Blair put out the May 2010 Tool newsletter on Toolband today, and it turns out that it’s his 10th anniversary as writer/content manager.  Congratulations Blair, and despite what some say I’ve always felt he’s been an great webmaster give then guidelines he must work within.

Plenty of goodies inside the newsletter, though I haven’t had a chance to read the full thing, but here’s the bit I like:

Also, with the success certain Karcists are having with the fragments from the grimoire entitled “Libri Of Veneficus Pro Tool”, it would appear that I should get my passport renewed. Once that’s taken care of, hopefully I’ll have a few extra bickies to finally purchase that ILC DOVER-manufactured Extravehicular Mobility Unit that I’ve been yabbering about for years. Remember, the suit with its 3D-Textile “Red Ned” stain proof hydrophilic fibers and polyurethane-coated nylon pressure bladders (hopefully they kept in mind the problem of Chocolate Ripple Biscuits). No wucking furries about the new Assassin spider, but there’s still the usual suspects!

Take a look at the January 2007 Newsletter in particular and some may note the correlation between various terms used….  Perhaps reason enough for Aussies to start getting excited.

There are also strong hints of a website update, something many of us here have suspected for a while now.

In other news today, it seems as though Tool may be playing in LA on the 18th, 19th and 21st of July at the Nokia Center.  This may or may not be Ticketmaster (not on sale yet though) and I’m about to go to bed so haven’t checked personally.  I’m sure someone helpful will post below if this is really the case.

Blair has posted a few more Tool tour dates on Toolband, this time in New Orleans, Houston and Oklahoma City.  Looks like my speculation that it was a West Coast tour was incorrect.  Tour page has been updated!

There is a fair gap in between these shows, and the other shows confirmed in Canada, so expect quite a few more dates to be announced!

Update: These dates have since been removed from Toolband.  Not sure why but I’ve moved them to the rumoured section for now.

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 November 2009 Tool Newsletter is out, though nothing is mentioned in the news about it. I’ve only vaguely read through it, but it seemed to suggest some things about the Toolarmy downtime, though in the usual Blair fashion rather than what most of you would want to read.

According to a recent post on Toolband, Danny has been holidaying in Bali, and girlfriend Rynne managed to take a snap of him playing a gamelan.  Blair also hints that its “perhaps a sign of things to come?”.  If I remember correctly, the gamelan was mentioned when 10,000 Days was in the wings as well…

Blair has released the October newsletter (written before the site maintenance so it says) and it contains ten frightening moments encountered while on tour with the band.  It’s actually an interesting read, so check it out on Toolband.

Blair has released the September 2010 newsletter, and it contains a mix of Tool and non-Tool news.  It largely talks about artists Richard S. Shaver and Stanislav Szukalski, and largely reads as an advertisement for an upcoming exhibition.  Adam and Danny are noted to be admirers and collectors of their work.

There is also a paragraph of Tool news, that appears to be obscured, perhaps by some kind of code:

As I’m sure most of you know, PUSCIFER will be touring this fall. But what you might not know is that some of the shows will be———- SPIDER, SPY from DER. An evil sounding name for an evil insect – a DER-SPY———- Besides the next Volto! show, Danny will be————- PENCIL: A PEN THAT SEES ILL IS A GOOD PEN TO WRITE WITH———– Adam also has a few things going on, but the one that will make fans of Tool———— T-STRONGLY INTEGRATIVE———- T-INTEGRATION. GROWTH———– Justin on the other hand————BALDERDASH————- a squib is a small firework———- (NOTE: using their mech, deros are tampering the content, deleting and changing everything that I type———— DEATH De an te h… the te force of the human obliterated by disintegrant energy (de)———- take precautions!—————————– DEIADE (God murder)———————–

If anyone has any insight into that then let me know.  I don’t see much interesting there.  Adam appears to be working on whatever the hell he’s been working on for a couple of years now it seems.  Danny is busy working with his side projects, and Justin appears to be doing nothing (though probably something), and we all know what Maynard is up to…

I’ve had it pointed out to me overnight, that November 12th in all likeliness won’t be any kind of announcement.  I was somewhat skeptical about the chances of anything happening that day, but Toolarmy member Corinthian pointed out to me a couple of interesting points contained in a few Tool Newsletters.

