woman and bold anti-war lyricist told RollingStone.com. The band registered 532 voters in two days. In 2008 alone, Rock the Vote’s online voter registration tool has helped over one million young people secure their spots at the polls, with an expected two million 18-29 year olds registered by the time November rolls along. It’s fitting that Otep, an anti-Bush, socially conscious band who have been speaking out against the war since it’s start in 2002, and whose MySpace page boasts a “Countdown to Bush’s last day,” should take the grand prize. “I’ve always been naturally politically minded,” Otep says. “I tend to like to stand up against what I see as unfair and evil — especially something that is glaringly unjust. I don’t know how to separate art from life.” Since 2004, Otep has called for the end of the Bush/Cheney administration at nearly every show. But the band’s not all talk: last year, they recorded their entire album in New Orleans to help out the city’s economy. “It’s the trickle down effect of the Bush administration. When we were there, we were blown away by what wasn’t happening,” she says. “The devastation of the area. The FEMA trailers sitting in enclosed parameters, like internment camps.” The band is also involved with the environmental organization Carbon Rally, and has worked with M

Published: 2008-08-25
Provider: Rolling Stone
Keywords: Rock News, 2008 Election

Behind the Scenes at Grammys: Paramore, Beyonce, Mika, Aretha Franklin, More

The red carpet at the Grammy Awards this year was a bit like a bad acid trip: 500 feet of crimson carpet, a group of scary-looking Sgt. Pepper’s dancers with freaky makeup, an Amy Winehouse lookalike working for the TV Guide Channel and bleachers packed with crazed fans singing every song by the artists that came their way. Rock Daily spied Yoko Ono going in for a photo op with Beyoncé (but at the last second Solange jumped in to pose with her big sister instead), and Paramore singer Hayley Williams, who was the happiest girl on the carpet. “It’s an honor. I’m nervous. I’m worried I’m gonna trip because I don’t wear heels,” she said. Williams noted that she didn’t toss a few back to loosen up. “I don’t drink, but that’s okay. When we started touring, I wanted to be cool so I drank when we were overseas, but it doesn’t appeal to me.” Maynard James Keenan of Tool was pretty damn sure that his band wouldn’t be coming home with the Grammy for Best Hard Rock Performance. “Nope. Foo Fighters will get it,” he said. “I hear they are performing with an orchestra. That’s gonna be amazing. I came for the fiftieth [anniversary of the Grammys],” he added. “This is my first time here.” The Plain White T’s worked the carpet with the Delilah, who’s an Olympic hopeful, and told us they’re recording their next album in April and shooting for a September 2008 release, while the extremely tall Mika revealed he’s somewhat inspired by prostitutes. “You know a lot of my lyrics are twisted,” he insisted. “I have a song called ‘Lollipop’ that four-year-olds sing, but the truth of the matter is it’s about a hooker. I would come across them at three o’clock in the morning coming out of the studio in Miami.” Akon announced he was hoping for “a hotel room full of ‘em” after the awards. Full of what, we naively asked. “Women!” he replied. The more wholesome Ne-Yo, who was up for five Grammys, wasn’t worried that having his

Published: 2008-02-11
Provider: Rolling Stone
Keywords: Rock News

Tool

Tool pictures from Rolling Stone

The 20 Best Live Bands Playing Right Now

Fricke’s Picks: Motorpsycho

Pearl Jam’s “Backspacer” On Pace For Number One Debut

Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Tool’s Stunning Spectacles Score at Lollapalooza

My Bloody Valentine, Arctic Monkeys Rock All Points West on Moody, Muddy Day Two

All Points West’s Acts to Watch

Maynard James Keenan’s Puscifer: Tool Leader Speaks on Enigmatic Side Project

Weekend Rock List: “Rock Band” and “Guitar Hero” Greatest Hits

Former Replacements Drummer Chris Mars’ Dark “Tolerance”

Single Minded: Britney Spears, Eagles, Puscifer, Backstreet Boys and Armor for Sleep

Rock’s Top Five April Fool’s Hoaxes

Tool Announce Plans to Hit the Road Summer 2009

Gadget Envy: “Guitar Hero: World Tour”

Having Survived Industrial Rock, Ogre Takes on the Future

Otep Win MySpace Voter Registration Contest, Rocking Denver Tonight

Behind the Scenes at Grammys: Paramore, Beyonce, Mika, Aretha Franklin, More