Musings on the past and present state of music, film, and pop culture. Get off my lawn.
Concert Review: Tool at Moody Center, Austin: L.A. prog-metal icons show their enduring power over potent set. “Be present.” That was the mantra and conditional agreement that Tool frontman Maynard James Keenan requested from the rabid Austin crowd that gathered at Moody Center Wednesday evening marking their first Austin appearance since pre-pandemic 2020. The crotchety […]
MTVoid ‘Matters Knot’ Review: Tool bassist Justin Chancellor showcases eclectic sounds on sophomore album for project featuring vocalist Peter Mohamed. As fans know, things work slowly within the world of Tool. It took over a whopping 13 years between their last two albums. It seems that this slow but sure pace also extends to the […]
Puscifer “Existential Reckoning: Rewired”: Review-inventive album offers intriguing remixes from Maynard James Keeenan fronted 2020 album. Remix albums are a curious beast. Some are essential, adding new dimensions to established songs. Others are filler, offering excessive, bloated renditions that undermine the power of the original material. So where does Puscifer’s new remix album Existential Reckoning: Rewired […]
Concert Review: Puscifer at Bass Concert Hall, Austin: Maynard James Keenan’s art-music collective channels and parodies modern angst in explosive performance. Puscifer are a hard act to quantify, their mix of electronic tinged rock/comedy troupe/performance art is unconfined, elastic and multi-dimensional. And while their discography is formidable, the project formed by Tool / A Perfect […]
Billy Howerdel ‘What Normal Was’ Review: A Perfect Circle mastermind strikes out on his own with impressive solo debut. “This is me stepping back into my early teen self and making the record I would have made if I had the means and the knowledge when I first picked up a guitar—just in 2022. It’s […]
Blu-Ray Review: Tool ‘Opiate2’: band celebrate 30th anniversary of debut EP ‘Opiate’ with deluxe Blu-ray featuring re-imagining of title track. 30 years ago Tool released their debut EP Opiate, which featured the labyrinthine title track that would become a fan favorite. In honor of the anniversary of both song and EP, Tool released Opiate2, a […]
Concert Review: Ministry, Melvins, Corrosion of Conformity at Emo’s, Austin: ‘Industrial Strength’ tour pulverizes rabid crowd. The last time I was at a concert was January of 2020. I have avoided shows since COVID reared its ugly head. And even once lockdown was eased up and bands began touring again, I was still reticent to […]
Puscifer ‘Existential Reckoning’ Review: Maynard James Keenan’s experimental trio perfectly encapsulates the WTFness of 2020. Maynard James Keenan has been on quite the prolific roll the last two years, releasing long awaited albums from both A Perfect Circle and Tool. And now he’s back with Existential Reckoning, the latest from Puscifer, his experimental multimedia project […]
Concert Review: Tool at Frank Erwin Center-prog-metal titans belie their age in a powerful, propulsive set. “Supposedly, Austin…Work on it.” That cryptic yet acerbic comment came from Tool frontman Maynard James Keenan addressing the packed house at Austin’s Frank Irwin Center this Tuesday. But Keenan mostly eschewed chitchat and let the band’s music do the […]
In Appreciation of Neil Peart (remembering the late Rush drummer and songwriter) by David Dierksen I’ve been a Rush fan since probably 7th or 8th grade (approximately 30 years), but I’ve never been a RUSH GUY. Like I didn’t have every record, obsess over the lyrics, or nerd out with other musician types about how […]