It turns out that November 12th is the day of the “San Antonio Curse” .  From the March 2007 Newsletter:

We’re still getting lots of messages from Tool enthusiasts who are concerned about the rescheduled tour dates. Many are wondering if the “10,000 Days” tour might in fact be cursed, especially those fans living in San Antonio who are writing to me about what they actually refer to as “the San Antonio curse.”

And

The San Antonio curse began on November 12, 2002 at Freeman Coliseum when a faulty drape fell off the wall in the band’s dressing room and caught on fire from some candles burning there. Noticing this, Maynard nonchalantly uttered “fire… fire… FIRE to anyone who would listen as he calmly walked down a hallway back stage. As an interesting side note, since, as I alluded to earlier, the potential solution to removing the curse involves aspects of time travel, I’m pretty sure that the date that Marty McFly returned to in the film “Back to the Future” and its sequel was November 12 (1955).

The flames were quickly extinguished with the only inconvenience being that a certain band member was deprived of a particular piece of fruit. However, the venue officials required the band to pay several thousand dollars in damage. This was the moment that the curse actually began! Those of you who have read my newsletter about the Coachella debacle – that involving a magically ‘unlawful’ pantacle (not pentacle) placed in the back of Danny’s beater pickup truck might find the following to be quite telling: According to the general manager of the Freeman Coliseum, the fire in the band’s dressing room caused only minor damage, “less than the amount of a used Chevy truck.” With his choice of words, there can be no question that this is evidence of a supernatural presence at work – a strange manifestation that exists outside of time, or is able to manipulate time in ways that modern science doesn’t understand. This presence that foresaw and/or was involved with the future imprecation placed on the truck with its K.C. plates is most certainly demonic in nature, and probably of the “Xaphan” pedigree. It would also appear that the swarming flies of misfortune have followed the band ever since that event of November 12th.

From that May 2008 Newsletter:

we might just be able to remove a curse that occurred in San Antonio’s Freeman Coliseum on November 12, 2002 after a fire in the band’s dressing room prompted venue officials to require the guys to pay several thousand dollars in damages.

In my opinion, what better way to help remove the curse than some positive news regarding Tool’s plan for the future!

Blair has released the August 2009 Tool newsletter.  He talks about several things, including him being sick, Danny hosting a BBQ for the stage crew, Puscifer tour dates, and a list of events coming up.  He also mentions that November 12th will be here soon (whatever that means).

He also talks about, and shows a picture of Danny’s new Gong.

Finally, he goes on to say “What do you think of that, Mr. Bottrill?”

Let the speculation commence!

News has come to hand in regards to the much speculated Tool cover that was supposed to be played on the recent tour.  Some readers let me know that On The Run by Pink Floyd was the cover played as a segue between songs.  Something I suspect Blair picked up on an encouraged in a recent newsletter.

However in a couple of new posts by Blair on the Toolarmy boards, it’s been confirmed that in fact no cover have been played, nor is it likely to be:

The band had planned on performing a new cover (as JUSTIN mentioned in an interview), even playing it at SOME of the rehearsals (which I mentioned), but then decided against it. Some band members wanted to play it, but one (maybe 2) didn’t (for personal reasons). Unless you’re stupid enough to think I decide the set list, what’s your problem? I simply posted what I was told: That there was going to be a new cover. They even rehearsed it, but when it came time for the tour, at least one band member had a change of heart (which, under the circumstances, I completely understand). Maybe they will perform it some day. Maybe not. Who knows?

Reading between the lines a little bit, it may seem as though certain members of the band rehearsed the cover, and then another member of the band vetoed it for one reason or another.