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love norfolk 4 by dez sanderson -
Springan i mitten - For whom the bell tools/hållkäften live! -
BAND TIPS: The Tool Box -
Earthworm Jim (Genesis) Stages 1-3 -
crazy white boys 7 -
crazy white boys 5 -
jim breuer iragi peoples sexuality -
"Maybe Not This Time" by Soberpill -
Join the Army! -
andrew dice clay king of comedy
Tool
The photo shows Tool appearing at the Roskilde Festival in 2006. After finding the picture at flickr http://flickr.com/photos/78131262@N00/211846090/ with all rights reserved I contacted the photographer, who then gave permission to release the picture un
Tool is an American rock band, formed in 1990 in Los Angeles, California. The band's members are drummer Danny Carey, bassist Justin Chancellor, guitarist Adam Jones, and vocalist Maynard James Keenan.
Tool emerged with heavy metal music on its first release when the genre was dominated by thrash metal, but was later seen at the top of the alternative metal movement with the release of its second full-length studio album Ænima in 1996. Efforts to unify musical experimentation, visual arts, and a message of personal evolution continued with Lateralus (2001) and the most recent album 10,000 Days (2006), and gained the band critical acclaim and success around the world. Tool has won three Grammy Awards, performed worldwide tours, and produced albums topping the charts in several countries.[1]
Due to Tool's incorporation of visual arts and relatively long and complex releases, the band is generally described as a style-transgressing act and part of progressive and art rock. The relationship between the band and today's music industry is ambivalent,[2] at times marked by censorship and the bandmembers' insistence on privacy.[3]
History
Early years (1990–1992)
During the 1980s, the future members of Tool had all moved to Los Angeles. Both Paul D'Amour and Adam Jones wanted to enter the film industry, while Maynard James Keenan found employment remodeling pet stores after studying visual arts in Michigan.[3] Danny Carey performed as a drummer for Green Jellÿ,[4] and Carole King, and played around Los Angeles with Pigmy Love Circus.[5]
Keenan and Jones met through a mutual friend in 1989.[7] After Keenan played Jones a tape recording of his previous band project, Jones was so impressed by his voice that he eventually talked his friend into forming their own band.[7] They started jamming together, but were still on the lookout for a drummer and a bass player. Danny Carey happened to live above Keenan and was introduced to Jones by Tom Morello, an old high school friend of Jones and former bandmate of Electric Sheep.[8] Carey began playing in their sessions because he "felt kinda sorry for them," as other invited musicians were not showing up.[9] Tool's lineup was completed when a friend of Jones introduced them to bassist D'Amour.[10] Early on, the band circulated the story that they formed because of—and found their name through—"lachrymology",[11] but later Keenan explained their intentions differently: "Tool is exactly what it sounds like: It's a big dick. It's a wrench. … we are … your tool; use us as a catalyst in your process of finding out whatever it is you need to find out, or whatever it is you're trying to achieve."[12]
After only a few gigs, the band was approached by record companies,[7] and only three months into their career signed a record deal with Zoo Entertainment.[10] In March 1992, Zoo published the band's first effort, Opiate. Described by the band as "slam and bang" heavy metal[13] and the "hardest sounding" six songs they had written to that point,[14] the EP included the singles "Hush" and "Opiate". The band's first music video "Hush" promoted the band's dissenting views about the then-prominent PMRC and its advocacy of the censorship of music, and featured the band members naked with their genitalia covered by parental advisory stickers[15] and their mouths covered by duct tape. The band began touring with Rollins Band, Skitzo, Fishbone, and Rage Against the Machine[2] to positive responses, which Janiss Garza of RIP Magazine summarized in September 1992 as a "buzz" and "a strong start".[16]
[edit] Undertow (1993–1995)
The following year, at a time when post-Nirvana alternative rock was at its height, Tool released their first full-length album Undertow (1993). It expressed more diverse dynamics than Opiate and included songs the band had chosen not to publish on their previous release when they opted for a heavier sound.[14] The band began touring again as planned, with an exception in May 1993. Tool was scheduled to play the Garden Pavilion in Hollywood, but learned at the last minute that the Garden Pavilion belonged to L. Ron Hubbard's Church of Scientology, which the band felt clashed with "the band's ethics about how a person should not follow a belief system that constricts their development as a human being."[2] Keenan recalled that he "spent most of the show baa-ing like a sheep at the audience."[17]
Tool later played several very successful concerts during the Lollapalooza road show, and were moved from second to main stage by their manager and the festival's co-founder Ted Gardner.[18] At the last concert of Lollapalooza in Tool's hometown Los Angeles, Bill Hicks introduced the band. Hicks had become a friend and influence on the band after being mentioned in Undertow's liner notes.[19] He jokingly asked the audience of 60,000 people to stand still, and help him look for a lost contact lens.[20] The boost in popularity gained from these concerts led Undertow to be certified gold by the RIAA in 1993 and to receive platinum status a year later,[21] despite being sold with a censored album cover by distributors such as Wal-Mart.[22][23] The single "Sober" closed in on becoming a hit single by March 1994 and won the band Billboard's "Best Video By A New Artist" award for the accompanying stop motion music video.[14]
"Prison Sex" was removed from the MTV playlist, because its video was deemed "too graphic and offensive."
