Patrick Slevin from The Aquarian Weekly has this week interviewed Maynard about his work with Puscifer.  It’s one of the more interesting interviews I’ve read, so check it out.

Here’s a not so random quote:

The EP that was recently released was only available digitally, as well as the Lustmord dub mixes. Do you expect to continue releasing physical records?

Not yet. As this project develops and as it gains a little more momentum, we might eventually do some CDs. We’ll definitely do vinyl. But I’m going to rely on the digital sales to fund the making, because once again, we’re independent, so writing a check for a bunch of coasters seems kind of silly at this point.

I think people like to have the CD in their hand, but I don’t think they realize that to have one CD in their hand, I had to make thousands to make it worth making them, and then you’re sitting on all these coasters. I’m not going to do that until the sales of the digital stuff catches up with it. Then we’ll do another collection, maybe make it a part of the DVD. But we’re going to make vinyl, for sure. Vinyl format I think is more fun, you can put more images on the 12-inch surfaces. It’s great.

A new message from Major Douche regarding the upcoming Puscifer tour:

Major Douche Eastern Assault. Spring 2010.
"In this war against complacency and the mundane, we the artists/insane must strive to re-invent, to shadowbox our paranoia, and to adapt to inevitable change while still maintaining a balanced diet. Multi tasking is at the very core of our assault. That is why we are very pleased to unveil a new level of combined art and utility during this Spring Campaign. Along with the comedic, visual, and melodic arsenal, we will also be introducing the latest form of whole body entertainment. By inserting a high fiber brown note to the equation, we will achieve not only an elevated sense of the theatrical, but also provide a non chemical, bio degradable, free range sonic digestif. Forward movement will be achieved. Bon Apetit’!!"

Major Douche,

Battalion Commander.

Maynard features in an article on Billboard this morning where he talks about how much Puscifer costs, as well as the possibility of a DVD:

Approaching the entire project more like a television performance troupe, Keenan says he hopes to release "Puscifer Season 1" later this year on DVD.

I think it was pretty much inevitable that we’d see a DVD of some of these performances, and I’m looking forward to seeing it.

Thanks to acousticphenomena for the tip.

A Country & Western version of Trekka – Spaghetti Trekka can be found in the Puscifer site. It’s a live version, I imagine recorded at one of the shows from the last tour.  Enjoy and thanks to Rolo on TDN for the find!

A recent email from the Puscifer Mailing List recaps a whole load of information regarding the upcoming shows and Blood Into Wine screenings.  Here it is in case you missed it:

As Puscifer’s first East Coast tour draws near tickets for Meet & Greets and Wine Classes will become unavailable two weeks prior to each show date.  The only way to guarantee admission to those events is to purchase tickets via Puscifer.com.

Meet & Greet.  Package includes: Exclusive meet and greet with Maynard James Keenan, and 1 single Premium Price Level 1 ticket, and perhaps a bonus if you behave.

Wine Class. The pre-show wine class is an exclusive event in a private environment with one of Maynard’s personal liaisons leading you along the educational path. Learn how Caduceus wines are made. Understand the basic concepts of wine tasting and what goes into the vinification process.**Must be over 21 TO ATTEND!!** (IDs must be provided for entry) Wine Class package includes: Attendance to the wine class, and 1 single Premium Price Level 1 ticket.

The tour dates:

Mar. 2 Atlanta, GA CW Center Stage
Mar. 3 Atlanta, GA CW Center Stage
Mar. 5 Washington, DC Lincoln Center
Mar. 6 Washington, DC Lincoln Center
Mar. 8 Philadelphia, PA Theater of Living Arts
Mar. 9 Philadelphia, PA Theater of Living Arts
Mar. 11 New York, NY Grand Ballroom
Mar. 12 Stamford, CT Palace Theater
Mar. 13 New York, NY Apollo Theater
Mar. 15 Boston, MA Berklee Academy of Music
Mar. 16 Boston, MA Berklee Academy of Music
Mar. 19 Toronto, ON Queen Elizabeth Theater
Mar. 20 Toronto, ON Queen Elizabeth Theater
Mar. 21 Lorain, OH Lorain Theater
Mar. 23 Detroit, MI Royal Oak Theater
Mar. 24 Detroit, MI Royal Oak Theater
Mar. 26 Chicago, IL Vic Theater
Mar. 27 Chicago, IL Vic Theater
Mar. 28 Columbus, OH LC Indoor Pavilion
Mar. 30 Milwaukee, WI Pabst Theater
Apr. 2 Minneapolis, MN Pantages Theater
Apr. 3 Minneapolis, MN Pantages Theater

