It’s that time of year again when people forgo their usual sarcasms and recognize the good things in life. I know there is a lot to be sarcastic about these days and, if you watch entertainment news or The Soup, you know what I’m talking about. But there are many things to be thankful for such as good music. So, here are ten things that I’m thankful for (all music related of course): 

10. Drum Off 09: I’m thankful that there are corporations such as Guitar Center that still the value quality music, hosting events like this featuring the best drummers like Danny Carey from Tool and Brian Dailor from Mastodon.

9. Webcasts: I’m thankful for webcasts that bring festivals like Coachella and KROQ’s Almost Acoustic Christmas to my computer every year when I can’t be there in person.

8. The Beastie Boys, Vandals, and The Aquabats: I’m thankful that there are really talented musicians who resist the urge to take themselves seriously.

7. Natasha Khan from Bat for Lashes: I’m thankful this rising star thinks the Karate Kid and Stevie Nicks are important cultural icons.

6. Insanely unique musicians: I’m thankful for musicians such as Maynard James Keenan, Tori Amos, Bjork and Mike Patton, who all take music to places no one ever imagined or expected.

5. NIN farewell tour: I’m thankful that I finally got to see NIN live before Trent Reznor retired it.

4. Deftones’ resilliance: I’m thankful that Chi Cheng is still holding on and maybe someday we’ll get to see him play again.

3. The Cure still rocks: I’m thankful this band is still touring and making great music. Without The Cure, Deftones and Muse would never sound the way they do.

2. Rage Against the Machine reunion: I’m thankful that I got to see this band reunite at Coachella in 2007 with 80,000 other RATM fans.

1. Bad Religion continues to comment on American society: I’m thankful Greg Graffin is saying all the things that need to be said and is also a UCLA professor, who is actually doing his part to help mold American youth into critically thinking members of society. 

And now a Band of the Week I am very thankful for…Placebo!

I’ve been listening to this band for a while now and I am surprised that they are not as big in the states as they are everywhere else. Since the first time that I heard their cover of Kate Bush’s “Running Up That Hill,” I was hooked. I enthusiastically suggest anything from their 2006 album Meds, but you must hear “Lazarus” and “Drag.” They recently released a new album Battle for the Sun and I am loving “The Never-Ending Why.” I saw them live at Coachella and I highly recommend catching them live. However, this band will be on a World tour until March. Hopefully, these Brits will visit the states soon.

Until next time, protege moi. -K

Y de los felices 90 (cada generación tiene su década fetiche y la mía son los 90…y q coño…los 80…) surgió un artefacto musical y visual impactante como pocos, como casi todas las bandas que surgieron en esa época. Misteriosos ,inquietantes,duros como los putos clavos y no me refiero a Nine Inch Nails, rompedores…no hay una palabra que pueda definir a Tool. o sí…acojonantes!, sin más …desde la personalidad esquizoide de Maynard James Keenan a la voz, a la sección rítmica formada por James Chancellor al bajo y Danny Carey , diecto sucesor de Neil Peart a la batería, hasta las líneas increibles que Adam Jones consigue con su guitarra, todo en Tool es una experiencia extrasensorial. Personalmente creo que últimamente andan un tanto engreidos en su circunstancia, pero su última gira que pasó por España, concretamente el concierto en Madrid, nos mostró a unos Tool inmensos.Incluso lograron sonar bien en La Cubierta de Leganés…todo un hito.
Como otro hito histórico fué que fueron teloneros de Heroes Del Silencio en una de sus giras europeas…increible…Búnbury no volvió a ser el mismo… 

Crushing sounds.

Saw them at Lollapalooza and the sounds coming from the stage were unlike anything I’d heard, the drums were awesome.

Guitar sound was dark and thick, also just crushing of heart, mind and soul.

And tons of dark energy.

First clinic video I’ve seen of Danny, and a nice long clip too!

I finally had the chance to see Tool in Concert on Sunday and I was blown away!  The show had so many different lights and lasers and really neat backdrops and cool video.  The setlist was great.  They played a couple of songs that surprised me because I never thought those songs were really live set material, but everything was put together wonderfully and I thoroughly enjoyed the experience.