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With the release of Tool's follow-up single "Prison Sex", the band again became the target of censorship. Due to the symbolic portrayal of child abuse, the American branch of MuchMusic called the band into question by deeming the respective music video—like "Sober", mainly created by guitarist Adam Jones—too graphic and offensive,[2] and MTV stopped airing the video after a few viewings.[24]
In September 1995, the band entered the studios to record their second album. At that time, Tool experienced its only lineup change, with bassist D'Amour leaving the band amicably to pursue other projects. Justin Chancellor, a member of former tourmates Peach, eventually replaced D'Amour, chosen over competitors such as Kyuss' Scott Reeder, Filter's Frank Cavanaugh, Pigmy Love Circus's E. Shepherd Stevenson and ZAUM's Marco Fox.[25]
[edit] Ænima (1996–2000)
After Justin Chancellor came on board, recording of the already-begun Ænima continued. The band enlisted the help of producer David Bottrill, who had produced some of King Crimson's albums while Jones collaborated with Cam de Leon to create Ænima's (later Grammy-nominated) artwork. The album was released in October 1996.
Two-and-a-half years prior, satirist Bill Hicks had died, and the album is dedicated to his memory.[2] The band intended to raise awareness about Hicks' material and ideas, because they felt that they "were resonating similar concepts."[26] In particular, Ænima's final track "Third Eye" is preceded by a clip of Hicks' performances, and both the lenticular casing of the Ænima CD packaging as well as the chorus of the title track "Ænema" make reference to a sketch off Hicks' Arizona Bay, where he contemplates the idea of California falling into the Pacific Ocean.[26][27] Eventually, "Ænema" would win Tool their first Grammy Award.[28]
This Bill Hicks inspired song won the 1998 Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance.
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The first single "Stinkfist" had difficulty gaining airplay: It was shortened by radio programmers, MTV renamed the music video of "Stinkfist" to "Track #1" due to offensive connotations,[29] and the lyrics of the song were altered.[30] Responding to fan complaints of censorship, Matt Pinfield of MTV's 120 Minutes expressed regrets on air by waving his fist in front of his face while introducing the video and explaining the name change.[29]
A tour began in October 1996, only two weeks after Ænima's release. Following numerous appearances in the United States and Europe, Tool headed for Australia in late March 1997. April 1 saw the first of several April Fools pranks related with the band, most of them being initiated by Kabir Akhtar, webmaster of the semi-official fanpage t.d.n, announcing that:
"…while on tour in Australia, Tool's tour bus was involved in a serious highway accident. Early reports from Zoo Entertainment are that at least three of the band are listed in critical condition."[31]
The hoax gained wide attention, and was eventually exposed on radio and MTV.[31] Akhtar later posted an apology, claiming that t.d.n "will not indulge itself in such outlandish pranks in the future"[31] – a false claim, as later pranks would prove. The tour continued the next day as originally announced. Eventually returning to the United States, Tool appeared at Lollapalooza '97 in July, this time as a headliner, gaining critical praise from The New York Times:
"Tool was returning in triumph to Lollapalooza after appearing among the obscure bands on the festival's smaller stage in 1993. Now Tool is the prime attraction for a festival that's struggling to maintain its purpose. … Tool uses taboo-breaking imagery for hellfire moralizing in songs that swerve from bitter reproach to nihilistic condemnation. Its music has refined all the troubled majesty of grunge."[32]
Regardless of a decline in popularity of alternative rock music during the mid-90s in the United States, Ænima eventually matched Tool's successful debut, selling equal numbers.[33] The progressive-influenced Ænima landed the band at the head of the alternative metal genre: It featured the Grammy Award-winning "Ænema" and appeared on "Best Albums of 1996" lists,[34] with notable examples being Kerrang![35] and Terrorizer.[36]
A legal battle that began the same year impeded the band from working on another release. Volcano Records—the successor of Tool's by-then defunct label Zoo Entertainment—alleged contract violations by Tool and filed suit. According to Volcano, Tool violated their contract when the band looked at offers from other record labels. After Tool filed a counter suit stating that Volcano failed to use a renewal option in their contract, the parties settled out of court. At the end of 1998, Tool agreed to a new contract, a three-record joint venture deal.[37] In 2000, the band dismissed their long-time manager Ted Gardner, who then decided to sue the band over his commission on this lucrative agreement.[38]
