No. 5: Tool

Tool is one of those bands that fucks you in the brain and leaves you bleeding and burning for more. The first time I saw one of their shows, I was dumbstruck..... It was such a flurry of visceral resonance that stuck with me for days and days afterwards. Made up of Maynard James Keenan (vocals), Adam Jones (guitar), Justin Chancellor (bass), and Danny Carey (drums), Tool is a welcome addition to Lollapalooza '09. The band was formed in LA in the early 90's when Keenan met Jones through Rage Against The Machine's Tom Morello and decided to start a band together. Danny Carey was the guy who lived above MJK back then and obliged to play drums for them upon their request. Carey was already an accomplished studio musician who once toured with Carole King. At first, Carey was reluctant to join the band because he didn't think they were very good, but the band began to gel with the addition of Paul D'Amour, the band's first bassist.

The band became famous for songs like "Sober" and "Prison Sex" from their first full length album Undertow, and videos for these songs were stop motion oddities created by Adam Jones, who just so happened to have a background in special effects. If you've seen Terminator 2, Jurassic Park, Ghostbusters 2, or Nightmare on Elm Street, you've seen some of Jones' handiwork. The band had continued success on their next album, Ænima, with kickass jaunts such as "Stinkfist" and "Eulogy" all while welcoming their new bassist, Chancellor. However, in my eyes, their opus, Lateralus, was their next album. This album is an enigma of messages, time signatures, and demonstrates just how mindblowingly freaky Tool can be. (It is said that if the tracks on the album are put into a different order, the album will play as one song.) The album was also dedicated to the memory of Bill Hicks, a personal hero of mine and the band's. Next up was 10,000 Days, a chartburner of an album which while not as adventurous as Lateralus had been, sold over 500,000 copies in its first week and debuted at #1 on Billboard, nevertheless.

What's next for Tool is tough to say. There have been whispers about a new album on the horizon for quite some time, but when said album will be released, is just about anyone's guess at this point. Up until this summer the band was on hiatus, which permitted the members to pursue their other many interests such as relaxation, side projects (Puscifer), and wine hocking (Keenan). Personally, I'm just glad they're here at Lolla this year, and I strongly advise you to check them out over the Yeah Yeah Yeahs who are competing (ha!) in the same time slot.

www.toolband.com

(There is no Tool Myspace page as Tool is very vocal in their disdain for MP3's in general.)