Danny Carey is such an amazing drummer, and getting to see him perform with Tool was awesome.  Danny Carey is pretty much what I would call a Super Drummer.  These are drummers that never cease to amaze with their independence, coordination, and textural choices.  Whenever I have the fortune to witness a Super Drummer perform I try to take many notes so I can take away as much from the experience as possible.  To me, these are not just concerts, they are clinics as well.

Whenever you go to a show you should always watch the drummer.  Try to learn from them.  Weather its a huge show in a stadium, or a local show with some high school kids.  You can learn from everyone.  Look at how they are setting up their kits, try to see what techniques they use.  See if they embelish anywhere, and ask yourself why.  If you get a chance to talk to the drummer after the show, pick their brains for information.  Not only will you expand your drumming knowledge, you might even make some new friends that understand you better than most.

And I’m nervous but who wouldn’t be? All this pressure building up, and I can’t help but think this is my one chance to catch the right pair of eyes with my neon-green copy.

TOOL

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Tool kuulub kindlasti minu lemmikbändide hulka. Ülim geniaalsus, ühendades endas 70ndate progressive rocki, alternatiivse metali, eksperimentaalmuusika ja mida kõike veel. Album 10 000 Days on pigem tunniajane meditatsioon, kui muusikateos. Eriti osav on muidugi trummar Danny Carey , keda ma ära kiita ei jõua, kuigi ka teised on väga andekad. Sellel albumil ei ole ühtegi halba lugu, isegi mitte ühtegi keskpärast lugu, vähemalt minu jaoks. Kui ma esimest korda olin kuulanud albumi otsast lõpuni kuulanud, olin ma täiesti teises olekus, dimensioonis. Soovitan väga soojalt kõigile.
Radade list:

1. “Vicarious” – 7:06
2. “Jambi” – 7:28
3. “Wings for Marie (Part 1)” – 6:11
4. “10,000 Days (Wings Part 2)” – 11:13
5. “The Pot” – 6:21
6. “Lipan Conjuring” – 1:11
7. “Lost Keys (Blame Hofmann)” – 3:46
8. “Rosetta Stoned” – 11:11
9. “Intension” – 7:21
10. “Right in Two” – 8:55
11. “Viginti Tres” – 5:02

 Välja tooks siis kaks lugu, kuigi kõik oleks välja toomist väärt:

Right In Two (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TLjrD-oXkhA), mõnusalt rahulik,hea fiilinguga lugu, mis on mu lemmiklugu plaadilt.

Jambi (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rIT-FmENYLE), lugu mis näitab ka Tooli veidi karmimat poolt, üks kõvemaid introsid.

Hinne:

kindel 10/10

rewind. i can’t let another day go without discussing the puscifer concert.

saturday, april fourth, at one thirty seven in the afternoon my cousin and i bathed our souls in a few glasses of caduceus wine. a two thousand and five bottle of sensei. we held on to a healthy mind buzz for the majority of the day and, as most things in my life tend to do, this all played out miraculously. everything came together when it needed to. however, since i really can not find the words to describe the concert, here are some footnotes.

audience receives drill sergeant instructions from major douche. jim turner enters playing a priest with a sidekick nun, they do a sketch. maynard enters on a segway in a velvet jogging suit with comb-over hair. he has JESUS spelled out across his ass. maynard leaves, band does sour grapes into rev 22:20 with the immensely talented juliette commagere. maynard returns in suit. show is intersected with video sketches of maynard doing religion-based humor. they cover rocket man! amazing. milla shows up to do *the mission*. danny carey appears and plays drums on the last song. just as we’re about to leave we score vip wrist bands. hung out at the same bar as milla, danny, & billy howerdel.

for a complete review you can follow this link, antiquiet.com.

so what can i say, everything is wonderful. i’m drafting some new poems, doing some improv and even contemplating the idea of actually writing another script. i’m trying to submerge myself into things that make me happy. the second i feel happiness fading i need to get up, get out and do something. i want to commit myself to some project, completely. such as queird, or creating one thing every day, or writing a poem a week for several weeks. i am going to do these things and i am going to conquer the world.

