Maynard James Keenan (born James Herbert Keenan; April 17, 1964) is an American singer, songwriter, philanthropist, record producer, and winemaker. He is best known as the singer and primary lyricist of the rock bands Tool, A Perfect Circle, and Puscifer.
Having grown up in Ohio and Michigan, Keenan joined the U.S. Army after graduating from high school. After his service, he attended the Kendall College of Art and Design in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He relocated to Los Angeles in 1988 to pursue a career in interior design and set construction, and formed Tool with Adam Jones shortly thereafter.
In addition to his music career, Keenan owns Merkin Vineyards and Caduceus Cellars in Arizona, where he resides. Since rising to fame, he has been noted as a recluse, although he does emerge to support charitable causes and for the occasional interview. He has also ventured into acting.
James Herbert Keenan was born in Ravenna, Ohio, on April 17, 1964, the only child of Southern Baptists Judith Marie (née Dougherty; 1943–2003) and Michael Van Keenan.[5] He is of Irish and Italian descent.[6] When his parents divorced in 1968, his father moved to Scottville, Michigan, and Keenan would only see him about once a year for the next 12 years. His mother remarried, bringing Keenan into an "intolerant and unworldly household" where his intelligence and creative expression would be stifled.[7] His mother suffered a paralyzing subarachnoid hemorrhage due to a ruptured cerebral aneurysm in 1976 when Keenan was 11, and this incident would later serve as the inspiration for songs such as Tool's "Jimmy," "The Patient," and "Wings for Marie," as well as A Perfect Circle's "Judith."[8] A few years later, she persuaded Keenan to live with his father in Scottville, which he considers "the best move [he] ever made".[7] In 1982, he graduated from Mason County Central High School in Scottville, where he was a member of the wrestling team. His father was one of the coaches for the team and left coaching at the same time Keenan graduated in 1982.[9]
In addition to completing a rigorous math and English curriculum, Keenan wrestled, ran on the cross country team, and sang in the glee club.[10] It was during his time in the military that he adopted the sobriquet "Maynard" on a whim,[11] based on a fictional character he had created in high school.[12] He declined an appointment to West Point and instead chose to pursue a music career because of his disillusionment with his colleagues' values[13] and because he believed West Point would not tolerate his dissidence.[14]
Music career
Early bands
Upon completing his term of prep school, Keenan studied art at Kendall College of Art and Design in Grand Rapids, Michigan. From there he moved to Somerville, Massachusetts, where his love of animals led him to practice interior design for a Boston-area pet store. He was transferred to a store in Los Angeles,[15] before he was quickly fired and began working in set construction.[16] During the 1980s, Keenan played bass guitar for TexA.N.S. and sang for Children of the Anachronistic Dynasty, both independent bands.[10] During this time, he wrote an early version of "Sober", later Tool's first successful single.[17] He also (with future Tool bandmate Danny Carey) performed live and recorded with Green Jellö between 1990 and 1993, playing guitar and performing backup vocals as the voice of one of the pigs on the band's hit song "Three Little Pigs" on their debut album Cereal Killer, and appearing in the music video for "Slave Boy" on the band's follow-up LP 333.[18] Around this time he also struck up a friendship with Tom Morello, who has credited Keenan with introducing him to Drop D tuning. Keenan spent time jamming with Morello and Brad Wilk, as did Zack de la Rocha: Morello and Wilk considered Keenan and de la Rocha as candidates for the vocalist with what would become Rage Against the Machine before deciding to ask the latter.[19]
After moving to Los Angeles, Keenan met Adam Jones who had in college heard him singing on a demo. Impressed with Keenan's vocals, Jones suggested that they form a band. Reluctant,[16] Keenan eventually agreed and, in 1990, Tool was formed. Fronted by Keenan, the eventual lineup included guitarist Jones; his neighbor, drummer Danny Carey; and bassist Paul D'Amour, who would later be replaced by Justin Chancellor.[20]
Shortly thereafter, Tool released their 1993 debut album, Undertow, in the United States. It was certified gold after just eight months, and platinum less than a year later.[21] In 1994, the band released their single "Prison Sex" with a corresponding music video created and directed by Jones. The video was deemed "too graphic and offensive",[22] and was withdrawn by MTV after a few airings due to "a symbolic dealing with the sensitive subject of child abuse".[22]