These legal battles put a great strain on the band and delayed work on their next album.[2] During this time, Keenan founded the successful band A Perfect Circle with long-time Tool guitar tech Billy Howerdel, while Jones joined The Melvins' Buzz Osborne and Carey Dead Kennedys' Jello Biafra on other side-projects.[39] At this point, rumors that Tool were breaking up began to spread[40][41] until the band released the Salival box set (CD]/VHS or CD/DVD) in 2000, effectively putting an end to the rumors.[1] The CD contained one new original track, a cover of Led Zeppelin's "No Quarter", and live versions of Peach's "You Lied" as well as old revised songs. The VHS and DVD both contained four music videos, with a bonus music video for "Hush" on the DVD. Although Salival did not produce any singles, the hidden track "Maynard's Dick" (which dates back to the Opiate era) briefly found its way to FM radio when several DJs chose to play it on air under the title "Maynard's Dead".[42]
[edit] Lateralus (2001-2005)
In January 2001, Tool announced a new album, Systema Encéphale, along with a 12-song tracklist containing titles such as "Riverchrist," "Numbereft," "Encephatalis," "Musick," and "Coeliacus".[43] File-sharing networks such as Napster became flooded with bogus files bearing the titles' names.[43] During that time, Tool members were outspokenly critical of file-sharing networks in general due to the negative impact on artists that are dependent on success in record sales to continue their career. Keenan had this to say during an interview with NY Rock in 2000:
"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."[44]
"Schism" is the Grammy awarded first single off Lateralus. With its abstract lyrics, and multi-sectioned, odd-metered structure it has since become a signature song of the band.
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Only one month later, the band revealed that the new album was actually titled Lateralus and that the name Systema Encéphale and the tracklist had been a ruse.[45] Lateralus and the corresponding tours would take Tool a step further towards art-rock[46][47][48] and progressive rock[49][50][51] territory. Rolling Stone wrote in an attempt to summarize the album that "Drums, bass and guitars move in jarring cycles of hyperhowl and near-silent death march. … The prolonged running times of most of Lateralus' thirteen tracks are misleading; the entire album rolls and stomps with suitelike purpose."[50] Joshua Klein of The A.V. Club in turn expressed his opinion that Lateralus, with its 79 minutes and relatively complex and long songs—topped by the ten-and-a-half minute music video for "Parabola"—posed a challenge to fans and music programming alike.[52]
The album became a success the world over, reaching #1 on the U.S. Billboard 200 albums chart in its debut week.[53] Tool received their second Grammy Award for the best metal performance of 2001 for the song "Schism".[54] During the band's acceptance speech, drummer Carey stated that he would like to thank his parents (for putting up with him) and Satan, and bassist Chancellor concluded: "I want to thank my dad for doing my mom."[55]
Extensive touring throughout 2001 and 2002 supported Lateralus, and included a personal highlight of the band: a 10-show joint mini-tour with King Crimson in August 2001. Comparisons between the two were made, MTV described the bands as "the once and future kings of progressive rock",[47] and Keenan stated: "For me, being on stage with King Crimson is like Lenny Kravitz playing with Led Zeppelin, or Britney Spears onstage with Debbie Gibson."[47]
Although the end of the tour in November 2002 seemed to spell another dormancy for the band, they did not become completely inactive. While Keenan recorded and toured with A Perfect Circle, the other band members released an interview and a recording of new material, both fan club exclusive. On March 31, 2005, the official website announced that "Maynard has found Jesus" and would be abandoning the recording of the new Tool album temporarily and possibly permanently. 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."[56] On April 7, the official Tool site posted the following news item titled with the Bill Hicks quote "Christians, huh? So forgive me." It then explained, "Good news, April fools fans. The writing and recording is back under way."[57]
The writing and recording proceeded for the follow-up to Lateralus; meanwhile, a Lateralus vinyl edition and two DVD singles were released, and the band's official website received a new splash intro by artist Joshua Davis.[58] The "double vinyl four-picture disc" edition of Lateralus was first released as a limited autographed edition exclusively available to fan club members, and publicly released on August 23, 2005. On December 20, 2005, the two DVDs were released, one containing the single "Schism" and the other "Parabola", a remix by Lustmord, and the music video with commentary by David Yow and Jello Biafra, respectively.
