Publication: The Record
Date: September, 2001
Transcribed by
Marc H. Strother (strotherm@panasonic.com)
Marc H. Strother (strotherm@panasonic.com)
page: 14 title: Tool time at Madison Square Garden author: Ed Condran No tightening needed with this secure lineup You know it’s all about the music when a band as faceless as Tool is popular enough to headline Madison Square Garden for two nights. The Los Angeles-based band is practically an anomaly these days. It doesn’t press MTV flesh, and cloaks itself in anonymity. When the quartet was tapped for a recent cover of Spin, a ray of light obscured members’ eyes. Much as with legendary rock recluse Pink Floyd, it’s all about the songs. “Fame in so many ways is a distraction,” bassist Justin Chancellor said in a call from Boston. “It’s self-destructive for a lot of our peers. We don’t need that. We just need to make music. We just want our fans to focus on our music. That’s what we’re most proud of, not our haircuts.” After a five-year hiatus, Tool is back with its third and perhaps heaviest album to date, “Lateralus”. The disc is a 78-minute collection of deep, dark suites, often featuring tribal drum patterns and intense guitar lines. But listeners should beware: The asymmetrical music is akin to a sonic puzzle and demands patience to glean its many virtues. “We make music that has many levels to it,” Chancellor said. “That’s what we’re about. When we make an album, we want it to live and breathe for a long time.” “It should be something that a listener can grab hold of an experience for a long time,” he said, likening it to the group’s 1995 “Aenima.” After “Aenima,” fans needed a disc to sustain their interest, as Tool engaged in a two-year court battle with its former label Zoo. Vocalist Maynard James Keenan used that time to work with his new group, A Perfect Circle. Tool, which also includes guitarist Adam Jones and drummer Danny Carey, started working on “Lateralus” last October. “Once we got together, the magic was very much still there”, Chancellor said. “The process was smooth. We couldn’t wait to get back out there as Tool.” Although the pop landscape changed considerably with the rise of rap-metal and bubble gum pop, Tool picked up where it left off. “The people who are into us are intensely loyal”, Chancellor said. “They stay with us, and if anything, we get new fans, so we’re incredibly fortunate that way. We’re this word-of-mouth sensation.” While looking forward to its Madison Square Garden debut, Chancellor said the group also knows it has its work cut out. “It’s going to be very heavy playing there in light of the World Trade Center tragedy. We’re still stunned by what happened, just like everybody else is. It was horrible, but we have to heal. We’re just a band, but if we can just take someone away from all of that and they can smile for a little bit because of us, we’ve done something worthwhile.”
Posted to t.d.n: 10/01/01 10:08:01