In September 1996, the band released their second studio album, Ænima. The album was certified gold in ten weeks, achieved double platinum in ten months,[21] and won the Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance in 1998.[23] After the release of the album, Tool began a prolonged legal battle with their label, Volcano Records (formerly Zoo Records), over contract violations. Following this legal battle, which resulted in a new three-record deal,[24] the members of Tool decided to take some time off. During the hiatus, Keenan went under the alias "Gaylord C." while collaborating with Tim Alexander of Primus and Mike Bordin of Faith No More on "Choked",[25] a track on the 1997 drumming compilation Flyin' Traps.[26]
The band members were outspokenly critical of peer-to-peer file sharing networks, due to the negative financial effect on artists dependent on success in record sales. During an interview with NY Rock in 2000, Keenan stated, "I think there are a lot of other industries out there that might deserve being destroyed. The ones who get hurt by MP3s are not so much companies or the business, but the artists, people who are trying to write songs."[27]
Five years after the release of Ænima, Tool announced a new album, Systema Encéphale, with a 12-song track list in January 2001.[28] A month later, the band revealed that the new album was actually titled Lateralus and that the previous announcement had been a ruse.[29] The album was released in May 2001 to positive reviews. Known for his "dark, intelligent, compelling, and unexpected lyrical twists",[30] Keenan was acclaimed for his songwriting on the album, in which he "doesn't cross the line from darkness to ugliness ... as often as he has in the past".[31] In an interview with NY Rock, Keenan explained, "Everything we release with Tool is inspired by our music. It doesn't matter if it is a video or if its lyrics. The lyrics for "Schism" are nothing more than my interpretation of the music."[27] The album became a worldwide success, reaching No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard 200 albums chart in its debut week,[32] and Tool received their second Grammy Award for the best metal performance of 2001 for "Schism".[23] In 2002, Keenan recorded a song called "Fallen" with Thirty Seconds to Mars that was released on the band's self-titled debut album.[33]
Keenan performing with Tool on December 12, 2006
15 years after the band's formation, Tool had acquired what Dan Epstein of Revolver described as a devoted "cult" following,[34] and in May 2006 the band released 10,000 Days, an album in which Keenan sang about more personal issues in contrast to previous attempts to inspire change.[35] His mother, who inspired the song "Jimmy" on Ænima, also served as the inspiration for "Jambi", and the two-part song "Wings for Marie" and "10,000 Days (Wings for Marie, Pt 2)",[8][36] which deals with her 2003 death after 27years, or around 10,000days, of suffering.[37][38] The album sold 564,000 copies in its opening week in the U.S. and was No. 1 on the Billboard 200 charts.[39] However, 10,000 Days was received less favorably by critics than its predecessor Lateralus had been.[40][41]
Following 10,000 Days, Tool had one album remaining to fulfill the obligation of its record contract. Over the course of the following years, the band slowly made progress towards its fifth studio release.[42] Tool has worked around Keenan and his side projects since 1999, starting with the creation of A Perfect Circle, which has led to several years between projects. Regarding the future of Tool, Keenan stated in a 2007 interview with Spin, "We'll make music together until one of us is dead."[8]
They keep going, "Are you working on another Tool album?" I'm like a mother on a table. I'm, like, giving birth to a baby, and you're asking me if I'm going to have another baby. Not right now, probably. Don't really feel like having sex right now, I'm having a fucking baby. I'm out here busting my ass; we're working hard on this. This is our new child; we're nurturing it, developing it and showing it to the world.
During Tool's post-Ænima hiatus to deal with their legal issues, Keenan began working with Billy Howerdel, Tool's guitar tech through the Ænima tour, on a different project. The supergroup they formed, A Perfect Circle, began performing in 1999 and released its first album Mer de Noms in 2000. They released a successful follow-up in 2003 titled Thirteenth Step, a reference to twelve-step programs (many of the songs were written from the perspective of recovery).[11] Both albums were eventually certified platinum. Their subsequent 2004 album, eMOTIVe, was primarily composed of covers, except for the singles "Counting Bodies Like Sheep to the Rhythm of the War Drums"—a song inspired by "Pet" that was originally released on Thirteenth Step—and "Passive". Keenan later characterized the record as a political album with which he "tested the waters" and was subsequently "crucified" for it because of the content.[16] It was certified gold the month after its release. That same year they released the DVD and CD set entitled aMotion, which was certified platinum within a month of its release.