[edit] 10,000 Days (2006-present)
Fifteen years into the band's career, Tool had acquired what Dan Epstein of Revolver described as a devoted "cult" following,[59] and as details about the band's next album emerged, such as the influence of Lateralus tourmates Fantômas and Meshuggah,[60] the rumor mill surrounding new Tool releases resurfaced.[61] The main controversy was the album title. After rumored titles such as Teleincision had been dismissed, a news item on the official Tool website announced the new album's name was 10,000 Days.
Nevertheless, speculation continued and reached a point where it was alleged that 10,000 Days was merely a "decoy" album to fool audiences until the day of release,[61] which eventually proved false when a leaked copy of the album was illegally distributed via filesharing networks a week prior to the official release.[62] The album opener "Vicarious" premiered on US radio stations on April 17, and the record was released as announced on May 2, 2006 in the US, and debuted at the top spots of various international charts. 10,000 Days sold 564,000 copies in its opening week in the US and was number one on the Billboard 200 charts, doubling sales of Pearl Jam's self-titled album, the closest competitor,[63] although the critical reception of 10,000 Days was less favorable than its predecessor Lateralus. [64]
After the release of 10,000 Days, a tour kicked off at Coachella on April 30, 2006. The touring schedule was similar to the Lateralus tour of 2001; supporting acts were Isis and Mastodon. During a short break early next year, after touring Australia and New Zealand, drummer Danny Carey suffered a bicep tear during a skirmish with his girlfriend's dog,[65] casting uncertainty on the band's upcoming concerts in North America. Carey underwent surgery on February 21, and several gigs had to be postponed. Back on tour by April, Tool appeared as a headliner at the Bonnaroo Music Festival with a guest appearance from Rage Against the Machine's Tom Morello on "Lateralus".[66]
Meanwhile, the packaging of 10,000 Days gained Tool the distinction of "Best Recording Package" during the 49th Grammy Awards in February 2007, but their first single "Vicarious" fell short in the category "Best Hard Rock Performance" to Wolfmother's "Woman".[67]
In an interview conducted May 2007, Justin Chancellor stated that the band would continue their tour probably until early 2008 and afterwards "take some time off".[68] He qualified this by adding that the band has already written new material and will surely release another album at some point down the road.[68] A possible project until a next album is to make a "band movie",[69] a possibility the band has reportedly thought of for a long time.[69] The ideas range from "a narrative story in a surreal fashion with as much money and special effects" as possible to "pockets of all of that or something that's live or the band playing."[69] And although Carey stated that the necessary know-how was at hand due to the many relations to artists working in the movie business,[70] Jones dismissed: "It's just talk right now."[69]
[edit] Musical style and influences
Tool has gained critical praise from the International Herald Tribune's C.B. Liddell for a complex and ever-evolving sound.[71] Describing their general sound, the All Music Guide refers to them as "grinding, post-Jane's Addiction heavy metal"[1], and The New York Times sees similarities to "Led Zeppelin's heaving, battering guitar riffs and Middle Eastern modes".[72] Their 2001 work Lateralus led the All Music Guide to compare it to Pink Floyd's Meddle (1971), but thirty years later and altered by "Tool's impulse to cram every inch of infinity with hard guitar meat and absolute dread".[49]
[edit] Musical style
A component of Tool's song repertoire relies on the use of odd meter time signatures. For instance, Justin Chancellor describes the time signature employed on Lateralus' first single "Schism", as 6.5/8 and that it later "goes into all kinds of other times".[73] The album's title track "Lateralus" also displays shifting rhythms,[73] as does 10,000 Days' (2006) "Wings for Marie (Pt 1)" and "10,000 Days (Wings Pt 2)".[74]
Beyond this aspect of the band's sound, each band member experiments within his musical scope. Bass Player magazine attested to Chancellor's bass playing as a "thick midrange tone, guitar-style techniques, and elastic versatility".[73] As an example of this, the magazine mentioned the use of a wah effect by hammering "the notes with the left hand and using the bass's tone controls to get a tone sweep", such as on the song "The Patient" (Lateralus 2001).[73]
Completing the band's rhythm section, drummer Danny Carey uses polyrhythms, tabla-style techniques, and the incorporation of custom electronic drum pads to trigger samples, such as prerecorded