…happiness approaches. landing gear is operable. all systems go.

and you should read this note.

oh, and in case you needed something to make everything we could ever do completely irrelevant, you should read this, Is a Death Star Poised for Final Supernova Detonation Aimed at Earth? Astronomers Say “Maybe”. Yeah, here’s an excerpt, “On the upside we’ll never see it coming. The EM-burst travels the speed of light so the only warning we’d have is dying – which most people will accept is a little too late.”

awesome. i wish we had a warning because there’d be three things i’d do. (and i’d do them so well) i’d call salliemae and tell them to suck it, i’d approach the person i am secretly crushing on and kiss them passionately just like one of those armageddon-esque movies, and i’d climb to the top of this office building and within seconds of the endgame — i’d jump.

everything is wonderful. and just in case you don’t believe me, everythingisterrible.com.

seriously, there is a smile on my face as extravagant as the capital letter u.

with honesty & ambiguity.
Relax.

El buen Baster, como un servicio a la comunidad, ha decidido dar pequeñas lecciones de apreciación de Música en su blog, en un afán de evitar que sus fieles lectores continúen asesinando indiscriminadamente a sus neuronas al ritmo de engendros como “Antes muerta que sencilla” o “El Sonidito”, así que empezaremos con los poli ritmos.

Un poli ritmo es una sección rítmica que consta de generalmente dos secciones de diferente time signature que son ejecutados al mismo tiempo, esto es una característica propia de los ritmos tribales de percusión, pero donde realmente han mostrado su magnificencia es en el rock progresivo, donde grupos de la talla de Queen, Yes, King Crimson, Tool o hasta los Beatles los han empleado.

Este es un ejemplo de poli ritmo simple, proveniente del corte Lateralus del álbum del mismo nombre de Tool, donde el baterista Danny Carey realiza un ritmo sencillo a 5/8, mientras que los demás miembros de la banda van a 6/8:

Sin embargo, la verdadera técnica la demuestra en Eulogy del álbum Ænema donde el solo realiza las 2 partes del poli ritmo (lo cual requiere de una coordinación en extremo hábil), realizando con un pie y una mano un ritmo a 3/4 y al mismo tiempo realizando con sus otros miembros otro ritmo a 4/4, disfrute por favor (concretamente a partir del minuto 2:03):

Me acorde de esto porque en la escuela me preguntó un tipo:

Tipo: “-Tu tocas batería?, verdad que Travis Barker es el bataco más cabrón que existe?”-

Baster: “-Por supuesto que no”

Tipo: “-Pero si toca rapidísimo!-“

Para mí un buen baterista es el que tiene técnica, pues velocidad cualquiera agarra con práctica (además si quiero velocidad prefiero a Dave Lombardo o a Thomas Pridgen).

Así que por favor, escuchen música que les enseñe algo! y esperen la lección #2.

Completando o post sobre Volto!: Depois de muito tempo sem visitar o site do cara (que nao mudou nada desde minha ultima passada por lá), (re)encontrei este brinquedinho… pra quem sempre desejou ter o gostinho de fazer um som na batera do cara, vale o link: —- LINK —-

Pra fechar mesmo, o melhor vídeo que achei da banda… se vc nao curte bateria, pula direto pros 4:10min (mas eu nao recomendo)

Howdy.  I have a double Whopper of a doozy for the letter G today.  I heard a song on the radio the other day that I hadn’t heard since 1993 and felt it was only fair to share this punishment with all of you.  Here it is.  Prepare to date yourself:

Remember that?  It’s Green Jelly with their song “The Three Little Pigs” from the 1993 album Cereal Killer Soundtrack.  And by Green Jelly, I of course mean the band that was originally Green Jell-o until they got sued by Kraft.  Good God, how did that song ever becomd so popular?  I mean, it’s bad enough that they actually admit how horrible they are at the end of the tune, but the song itself is a little lacking even for a comedy track.  I think the answer obviously lies in the video.  It’s crude, sure, but it’s fun to watch.  And here’s where Green Jelly actually gets kind of interesting and somewhat respectable in my book: the song was always intended as a video.  In fact, all of their songs from Cereal Killer were.  The whole thing was conceived as a long form video and according to Wiki they even sold themselves to their record label (Zoo) as “the world’s first video only band.”  So, eat your hearts out Gorillaz.  It was only after “Pigs” stumbled into some accidental radio play and the response was so overwhelming that the label even released the long-form video as a standard (audio only) album.  Want another piece of trivia?  The band actually included both Danny Carey and Maynard from Tool at one point as supplemental musicians, and I’ve read elsewhere – though am too lazy to verify this – that it’s Maynard’s voice we hear singing “Not by the hair of my chinny-chin-chin!”  Again, I don’t know if that’s true but it’s not hard to imagine as such.

But of course you can’t talk about Green Jelly without recognizing the path blazed by their friends and co-conspirators in the almighty GWAR.  I say “almighty” simply because it feels right in the sentence, not because I have ever even considered for a second actually purchasing any music by GWAR.  That’s not so much a reflection on their songwriting, but more a testament to how strong their visual approach is.  I don’t really want to listen to GWAR.; I want to see them.  I also have to give them credit for giving me an excuse to post a clip from one of my favorite video subgenres: metal bands on daytime T.V.  Take it away, Joan Rivers:

Don’t you just love how seriously she approaches that interview at the start? Which is ridiculous considering she used to actually be very funny.  Anyway…I realize there’s that recent band Lordi who’s doing the exact same thing as GWAR. but since they start with an L and since they’re an absolute rip-off, I’m not giving them video space.  Instead, watch one more golden nugget of Green Jelly trivia.  Apparently, they either wrote, performed or both the song “It’s Clobbering Time” as sung by The Thing in an episode of the animated Fantastic Four series.  It’s a brief glimpse here, but you’ll see their names in the credits, comic book nerdz:

Okay, then. Go put on your costumes.  Until tomorrow…

Hollywood Hosts Guitar Center’s Drum-Off Grand Finals Competition This Saturday at 7pm.

I will be front and center to provide you lucky devils with the sights and sounds AND I have a fantastic prize to give away – a signed drum head, autographed by Mars Volta! Details below…

Among the panel of top judges of the Guitar Center Drum Off Grand Finals are: Adrian Young (No Doubt), Taylor Hawkins (Foo Fighters), Kenny Aronoff, The Rev (Avenged Sevenfold) and Danny Carey (Tool).

After months of local and regional competitions held at each of Guitar Center’s 214 stores across the country, the top six undiscovered drummers in the nation have been selected from a field of nearly 5,000 competitors. The six finalists will go head to head on Saturday, January 10th, 2009 at Guitar Center’s Drum-Off Grand finals in Los Angeles for a prize package worth over $45,000, as they perform in front of a capacity crowd at the historic Music Box at Fonda Theater.

Stephen Perkins (Jane’s Addiction) will host the evening. Guitar Center will also feature performances from drumming greats Nicko McBrain (Iron Maiden), Jason Bittner (Shadows Fall), an exclusive collaboration by Thomas Pridgen (Mars Volta) and Thomas Lang and a headlining performance by Papa Roach. Street Drum Corps Presents BANG! will perform their signature high-energy, street drumming sets outside the venue to kick off the night.

The Six Finalists are:

Juan Carlos Mendoza (E. Brunswick, NJ)

Jerome Flood III (Lawrenceville, GA)

Anthony Burns (Saginaw, MI)

Ramon Sampson (Memphis, TN)

Sherman Arnold (Englewood, CO)

Tim Newton (La Mesa, CA)

For 20 years Guitar Center’s annual Drum-Off has been recognized by the music community as one of the most important platforms for unsigned talent, and a springboard to stardom for many seriously talented young drummers. Prior Drum-Off champs who have gone on to become successful pro drummers include Cora “CC” Dunham (Prince; Drum-Off ’02 Champ), Eric Moore (Bobby Brown, Sly and The Family Stone, Infectious Grooves, Suicidal Tendencies; Drum-Off ‘03 Champ), Tony Royster Jr. (Jay Z; Drum-Off ’95 Champ) and Thomas Pridgen (The Mars Volta), who became Guitar Center’s Drum-Off champion in 1993 when he was just 9 years old!