Howerdel reported in a May 2006 interview with MTV that the supergroup's work was concluded for the time being.[48] After more than two years since the band's last release, Keenan was asked about the status of A Perfect Circle during an interview with Revolver. He stated:
The real problem with running Tool and A Perfect Circle at the same time was they both operate the same way. They're both live touring bands with a label, still working under the old contract mentality. So I thought it was time to let A Perfect Circle go for now and let Billy explore himself. It's tough for a guy who went from being a guitar tech [for Tool] to being in a band with a pretentious, famous singer and having to live in that shadow. It was important for Billy to go and do his own thing and really explore his own sound and let people hear what he has to say and how he would do it on his own, and then we'll get back and do some A Perfect Circle stuff.[49]
A Perfect Circle performing in 2018
When asked, in an interview for Spin that same month, about the possibility of another A Perfect Circle album, Keenan stated, "Maybe, someday, a song on a soundtrack. But an album? No."[8] A year later, on December 9, 2008, blabbermouth.net reported that Keenan had announced on The Pulse of Radio that he and Howerdel have been writing new music for A Perfect Circle. Keenan also said that the band has no plans to resume full-scale touring, or even to write and record a new album. Instead, they will focus on "one or two songs at a time", which will most likely be released via the Internet.[50]
However, in November 2010, the band returned from a nearly six-and-a-half-year hiatus with a 14-show tour in the western US.[51] Touring resumed in May 2011 with a North American tour across the US and Canada that wrapped up at the end of August.[52] The band performed only once in 2012 with a show of December 29 in Las Vegas,[53] followed by a five-show Australian tour[54] and a three-show South American tour in early 2013.[55]
In 2003, Keenan surfaced under the name "Puscifer" for the song "REV 22:20" on the Underworld film soundtrack. Puscifer was once advertised as a side project with Danny Lohner, who had formerly performed live with Nine Inch Nails, but has since been "formed as a manifestation of [Keenan's] creative subconscious"[56]—interpreted to mean that the name is now a pseudonym for his solo work. Keenan has stated that it is "a premiere improvisational hardcore band",[57] and his "catch-all, stream of consciousness, anything goes, etc." project.[58] When comparing the project to Tool in an interview with Rolling Stone, Keenan described it as his "attempt to make music to inspire people. ... This is definitely not thinking man's music, but groove-oriented music that makes you feel good."[59] In a later interview with Artistdirect, Keenan said that he did not want the lyrics to be puzzles. He wanted the complexity to be in the music, stating "that's the part that gets under your skin and makes you feel good."[60]
In 2006, Puscifer contributed the song "The Undertaker (Renholder Mix)" to the soundtrack of Underworld: Evolution, where "Renholder", a moniker for Danny Lohner created by the members of A Perfect Circle, is the reversal of "Re: D Lohner".[61][62] Keenan financed and released the first studio album, "V" Is for Vagina, in October 2007.[60] Created in a tour bus, in several hotel rooms, and in various studios around the country while Keenan toured with Tool,[7] the album is a radical departure from Keenan's contributions in Tool and A Perfect Circle. Tim Alexander, best known as the drummer for rock band Primus, was a guest musician on the album. He called Puscifer "trancy and hypnotic" and a "total 180 from Tool".[7] The album was criticized as unfocused and lacking in the passion and intelligence present in Keenan's previous work.[63][64][65]
Puscifer is also a clothing line, with merchandise available for purchase on the band's website.[66] On September 16, 2008, Keenan updated the puscifer.com blog, revealing that the first ever Puscifer store would be opening "hopefully" by October 1 in Jerome, Arizona. Occupying a small space above a tattoo parlor, the store opened on October 3, 2008.[67] In addition to the merchandise available on the band's online store, Keenan has also made available locally roasted coffee, art, and limited edition collectibles.[68]
On February 13–15, 2009, Keenan debuted Puscifer at the Pearl Concert Theater in Palms Casino Resort in Paradise, Nevada, with a cabaret-style show so abstract it is not easily described.[69] In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, Keenan stated "we didn't really have any clue what to call it, so we just kind of called it cabaret." Keenan—who has had previous experience with this type of entertainment, having fronted a similar show in Los Angeles before achieving fame with Tool[70]—went on to add that "you just can't really describe it, you just have to see it, then it makes sense."[71] Featuring an ever-changing lineup of artists including Milla Jovovich and Primus drummer Tim Alexander, the show was originally said to have a long-term residency at the Pearl;[72] however, Keenan later revealed that it was to be only a two-show performance.[71]