Win(!) a Pair of Tickets

Join Puscifer’s Facebook page and take part in our ticket giveaway, click here

Blood Into Wine – new screenings and DVD pre-order

DVD pre-order available now at www.bloodintowine.com

Two additional theaters showing Blood Into Wine:

Feb. 19 & 21 at La Paloma Theater in Encinitas, CA  (San Diego)

Mar. 12 – 18 at Cinema Salem in Salem, MA

Tickets available now for these screenings:

Albuquerque – NM – Guild Cinema – Mar. 13

Austin – TX – Alamo Drafthouse Lake Creek

Feb 19 screening with dinner and wine pairings – tickets here

Feb. 20 general admission screening – tickets here

Boston – MA – Somerville Theatre (Box Office: 617-625-5700) – Feb. 26 – 28

Davenport – IA – Capitol Theatre – Feb. 19, 21 & 26 – tickets here

Houston – TX  – Alamo Drafthouse West Oaks

Feb. 19 screening with dinner and wine pairings – tickets here

Feb. 20 general admission screening – tickets here

Los Angeles – CA – Laemmle Sunset (Box Office: 310-478-3836) – Feb. 25 – 28

Minneapolis – MN – Riverview Theatre – Mar. 4 – tickets here

Phoenix – AZ

Premiere – W Hotel Scottsdale – Feb. 19 – SOLD OUT

Harkins Valley Art Theater (Box Office: 480-446-7272) – Feb 26 – Mar. 4

Salt Lake City – UT – Tower Theatre (Box Office: 801-359-5158) – Mar. 5 – 11

San Antonio – TX – Alamo Drafthouse Park North (Box Office: 210-677-8500)– Feb. 19

San Antonio – TX – Alamo Drafthouse Westlakes (Box Office: 210-677-8500)– Feb. 20

San Francisco – CA – Viz Cinema– Feb. 25

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.

Features some nice (audio) live stuff towards the end…

According to a recent post on Puscifer.com, the 2010 East Coast Puscifer Tour now includes the following dates:

• Mar 2nd, 3rd Atlanta, GA CW Center Stage On sale NOW
• Mar 5th, 6th Washington DC, Lincoln Theater On Sale NOW
• Mar 8th, 9th Philadelphia, PA Theater of the Living Arts On Sale NOW
• Mar 11th New York, NY Grand Ballroom On Sale NOW
• Mar 12th Stamford, CT Palace Theater On Sale TBA
• Mar 13th New York, NY Apollo Theater On Sale NOW
• Mar 15th, 16th Boston, MA Berklee Academy of Music On sale NOW
• Mar 19th, 20th Toronto, ON Queen Elizabeth Theater On Sale NOW
• Mar 21st Lorain, OH (Cleveland) Lorain Theater On Sale NOW
• Mar 23rd, 24th Detroit, MI Royal Oak Theater On Sale NOW
• Mar 26th, 27th Chicago, IL Vic Theater On Sale NOW
• Mar 28th Columbus, OH LC Indoor Pavillion On Sale Jan 30th
• Mar 30th Milwaukee, WI Pabst Theater On Sale Jan 29th
• Mar 31st Kansas City, MO Uptown Theater On sale NOW
• Apr 2nd, 3rd Minneapolis, MN Pantages Theater On Sale NOW

The Stamford show has been recently added.  Visit Puscifer.com for ticket sales info, and VIP tickets.

Dan sent me a link to a set of photos from the Puscifer warm ups, I imagine prior to the initial gigs in Las Vegas.  Pictures include shots of Maynard and the band, as well as Milla.

