Mar. 07, 2012 - Issue #855: (Re) cycling
Not your average concert
Puscifer's unconventional live show hits Edmonton
» Maynard James Keenan's group of misfits / Tim Cadiente
Sat, March 10 (8 pm)
Jubilee Auditoriun,
$29.50 – $45
What began almost as a joke band has become the eclectic creative brain child of Maynard James Keenan, who's in a couple of other little bands called Tool and A Perfect Circle.
Puscifer, which Keenan has described as his island of misfit ideas, is back for the second leg of a promo tour for its sophomore album Conditions of My Parole, a 12-track collection of musical exploration.
Mat Mitchell wrote and produced the album alongside Keenan and Josh Eustis, playing guitar in the band as well. He has been working with Keenan since A Perfect Circle's Thirteenth Step tour, followed by the album Emotive.
"When we started the Tool 10 000 Days Tour in spring 2006 we decided to start work on the first Puscifer full-length album, V is For ... ," says Mitchell.
Four months were spent assembling song ideas, recording and mixing Conditions. Sixteen musicians are credited to the project, making it Puscifer's largest crew yet. The new additions include ex-Mars Volta drummer Jon Theodor, songwriter Juliette Commagere and Bat for Lashes percussionist Sarah Jones. Keenan's son Devo even makes appearances on the cello.
Recording took place in the Verde Valley of Arizona in the spring of 2011 at Keenan's Caduceus Cellars. The snake-infested desert surroundings of the vineyard set the stage for the album and inspired the tracks.
"It was easy for us to really focus on the songs without the typical city distractions," Mitchell says.
The band is constantly evolving and Mitchell feels Conditions of My Parole is the group's best batch of recordings to date and that the current tour has been its best shows.
Puscifer keeps audiences on their toes through multimedia, comedy and quirky skits strategically placed between songs. Maynard's alter egos Major Douche and Billy D will also make an appearance or two.
"Like the music, the live show is a collaboration," Mitchell says. "We really enjoy working on the multimedia side of the band as well, and we like to think the comedy, skits and theatrics all help set a mood for the live show and help us tell a story."
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