This is an all-ages show.

Tickets are $15 at www.TicketWeb.com

Guitar Center’s Drum-Off finals
Saturday, January 10th – 7pm
The Music Box @ Fonda
6126 Hollywood Blvd
Los Angeles, Ca 90028.

One lucky reader of my blog will win a drum head, courtesy of Guitar Center and autographed by Mars Volta drummer, Thomas Pridgen!

Just leave a comment at www.Aliontheair.wordpress.com below this blog, on who your favorite drummer is and why. The best response will take home the booty.

I love music. I live music. I have some guilty pleasures (like listening to Godsmack) and I worship the sound of drums. I scavange the internet constantly looking for new bands to listen to. Sometimes they come from the unlikeliest of places such as Kent, Oh or Germany. So, here are some of my favorite bands that you’ve probably never heard of, but should. I’ll post Youtube videos if available, MySpace links if not.

1.) Butterfly Effect: An Aussie band with a serious kick. Their vocalist, Clint Boge, needs to improve on his live vocals, but their bassist more than makes up for it with crushing bass lines.

2.) Geist: Those of you who know me, know that I am huge fan of German rock. Not that progressive, industrial garbage, but real German rock. I suppose that could be construed as an oxymoron, but it does exist. I refer to this band as the Pearl Jam of Germany.

3.) Flypside: I don’t really know how to describe Flipsyde. A mix of rock, funk, and hip hop topped with a sprinkle of Caribbean beat. Their lyrics are the most impressive thing about them. Check out the song “US History” to find out exactly what I mean.

4.) Strata: I love this band, simple. Be careful though, their S/T album and their current album are two worlds apart. I mean, completely and totally different:

5.) Drop to Zero: Every morning, in the shower, I listen to 88.9 the AlterNation. Every once in a great while a song would come on  that I adored. I could never remember more than the line “walk these silver streets.” Inevitably, I would enter those words in google along with “lyrics” and turn up nothing. It was infuriating. Finally, after probably the 30th time I’d heard it play on the radio, the DJ said something akin to “and that was local band Drop to Zero.” I dug up their Myspace and bought their CD immediately. Listen to Silver Streets.

Drop To Zero

6.) Superheist: Like I said, I’ll search anywhere for new, good music. Sometimes those adventures take me to Germany, sometimes they take me to Australia. Suprisingly, there is quite a rock movement down under. Superheist has been around for quite some time. I love their drummer’s work on the high hat!

7.) Ours: This band is kind of hard to explain. Blending subtle hints of early Radiohead with latter-day Deftones. And perhaps a pinch of the Cure. Regardless, check them out:

8.) Dredg: I’ve heard them be compared to everyone from Tool to a hard rock version of the Dave Matthews Band. I shit you not. I couldn’t find an album version of this song on Youtube, but the live should suffice.

If you know of any bands I might like, please feel free to post them!

-Chad 2

Drum solos are easy. I don’t mean they’re easy to play, of course – I mean it’s easy to reference them when you’re looking for an impressive drum performance. But the reality is that most people are taken by a drummer when they’re part of a band. You like the music first, then you start to look into what it is about the music that engages you.

Nearly all of the most famous drummers grew to fame as part of a popular band. There may have been more technically proficient drummers around at the time but the better known ones were part of a unit where their musicianship contributed to the creation of good music. Then and now, the “best” drummers put ego and heartless technical precision aside – or at least in check – and play to the song they’re in rather than showboating and overwhelming the rest of the performance. They know where to sit back and groove and where to slip in a fill to highlight a gap.

∞ Random Interest Snippet: Gene Krupa is considered the father of the modern drumkit. He was the first drummer ever to record with a kick drum pedal (in 1927). He is credited with inventing the rim shot. He was seminally involved in the development of the tunable toms and the naming and use of the now standard cymbal pieces and techniques (the ride, crash, splash, etc.) But he had to bluff his way through some of his earlier sessions cos he couldn’t read music. Finally, he rocks on the skins, no diggity.