Puscifer performing in 2011
Puscifer continued to perform with a revolving lineup throughout 2009 at venues around the Southwest. However, in a November 2009 interview, Keenan stated: "Efforts to confine our beloved enigma to the Southwestern United States have been thwarted. We are compelled beyond all reason to bring the noise Eastward and share our special sauce. Although authorities suggest you be prepared for any and all possibilities, we simply suggest you arrive happy and hungry."[73]
On October 18, 2011, Keenan released Puscifer's second album, Conditions of My Parole. The album received generally favorable reviews on Metacritic,[74] a positive review from Allmusic's Gregory Heaney, who described it as "a fine piece of cold weather headphone music."[75] Keenan followed with the February 19, 2013, release of Donkey Punch the Night. This EP includes covers of "Bohemian Rhapsody" by Queen and "Balls to the Wall" by Accept. It received mostly mixed reviews, resulting in a Metacritic rating of 62%.[76]
A primary purpose of Keenan's lyrics for Tool involves a desire to connect with the listeners on a personal level, encouraging them to look within themselves for self-identity, understanding and reflection.[77] Tool did not include lyrics with any releases until Fear Inoculum, as Keenan believes most people "don't get it" and it is not a priority of the band that people do.[78] However, after each release Keenan has eventually published his typed lyrics online via the semi-official fansite, with the exception of "Lateralus", which was published on the official Tool website.[79] Despite Maynard's aversion to promoting the lyrical content of Tool's work to its audience, lyrical arrangements are often given special attention, such as in the lyrics to "Lateralus", wherein the number of syllables per line correspond to an arrangement of the Fibonacci numbers,[77] and "Jambi", in which the metrical foot iamb is used.[80] Keenan's lyrics on Ænima and Lateralus focused on philosophy and spirituality—specific subjects range from evolution and Jungian psychology in "Forty-Six & 2" and transcendence in "Lateralus".[35]
In live performances with Tool, Keenan has often been situated on a platform towards the rear of the stage,[81] without a spotlight,[82] facing the backdrop rather than the audience.[83][84] Keenan claims this allows him to better take cues from bandmates.[85] Breckinridge Haggerty, the band's live video director, says that the dark spaces on stage "are mostly for Maynard". He explains, "a lot of the songs are a personal journey for him and he has a hard time with the glare of the lights when he's trying to reproduce these emotions for the audience. He needs a bit of personal space, and he feels more comfortable in the shadows."[86]
An exception, which surprised even devout Tool fans, occurred when a fan climbed on stage and attempted to hug Keenan during the band's performance of "Pushit". After dropping the fan to the ground with a gentle hip toss, Keenan, continuing to sing, wrapped himself around the man's back into a rear naked choke. He held the man without actually constricting his neck, allowing him to raise his fist in celebration. Keenan eventually turned the man to his stomach and sat on his back, where he stayed for "an uncomfortably long period of time."[87] His appearance with Tool has included the Mohawk hairstyle,[82] wigs, Kabuki masks, bras, tights,[88] and his entire body in blue paint.[89][90] This is contrasted with a variety of long haired wigs while performing with or promoting A Perfect Circle.[91][92]
Describing Keenan's contribution to Tool and A Perfect Circle, The New York Times wrote that "both groups rely on Mr. Keenan's ability to dignify emotions like lust, anger and disgust, the honey in his voice adding a touch of profundity".[93] He ranked No. 21 in Hit Parader's 2006 list of "Heavy Metal's All-Time Top 100 Vocalists",[94] and his style of singing has been considered influential to Pete Loeffler of Chevelle and Jared Leto of Thirty Seconds to Mars.[95][96] He has been described as a baritone,[97][98][99][100] and reportedly has a range of 4 octaves (G1-G5).[101]
Comedy and acting
