Puscifer (and A Perfect Circle)

When good musicians hit their stride and comfort zone in a band, some have a tendency for starting side projects that allow them to stretch their creative wings in other directions. Say hello to Mr Maynard James Keenan. Not content with a 20+ year career in massively popular ‘art-metal’ band Tool (you can read my comments about them further down the page) his then guitar technician, Billy Howerdel persuaded him to create band number two, A Perfect Circle. I don’t think that either of them could have anticipated how that was going to blow up in their face, with all 3 of their album releases achieving either gold or platinum sales status in the US. But apparently, Mr Keenan still has a lot to get off his chest.
Puscifer is his solo project with only himself as a permanent member. He is however, surrounded by an ever changing crew of talent that allow him to take this project out on the road and it does indeed appear to be a completely different experience in comparison to any of his other work. This is a bit more than music. You can arrange to meet and greet the man himself and enjoy a glass of wine from his vineyard (did I forget to mention that ‘side project’?). He describes himself as a professional jackass and his advice for these live shows is ‘to arrive happy and hungry and prepared for all possibilities’. The mind boggles.
Find your inner boy scout at https://store.puscifer.com