The performances below show some of my favourite rock drummers playing along to various songs (mostly their own). The clips included are not the respective drummers’ most impressive technical display (e.g. Mike Portnoy’s drum solos would be more of an example of his prowess than the clip I’ve included) or even very difficult to play in some cases (Travis Barker’s rock version of Soulja Boy isn’t hard – but it is great rock style).

Nevertheless, imo they’re examples of the sort of performance and passion that makes you notice a drummer for the first time: there’s a spark in the drum performance – over a song that catches or moves you – that hints at hidden chops and real virtuosity.

Travis Barker (Blink 182)

Soulja Boy Remix

I have to admit I was never a Blink 182 fan… And I never appreciated Travis’ playing very much (experience from playing a few cover versions of Blink 182 on drums in various bands) but the boy can play. I’ve come to appreciate him more, seeing his work outside of Blink – and even more so for the awesome rock covers he has been doing of hip hop songs.

If you hate Soulja Boy, don’t worry – give this song a watch – Travis plays the drums all over the top and also includes a new rhythm guitar line to the song that has won a few rock fans over. No one’s gonna rush out and start buying Soulja Boy albums but Travis’ version is certainly a stompin’ rock anthem. Watch it for his attitude and that quality of performance that makes you want to grab the sticks off him and smash away at the drums yourself (throw yourself at those drums, boy!).

Danny Carey (Tool)

Lateralus performance and interview

Danny Carey is a softly spoken powerhouse drummer from a powerhouse prog-rock band and his playing on many of their alt time signature anthems is technically competent, dazzling – yet part of the cohesive whole. He plays like the soft personality he appears to project – his style is almost conservative in appearance but there’s an edge and a technical spark that makes his often understated performance undeniably impressive.

Dave Grohl (Foo Fighters)

No One Knows (Queens Of The Stone Age live)

Originally famous as Nirvana’s drummer, younger people may only know Dave Grohl as the singer / songwriter / guitarist for Foo Fighters. His solid rock drums and phat fills were, however, a signature part of the Nirvana sound (especially their initial anthem “Smells Like Teen Spirit”) and on Queens Of The Stone Age’s Songs For The Deaf his phat rockness (as guest drummer) was back in full effect.

It’s always good, I think, to show an exception to the point you’re trying to make and Dave’s playing on this QOTSA song – No One Knows – almost crosses the line as far as ‘playing to the song without showboating all over it’. Just watch his massive fills throughout every chorus and the instrumental break – he practically takes over the song xD – but in this grunge-metal, stoner-rock context, it really works.

Darren King (Mute Math)

Chaos live

Watch the beat in the intro of this awesome Mute Math song (watch the rest of the song too – it’s good xD) – Darren King swaps every third snare with the kick and it makes the beat infinitely more interesting than it could have been. Darren King is an example of ‘hidden chops‘ – his syncopated style in places shows flair and colour that you don’t usually find in 4/4 pop rock.

Mike Portnoy (Dream Theater)

As I Am (In Studio during Recording)

You can’t have a drum post with video clips and mention Mike Portnoy without at least linking off to one of his dazzling solos – so here you go : ). Right, with that out of the way: Mike’s playing as part of Dream Theater (and its primary creative driving force) has musos drooling, always, and Mike ensures the fire’s always stoked by recording every aspect of his playing with drum cams in the studio, onstage (for multi-angle DVDs) and everywhere he plays – and just look at that drum kit… how many pieces do you need??

His playing really IS that awesome and this clip shows him holding it in check for a song – although Dream Theater’s version of “in check” is everybody else’s “solo showcase” as the band is comprised of prog rock legends on all instruments (except vocal… a whinge for another time xD). (At about 6:08 in the clip – just after a finger melting solo from John Petrucci – Mike breaks out in a short series of fills that give a glimpse of his skill…)

You can hate metal, and you can despise prog-rock, but if you can’t appreciate Mike Portnoy’s skill and be captivated for at least a few minutes by the sheer virtuosity of this band then I’m afraid I can’t be your friend anymore ; ).