Keenan is featured in several segments of Mr. Show,[102] most notably in the Ronnie Dobbs sketch presented in the first season in which he plays the lead singer of the then-fictitious band "Puscifer". He also appears in episode 2.6, "The Velveteen Touch of a Dandy Fop". Later, Keenan sang on a track for the Mr. Show incarnation Run Ronnie Run,[103] and appears in the "music video sex scene" on its DVD. Keenan appeared on the cover of the May/June 1999 issue of Pop Smear magazine, portraying Charles Manson as part of a photo essay, imitating a famous Life magazine portrait.[104] He also appeared as Satan in the 2002 film Bikini Bandits and its 2004 sequel Bikini Bandits 2: Golden Rod. When asked in an interview which role was more difficult, Keenan responded, "Oh, Manson. He's a real person. People know what he looks like, how he talked. With Satan there's so much gray area."[15]
In the mid-90s, responding to requests for Tool to perform in benefit shows, Keenan created "Free Frances Bean" tee-shirts to represent his own platform. Frances's mother, Courtney Love, had previously referred to Keenan as a "media whore" to which he responded, "Isn't that great? I have the distinction of being called a media whore by Courtney Love."[11] He said that after watching "the tornado that is her mother", he thought "Oh my God, how is Frances Bean gonna survive this insanity?"[11] Although it was started as a simple joke, the T-shirts were soon in high demand and Keenan began giving them away.[11]
On April 1, 2005, the official Tool website announced, as an April Fools' Day prank, that "Maynard has found Jesus" and would be abandoning the recording of the new album temporarily and possibly permanently.[105]Kurt Loder of MTV contacted Keenan via email to ask for a confirmation and received a nonchalant confirmation. When Loder asked again, Keenan's response was simply "heh heh".[106] On April 7, the official site revealed that it was a hoax.[107] During an interview Keenan later stated, "It was April Fools'. If you fall for that on April Fools' Day, there's nothing I can do for you."[15] He has been part of other April Fools' pranks related to Tool, including one in which he was said to be in critical condition after a tour bus accident.[108]
In addition to a produce market in Cornville, Arizona;[111][112] Keenan, whose grandparents and great-uncle made wine in Northern Italy,[113] owns Merkin Vineyards and Caduceus Cellars, based in the unincorporated area of Page Springs/Cornville, Arizona, southwest of Sedona, where he resides.[58] While the winery is named after an ancient symbol for commerce (caduceus), the vineyard is named after a pubic wig (merkin).[16][111] He is also a partner of Stronghold Vineyards,[114] "an 80-acre site dedicated to producing affordable wines in the state",[115] located in the small, unincorporated area known as Kansas Settlement in Sulfur Springs Valley, Arizona.[114]
Keenan's mother died in 2003, at the age of 59, due to complications from an aneurysm. Following her death, he scattered her ashes across one of his vineyards, and later named one of his wines after her,[8] honoring her memory with his Cabernet Sauvignon "Nagual del Judith".[116] Keenan released a statement in April 2009:
I am standing on a metaphorical plateau. The view from here suggests that I/we still have many mountains to negotiate. It has already been a long journey. But the successes and failures have been in balance. Which would suggest that I/we have chosen the correct path. I hold in my hands the evidence to support this statement. With tears in my eyes, I present to you the very first 100 percent Arizona Caduceus wine. Nagual del Judith, named after my late mother, Judith Marie.[117]
His previous wines were named after relatives of the Chiricahua Apache chief Cochise who lived in the area where the vineyard is located,[118] and were produced at Page Springs Cellars, owned by Keenan's business partner. While those wines used some fruits imported from California, "Nagual del Judith" was the first made entirely from Keenan's own vineyard.[117] Keenan was also a part-owner of Cobras & Matadors, an LA restaurant run by Steven Arroyo until 2012.[119]
During the fall season of 2008, Keenan and his Stronghold Vineyards partner Eric Glomski promoted his wine with signing sessions at Whole Foods Markets in California and Nevada.[68] The tour continued in 2009 with sessions in Texas kicking off in March,[120] and appearances scheduled during Tool's 2009 summer tour in Florida,[115]Massachusetts, and New Jersey.[121] In July 2009, Keenan opened an organic market which features a tasting room for his Arizona wines as well as a food court.[122]
In a January 2013 interview with Phoenix New Times, Keenan announced work on an autobiography.[126]
I think there are a lot of misconceptions with some people that, all of a sudden, I was born when my first band came out. I actually had a life before that, and there were a lot of accomplishments. [The book] will kind of chronicle why it is I got to where I am, and why I got to where you knew about me.
Keenan's authorized biography, A Perfect Union of Contrary Things,[127] was released on November 8, 2016.
