I forgot to mention in the August update that you can listen to a new remix of The Humbling River on the Puscifer site.  It’s the second track after Rocket Man.  Sounds good, but personally I’m ready for some new stuff rather than just remixes…

Toolshed also had an update recently.  Not only have then just turned 15 (congratulations!) but Kabir spoke with Danny who confirmed Tool are back songwriting. I’ve heard pretty much the same thing as well, so it looks like things are moving in the right direction for now!

Every felt like having a closer look at one of Danny’s drumkits?  Well now you can, as Toolband has reveals that one of Danny’s old kits is now on display at Explorers Percussion in Kansas City:

The store can be found at 8050 Wornall Road, Knasas City.

Guitar Center have finally got around to releasing some high quality footage of the Danny & Brann Dailor (Mastodon) Drum Off with Volto! as the backing band.  Thanks to Goldorak fro the tip!

Blair’s latest book “The Wickedest Books in the World: Confessions of an Aleister Crowley Bibliophile’” is having a launch party at the Cha Cha Lounge in LA on the 23rd of March.  Danny, who wrote the foreword for the book will be at the party, and possibly other Tool members if I’m reading it right.

You will be able to purchase the book on the night, and get it autographed, presumably by a purple marker of some description.  Check Toolband/Toolarmy for more details!

The February newsletter is now up on Toolband/Toolarmy and it’s a somewhat revealing one:

• Tool are in the process or writing new material., though Blair personally hasn’t heard any.
• Joe Baressi has, which suggests to me he’s probably going to engineer the album again.
• Adam has a new pedal he’s been playing around with, and this may or may not feature.
• Danny has some new percussion instruments, and they definitely don’t have a water bong in the room.
• The cover from the mini tour was from the band The God Machine, and it wasn’t played because a member of the band had recently passed away (a friend of Justins)
• Apparently the male doctors voice on Lost Keys is the bands manager, not Justin as has been suggested to me in the past.  The man in question, Pete Riedling if I remember correctly is an Australian.
• The Big Thing is the website updates.  It will happen sometime in the future.  My sources tell me around September.

It’s an interesting read, a mini-FAQ in some ways and I suggest you all take a look.

Thanks to Nathan for the tip!

Blair just made a quick update on Toolband & Toolarmy:

Danny will be attending tonight’s battle between the KU Jayhawks and Texas Longhorns in Austin, along with the band’s favorite Texas Ranger. And before boarding the Silver Dillo(?), "yes", that was Paola Kansas transplant Carey eating Texas barbecue with Texas-style rubs and seasonings at Iron Works BBQ this afternoon. Barbecue blasphemy some from the Sunflower State might say. At any rate, Tool’s drummer will return to L.A. tomorrow, so that possibly the ‘process’ can begin in earnest on Wednesday…

Hopefully the ’process’ is what we hope it is…

A video had found it’s way onto the net with Danny Carey on drums for AC/DC coverband BC/DC.  The track is Back In Black and I imagine you all know how it goes….

Thanks to fodasse for the tip!

Not sure how long it’s been on the site, but the January Tool Newsletter is now available on Toolband and Toolarmy.  It’s really just a bit of a recap of Tool-related news over the last couple of months, confirming that Tool aren’t doing much at the moment, and that Danny, Adam and Justin are all abroad (or have been) and that Maynard is busy with Puscifer and Caduceus stuff.

I stumbled across this extremely short interview with Danny by Artisan News Services on Youtube, where he mentions briefly that they might start writing a new album this year.  Skip to about 1:20 for the 10 seconds or so of actual DC interview (the rest is just filler).

To be honest, it doesn’t say much, and the article is making a bigger deal of this than it really is, but it’s comforting to know that at least there are plans to get stuck into things, hopefully soon!

Some footage from Artisan News Service/Youtube has been released which shows some of the drum off between Danny and Brann from Mastodon with backing band VOLTO! at the recent Guitar Centre Drum Off:

Anyone who has some better footage/lengthier of this event should let me know!  Thanks to Brian for the tip!