Honorable Mention

Animal vs Buddy Rich

And just to prove that drum solos can be interesting to watch, here’s Buddy Rich dealing to the almighty Animal (I bet Animal gets more chicks though)…

Tool – Vicarious Music Video

(Read Part One of Tool) — Tool is an experimetal rock band from Los Angeles, California, most noted for combining hard rock with progressive structures, strange time signatures and lyrics that range from anger to philosophical and social matters that made it big with their LP releases along with an increase in sales with Tool band merchandise. They formed around 1990. After performing a handful of shows in the Los Angeles area and up the West Coast, they toured in the United States with Rollins Band in the summer of 1992 in support of their EP Opiate. Their first full length recording, Undertow, was released in 1993.

Emerging with a groovy heavy metal sound on their first release, when the genre was dominated by thrash metal, they were later seen at the top of the alternative metal movement with the release of their second full-length studio album Ænima in 1996, the first recording the band made after original bassist Paul d’Amour left the band to form Lusk. After an ongoing evolution of their sound and continuous efforts to unify musical experimentation, visual arts, and a message of personal evolution on Lateralus (2001), their most recent album 10,000 Days (2006), as well as respective tours, they are generally described as a style-transgressing act and part of progressive and art rock.

Tool, however, had a knack for conveying the strangled, oppressive angst that the alternative nation of the early ’90s claimed as its own. So, the band was able to slip into the definition of alternative rock during the post-Nirvana era, landing a slot on the third Lollapalooza tour in 1993, which helped their first full-length debut album, Undertow, rocket into platinum status. By the time the band delivered their belated follow-up, Ænima, in 1996, alternative rock had lost its grip on the mainstream of America, and their audience had shaped up as essentially metal-oriented, which meant that the group and the record didn’t capture as big an audience as their first album, despite debuting at number two on the charts. After a co-headlining slot with Korn on Lollapalooza ‘97 wrapped up, Tool remained on the road, supporting Ænima until well into the next year.

During their usual extended hiatus between albums, Maynard James Keenan decided to use his downtime productively by forming a side project, dubbed A Perfect Circle. The band’s 2000 debut, Mer de Noms, was a surprise hit, while their ensuing tour was a sold-out success as well. With Tool breakup rumors swirling, the band put the speculation to rest by re-entering the recording studio and issuing the stopgap B-sides/DVD set Salival late the same year. Finally, May 2001 saw the release of Tool’s third full-length release, Lateralus, which debuted at the number one position on the Billboard album chart and became the band’s biggest hit. After the obligatory several-year sabbatical to pursue other projects, the group returned with another chart-topper, 10,000 Days, in 2006.

(Read Part One of Tool)

==============
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==============

(Read Part Two of Tool) — Bad news for Tool fans, as drummer Danny Carey revealed that he has had two surgeries on his hand after running afoul of “an unruly marine hazard, venomous and… dangerous… while vacationing in Hawaii.” A picture of Carey’s hand, and his scar, are currently posted on their website:

http://www.toolband.com

The Pot

Green Jelly?

Tool members Maynard James Keenan (vocals) and Danny Carey (drums) were part of the band, Green Jelly, in their early days, when they performed under the iron hand of aptly named bandleader Moronic Dictator. Dictator, the onstage alter-ego of Manspeaker, is once again fronting the group on this new tour, and he was happy to engage us with a short Q&A session.

FROM JOHNNY B. GOODE TO VICARIOUS…

Check out ROLLING STONE magazine’s poll of the “100 GREATEST GUITAR SONGS.” Chuck Berry hit the number one spot with “Johnny B. Goode”, and Tool made number 100 for “Vicarious.” Neil Young’s “Cowgirl in the Sand” made # 16, but what about “Southern Man”?.. Certainly there are a lot of repeating notes in that solo!!! Also, I would have liked to see at least something by Steve Howe (Yes), Jan Akkerman (Focus), Andy Latimer (Camel) and Rick Bess (Surprise – “Tyrangatang”). Anyone ever hear “Phoenix” by Wishbone Ash, or “From A dry Camel” by Dust? Very nice guitar work!…

LiveDaily Interview: Maynard James Keenan

Tool frontman Maynard James Keenan is planning for his future by running the Page Springs Vineyards and Cellars in Cornville, AZ. But don’t call it a side project.