Philanthropy
Keenan performed at a 1997 benefit concert for RAINN (the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network) organized by Tori Amos (who had often referred to Keenan as an unofficial brother).[128] He is one of the notable performers for Axis of Justice, a non-profit organization that brings musicians, fans of music, and grassroots political organizations together to fight for social justice.[129] In 2004, Axis of Justice released Concert Series Volume 1. Included are two tracks featuring Keenan on vocals. The second track on the album, "(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love, and Understanding", was recorded live during Lollapalooza in Seattle, Washington on August 23, 2003. The first track, "Where the Streets Have No Name", was recorded live during the Axis of Justice Concert Series at The Avalon in Hollywood on July 19, 2004. In February 2005, Keenan appeared as a surprise vocalist at a Seattle benefit concert for victims of the 2004 earthquake and tsunami in southern Asia, performing with the partly reformed Alice in Chains, in place of the deceased vocalist Layne Staley, on the songs "Them Bones", "Man in the Box", and "Rooster".
Personal life
Keenan has a son, Devo, who sang backing vocals on A Perfect Circle's Thirteenth Step,[130] and was later credited as the cellist on Ashes Divide's Keep Telling Myself It's Alright. He also gave a solo cello performance for Keenan's 50th birthday celebration concert, "Cinquanta".
Two songs bear the name of Keenan's mother, Judith Marie: "Wings for Marie (Pt. 1)" by Tool and "Judith" by A Perfect Circle.[131]
Keenan has a reputation for being reclusive[118][132] and controlling of his public image.[16] He dislikes the manner in which celebrities are worshipped,[30][133] and at one point carried business cards with the name "Jesus H. Christ" printed on them.[106] When dealing with stalkers,[134] Keenan has resorted to using a paintball gun to run off trespassers from his property.[111]Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is one of Keenan's pursuits, as shown when he took down a fan who ran on stage in the middle of a performance and put them in a rear naked choke, and he studied under Rickson Gracie.[16] In November 2021, Keenan was promoted to brown belt in BJJ by 6th degree black belt Luis Heredia.[135] In January 2024, he was promoted to black belt in the art.[136]
It was announced in June 2010 that Keenan had proposed to girlfriend and Caduceus lab manager Lei Li.[137] On September 10, 2012, Keenan wrote an article for the Phoenix New Times in which he made reference to his wife.[138][139] On July 25, 2014, Keenan's wife gave birth to their daughter.[140]
Rape allegation
In 2018, a Twitter user with the handle "@IWas17HeWas36" alleged Keenan had raped them after a Nine Inch Nails concert, which featured Keenan's other band, A Perfect Circle, when the accuser was 17 in 2000.[141][142][143][144][145] Keenan responded to the allegation saying, "Many thanks to those of you who saw right through this despicable false claim that only does damage to the #MeToo movement, and shame on those of you who perpetuate this destructive clickbait. As for my delayed but un-required response, I had my phone off. You should try it."[141]
Tool is an American rock band from Los Angeles. Formed in 1990, the group consists of vocalist Maynard James Keenan, guitarist Adam Jones, drummer Danny Carey and bassist Justin Chancellor, who replaced founding member Paul D'Amour in 1995. Tool has won four Grammy Awards, performed worldwide tours, and produced albums topping the charts in several countries.
Lateralus is the third studio album by the American rock band Tool. It was released on May 15, 2001, through Volcano Entertainment. The album was recorded at Cello Studios in Hollywood and The Hook, Big Empty Space, and The Lodge, in North Hollywood, between October 2000 and January 2001. David Bottrill, who had produced the band's two previous releases Ænima and Salival, produced the album along with the band, and became the last Tool album produced by Bottrill to date. On August 23, 2005, Lateralus was released as a limited edition two-picture-disc vinyl LP in a holographic gatefold package.
A Perfect Circle is an American rock band formed in Los Angeles, California in 1999 by guitarist Billy Howerdel and Tool vocalist Maynard James Keenan. A Perfect Circle released three of their four studio albums in the early 2000s: their debut Mer de Noms in 2000, a follow-up, Thirteenth Step in 2003; and an album of radically re-worked cover songs, Emotive, in 2004. Shortly after Emotive's release, the band went on hiatus; Keenan returned to Tool and started up solo work under the band name Puscifer, while Howerdel released a solo album, Keep Telling Myself It's Alright, under the moniker Ashes Divide. Band activity was sporadic in the following years; the band reformed in 2010, and played live shows on and off between 2010 and 2013, but fell into inactivity after the release of their greatest hits album, Three Sixty, and a live album box set, A Perfect Circle Live: Featuring Stone and Echo in late 2013. The band reformed in 2017 to record a fourth album, Eat the Elephant, which was released in 2018. After spending the rest of the year touring in support of the album, the band fell into inactivity until 2024 for a brief tour and one-off song "Kindred".