Speaking of Milla, she’s holding a free online concert at Vokle with friends Chris Brenner, Matt Skiba (Alkaline Trio), and Danny Lohner to raise money for Sophie’s Voice, a Spina Bifida charity.  If you have any loose change left after donating to the recent earthquake relief, consider making a donation!

Kevin sent me an email this morning, and he has a range of Tool and APC collectables he’s trying to sell.  For some reason there’s also some System of a Down bits & pieces as well.  Here’s a photo of the collection:

He’s asking  US$150 (including shipping to the US) for the lot, and it includes:

• Pop Smear May/June 1999 issue with MJK as Charles Manson on the cover
• Two 8X10 Glossy photos of MJK
• Danny Carey Sonor Drums promo card
• APC 13th Step sticker
• APC 13th Step postcard
• APC “Weak and Powerless” promo Cd
• Toolarmy postcard
• Tool Detroit May 18, 2001 Handbill
• System of a Down sticker set

The real catch here is the issue of Pop Smear, something that is hard to come by these days.  If you are interested in the package, let me know and I’ll put you in touch with Kevin.

Many of the Puscifer East Coast shows are now on sale at various locations.  Check out Pucifer.com for details.

Maynard has the following to say:

Having taken this show on the road in the Fall, we now know what it will take to pull these multiple themed performances off. The last run was expensive. Keep in mind this is not really so much a band as it is a troupe of sorts. The film bits, set pieces, costuming, video equipment, extra cast members, etc are all added costs above and beyond a typical rock show. And of course to present this show requires the proper venue. We couldn’t fit this performance in to most rock venues. On top of that, we are a new band for the most part. We’re playing in venues far larger than we should be. But again, to present this show, we need the proper size space. So in a nutshell, we barely broke even. But was well worth the experience. So we wanted to take a moment to thank all who supported our efforts. Especially those fo you who purchased the Meet n Greet and Wine Class seats. If it weren’t for you few, we wouldn’t have been able to pull this thing off.

Many of you have complained in the past that the scalpers have swooped in to claim the premium seats. To help undermine their efforts, we’ve posted some of those premium seats on the website, www.puscifer.com and included the 2 packages you see listed in the shopping cart. Hopefully this will slow them down a bit. Why pay $300-$400 bucks for a scalped seat when you can get them here for less AND get to be a part of the Wine Class or Meet n Greet? Seems like a no brainer. Regardless, we appreciate the support and hope you enjoy the shows. We’ve worked very hard on the different presentations and film bits and we’re excited to show them to you all.

Reminder… We’ll be doing at least 3 if not 4 different themed performances throughout the tour. No, we aren’t going to tell you which is which and when or where. Fortune Cookies are fun and so is X-Mas morning. All we ask is that you keep an open mind and enjoy the ride.

Peace.

Good to see some effort made to combat the scalpers.  Are people still convinced that Maynard is the ambivalent non-caring member of Tool?

In case you forgot the dates (updated again 13-Jan-10):

• Mar 2nd, 3rd Atlanta, GA CW Center Stage On sale NOW
• Mar 5th, 6th Washington DC, Lincoln Theater
• Mar 8th, 9th Philadelphia, PA Theater of the Living Arts On Sale JAN 15
• Mar 11th New York, NY Grand Ballroom
• Mar 15th, 16th Boston, MA Berklee Academy of Music On sale NOW
• Mar 19th, 20th Toronto, ON Queen Elizabeth Theater On Sale JAN 15
• Mar 21st Lorain, OH (Cleveland) Lorain Theater On Sale JAN 15
• Mar 23rd, 24th Detroit, MI Royal Oak Theater On Sale JAN 15
• Mar 26th, 27th Chicago, IL Vic Theater On Sale JAN 16
• Mar 28th Columbus, OH LC Indoor Pavillion
• Mar 30th Milwaukee, WI Pabst Theater
• Mar 31st Kansas City, MO Uptown Theater On sale NOW
• Apr 2nd, 3rd Minneapolis, MN Pantages Theater