In case you missed it in last month’s Tool-RELATED news, Volto! recorded at the loft with ‘Evil’ Joe Baressi at the controls. More details to come, so keep checking Danny’s website and/or the other band members’ Facebook pages. As for actual TOOL news, it would appear that the Tool tour rumors that I started might just contain a certain amount of validity (meaning that - they’re true). And while this will be seen as exciting news by many of you, to others – those who can’t make the shows, for instance – it might be viewed as just another distraction from writing, recording, and releasing a new album.

Fair enough… but, consider this: During a month of touring, ALL FOUR BAND MEMBERS WILL BE TOGETHER, with lots of down time and great big stages containing their equipment, as well as state-of-the-art sound systems (The geniuses!). Not to mention crack security personnel. During the sound checks, once they’ve dialed in the mix for a couple of the songs on the set list for that evening, there should be a sufficient amount of time left to work on NEW MUSIC (that is - music for the next record). So, it’s a win-win situation – at least that’s how I see it…

And once the Tool winter tour is over, as Maynard transitions into the SPRING PUSCIFER TOUR, I’m fairly certain that the other three will continue with the writing and arranging of new material – getting their parts to Maynard, so that he can add the vocals, lyrics, keys, etc., before they can, together as a band, put the final touches on it before going into the various recording studios. As to exactly when any new record might be released, I honestly DON’T know. No one does at this point, so we’ll all just have to wait and see how things go…

SOME TOOL TOUR DATES

Jan 14 - Reno, NV @ Reno Event Center
Jan 15 - Las Vegas, NV @ Mandalay Bay Center
Jan 17 - Tucson, AZ @ Convention Center Arena
Jan 18 - Albuquerque, NM @ Tingley Coliseum
Jan 20 - Dallas, TX @ Verizon Theatre
Jan 21 – TBA
Jan 24 - Toledo, OH @ Huntington Center
Jan 25 - Toronto, ON @ Air Canada Centre
Jan 26 - London, ON @ John LaBatt Centre
Jan 28 - Boston, MA @ TD Bank North Center
Jan 29 - Camden, NJ @ Susquehanna Bank Center
Jan 31 - Uncasville, CT @ Mohegan Sun Casino Arena
Feb 1 - East Rutherford, NJ @ Izod Center
Feb 3 – TBA
Feb 4 - Charlotte, NC @ Bojangles Coliseum
Feb 6 - Ft. Lauderdale, FL @ Bank Atlantic Center
Feb 7 - Orlando, FL @ UCF Arena
Feb 8 - Atlanta, GA @ Gwinnett Center Arena

PUSCIFER SPRING TOUR DATES AND LINKS HERE.

Besides a possible new record release, 2012 should be a good year for Tool enthusiasts for other reasons. Projects that have admittedly taken quite a while are now getting finished, and should soon be ready for you to scrutinize. With that said, I don’t think a live Tool DVD release is likely to be one of these. Yet, you never know. Sometimes things come out of the blue. Still, I wouldn’t hold my breath…

Finally, on behalf of the band members, here’s wishing all of you a happy and safe holiday season!

E-MAIL TO TOOL

“I am a Masters Degree student in the Department of Organizational Communication at Murray State University in Murray, KY. My discipline of Communication draws from many other facets of Academia such as Psychology and Sociology. Throughout my course of study, we have analyzed the microscopic nuances of human communication. I am currently in the capstone course for my degree program. This class focuses on being a radical for change, the capacity of the human spirit, and the natural order of chaos among many other things. Our final project is a binder containing academic research based on a topic that our class speaks to. I chose to focus on systems theory, complexity, and the process of emergence. Many of our discussion topics focus on the natural order and beauty that can emerge from embracing randomness and chaos. The central idea of my binder is Lateralus. Every point of light that has stemmed from the creative minds of Tool has been a true inspiration for me. Because of your Craft, I am compelled to go beyond, become an agent of change, and embrace the unknown. I simply offer a humble THANK YOU to everyone that has brought this Art to the masses. Your work, life, and movement have brought about a CHANGE in many people. I am one of them. “

HAPPY TRAILS

BLAIR
JUSTIN
DANNY
MAYNARD
ADAM