Thirteenth Step is the second studio album by American rock band A Perfect Circle, released on September 16, 2003. The album sold well, charting at the number 2 position on the Billboard 200 in its premiere week, selling over 231,000 copies and staying on the charts for 78 weeks. The album went on to be certified as gold on November 4, 2003, and as platinum on March 24, 2006, by the RIAA. Three singles were released from the album, "Weak and Powerless", which topped both the Mainstream Rock Tracks and Modern Rock Tracks, followed by "The Outsider" and "Blue", which also charted on the respective charts.
William L. Howerdel is an American musician, best known as a founding member, guitarist, backing vocalist, songwriter, and producer for the band A Perfect Circle, as well as for his former solo project, Ashes Divide. Howerdel has recorded six studio albums across his career: four with A Perfect Circle, one under the moniker Ashes Divide, and one under his own name.
Tapeworm was an American side project of Nine Inch Nails which existed in various forms from 1995 to roughly 2004. Tapeworm never released any recordings, but was frequently referenced in interviews. The band started as a side-project between Nine Inch Nails frontman Trent Reznor and live-band members Danny Lohner and Charlie Clouser. Through the years the group expanded and evolved numerous times to include artists such as Maynard James Keenan, Atticus Ross, and Alan Moulder, effectively turning the project into a supergroup. After many years of rumors and expected release dates, Reznor announced the end of the project in 2004.
Daniel Patrick Lohner, frequently known as Renholdër, is an American musician and record producer best known for his work with Nine Inch Nails and A Perfect Circle. In 2020, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Nine Inch Nails.
Ken Andrews is an American musician, singer-songwriter, and record producer. Andrews was born in Seattle, Washington, and attended film school in Los Angeles before his band Failure received a record deal from Slash Records.
Puscifer is an American rock group formed in Los Angeles by Maynard James Keenan, known as the lead singer of the bands Tool and A Perfect Circle. Initially, Keenan was the only permanent member, and as such he considered the project to be his "creative subconscious". Later, frequent collaborators Mat Mitchell and Carina Round became permanent members.
Caduceus Cellars is a winery in Jerome, Arizona, United States. It is owned by Maynard James Keenan, who is best known as the vocalist for Grammy Award-winning progressive metal band Tool. He is descended from Northern Italian winemakers. While the winery is named after the caduceus, an ancient symbol for commerce and staff of the Greek god Hermes, the vineyard is named Merkin Vineyards, after a pubic wig (merkin).
"V" Is for Vagina is the debut studio album by Maynard James Keenan's side project Puscifer, released on October 30, 2007. The album features a significantly different, electronic sound and arrangements than Keenan's other bands: the progressive Tool and alternative A Perfect Circle. Keenan himself compared the sound of "V" Is for Vagina to "driving around in your car listening to those old Motown hits, James Brown, and cool R&B stuff". "V" is for Vagina has sold 112,000 copies.
Maynard James Keenan is best known as the singer of rock band Tool, with whom he has recorded five studio albums, A Perfect Circle, with whom he has recorded four studio albums, and Puscifer, a side project created by Keenan, has released three studio albums.
Children of the Anachronistic Dynasty was an American rock band based in Grand Rapids, Michigan, notable for being one of the early bands of Maynard James Keenan, later of the bands Tool, A Perfect Circle and Puscifer among others.
"By and Down" is a single by alternative rock band A Perfect Circle in 2013. The track represented the first studio material from the band in almost a decade's time. The studio version appears on the band's greatest hits album, Three Sixty, while a live version appears on their live box-set A Perfect Circle Live: Featuring Stone and Echo, both released in 2013. The song peaked at number 8 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart. An alternate version of the song, titled "By and Down the River", was later released on the band's fourth studio album, Eat the Elephant.