“It’s not a side project,” Keenan said during an interview with LiveDaily. “This is my future. I’m not The Rolling Stones. I’m not going to tour forever. It’s my legacy.”

Keenan built his “legacy” with keen observations while touring the world with his bands. (“That’s what artists do,” he said matter of factly.) As a result, he and partner Eric Glomski started the wine company in Arizona.

“I have pretty good intuition having seen the soils here,” said Keenan, who has lived in Arizona since 1995. “Having been around the world seeing other places, it made sense to put vines in here.”

Page Springs wine isn’t the only project that Keenan is pushing. A collection of artists have reinterpreted Puscifer’s music for the remix album “‘V’ is for Viagra–The Remixes,” an offshoot of 2007’s “‘V’ is for Vagina.”

Keenan talked to LiveDaily about his musical projects, specifically Puscifer, as well as the status of A Perfect Circle and Tool, and whether or not he will tour with Puscifer.

You can read the interview over here:
http://www.livedaily.com/news/14330.html

MAYNARD JAMES KEENAN Says A PERFECT CIRCLE Is Still Alive

The Pulse of Radio reports: TOOL frontman Maynard James Keenan sent an email to fans last week in which he said that A PERFECT CIRCLE, the band he formed in 2000 with guitarist Billy Howerdel, is still a going concern even though both Keenan and Howerdel are both now involved with other projects. Keenan wrote, “As many of you may have heard, Billy and I are engaged in our own little projects for the moment. His is called ASHES DIVIDE and mine is called PUSCIFER…Please be advised that A PERFECT CIRCLE and TOOL are still alive and well. This is simply MORE.” A PERFECT CIRCLE went on hiatus in 2004 after issuing three studio albums and one live set, while Keenan went back to work with TOOL and Howerdel began assembling ASHES DIVIDE.

ASHES DIVIDE’s debut album, “Keep Telling Myself It’s Alright”, was released last month, with Howerdel unveiling the project’s touring lineup this past weekend.

Keenan issued the debut PUSCIFER album, “V Is For Vagina”, last fall, and continues to work on additional music for the project.

TOOL’s latest album, “10,000 Days”, surfaced almost exactly two years ago, and Keenan has said recently that the band could regroup later this year to begin work on its next effort.

Howerdel told The Pulse of Radio last year that he wasn’t really sure whether A PERFECT CIRCLE would ever be reactivated, saying, “We might do something in the future, but all I can see is ASHES DIVIDE right now. That’s kind of all I have in front of me.”

Scott Weiland of the Stone Temple Pilots Compared to Maynard?

Wherever his well-publicized substance-abuse problems are at, the needle-thin singer looked and sounded healthy. He slithered around the stage like a cross between Iggy Pop and Tool’s Maynard James Keenan. The Clint Eastwood-like poncho and hat ensemble he wore at first was, um, bad and ugly. But then he took them off to reveal a bobbed, blonde-with-pink-stripes hairdo and effeminate blouse that made him look like a punk-rock LPGA golfer.

(Read Part Two of Tool)

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Deu John Bonham na cabeça da lista elaborada pelo Gigwise. Veja o top 10 abaixo e clique aqui para ver a lista completa. E o que você acha? Tem baterista melhor que estes? Alguém que esteja na lista mas nem mande tão bem na batera? Alguém que esteja faltando nesse olimpo da bateria? Comente!

1 – John Bonham (Led Zeppelin)
2 – Keith Moon (The Who)
3 – Danny Carey (Tool)
4 – Neil Peart (Rush)
5 – Jimmy Chamberlin (Smashing Pumpkins)
6 – Buddy Rich (baterista de jazz em big bands)
7 – Rick Allen (Def Leppard)
8 – Carl Palmer (Emerson, Lake & Palmer e Asia)
9 – Gene Krupa (baterista de jazz em big bands)
10 – Phil Collins (Genesis)