Joshua Leeds Eustis is an American musician, singer-songwriter and record producer, best known as the current sole member of electronic music act, Telefon Tel Aviv, since the death of bandmate Charles Cooper in 2009. He served as a touring member for industrial rock act Nine Inch Nails in 2013 and has collaborated heavily over the years with Maynard James Keenan's solo project Puscifer, for which he also served as a touring member. Eustis' solo project is Sons of Magdalene, of which he began releasing music under in 2008. He is also a founding member of the band The Black Queen.
Matt McJunkins is an American musician and photographer best known for touring and recording with the American rock band A Perfect Circle. He is a former touring bassist for Eagles of Death Metal. He is one of the founding members of The Beta Machine, a rock band formed with Jeff Friedl. McJunkins has also worked with Thirty Seconds to Mars, Ashes Divide, Puscifer, Poppy and Socadia.
Eat the Elephant is the fourth studio album by American rock band A Perfect Circle. It is their first album release in fourteen years since 2004's Emotive. While early work on new material traces back to as early as 2008, years of slow progress would ensue due to conflict between the band's chief music writers, frontman Maynard James Keenan and guitarist Billy Howerdel, largely stemming from their commitments to other projects and inability to come to an agreement on the direction to take the band. Renewed focus, alongside assistance from music producer Dave Sardy, helped propel the band into much more productive sessions across 2017, with the album being completed in early 2018. Thematically, the album covers a variety of Keenan's views on modern societal, religious, and political issues, focusing on his perceived lack of accountability in humanity. Musically, the album was viewed as an extension and maturation of their rock sound, adding more piano and electronic elements into songs for a more mellow sound than prior albums.
Mer de Noms is the debut studio album by American rock band A Perfect Circle. The album was released on May 23, 2000, and entered the Billboard 200 at No. 4, making it the highest ever Billboard 200 debut for a rock band's first album. It sold over 188,000 copies in the first week, and was certified platinum by the RIAA later that same year. Three singles were released in promotion of the album, "Judith", "3 Libras", and "The Hollow", all of which hit the top 20 of both the Billboard US Modern Rock and Mainstream Rock charts.
What Normal Was is a solo studio album by Billy Howerdel, guitarist of A Perfect Circle. The album is his first to be directly released under his own name, and his second solo album overall, after releasing his prior album, Keep Telling Myself It's Alright (2008), under the pseudonym Ashes Divide 14 years prior.
↑ Farber, Jim (November 2, 2004). "Emotions Uncovered". The Press-Enterprise. Archived from the original on November 26, 2004. Retrieved January 19, 2008. He even attended West Point, before dropping out in disillusionment over his fellow students.
↑ Turman, Katherine (May 31, 1994). "A Sober Look at Tool". Circus Magazine. Danny Carey, was an accomplished drummer who agreed to sit in with them. Someone who knew both Jones and original bassist D'amour introduced the two, and soon D'amour completed the line up of the soon to be named band, Tool.
↑ Deeds, Michael (May 3, 2006). "Quick Spins". The Washington Post. His mother was partially paralyzed for the last 27years of her life, roughly 10,000days.
↑ Metacritic calculated an average score of 68 for 10,000 Days compared to 75 for Lateralus. "Tool: 10,000 Days: Reviews". Metacritic. 2006. Archived from the original on May 27, 2009. Retrieved September 17, 2006.
↑ Gennaro, Loraine (February–March 1997). "Angry Jung Men!". Livewire Magazine. Vol.7, no.3. Retrieved January 30, 2008. That's why I don't like printing the lyrics because people don't get it ... We're not political, we're not trying to get across a message or anything like that.
↑ Akhtar, Kabir; Maynard James Keenan (2007). "Lyrics". toolshed.down.net. Retrieved January 30, 2008.
↑ MacKenzie, Blair (July 2006). "Tool Newsletter". toolband.com. Archived from the original on May 2, 2013. Retrieved December 13, 2008.
↑ "Tool". Rolling Stone. November 21, 1996. Archived from the original on May 8, 2006. Retrieved January 7, 2008.
↑ Musial, Andy (July 24, 1997). "The circle is unbroken"(fee required). The Buffalo News. Retrieved January 7, 2008. ... Keenan wasn't facing the audience the whole time.
↑ Kava, Brad (August 18, 1997). "The festival that felt like a club". San Jose Mercury News. Retrieved January 30, 2008. Normally bald singer Maynard James Keenan showed up in drag, wearing a wig, bra, black tights and a white Kabuki mask.
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