Puscifer, the eclectic music-meets-comedy troupe helmed by Maynard James Keenan (Tool, A Perfect Circle), rolled through Upper Darby’s Tower Theater last Wednesday for a musically driven evening that merged technology, quirky characters and comedy. Puscifer‘s core and touring band members include renowned musicians Maynard James Keenan, Mat Mitchell, Josh Eustis, Carina Round, Matt McJunkins and Jeff Friedl.
The evening was kicked off with a performance by Carina Round, as she continues to support her 10th Anniversary addition of The First Blood Mystery, which was the first of her three full-length albums to hit streets since 2001. And although her set was on point with array of gifted musicians including several members of Puscifer, the audience remained relatively apathetic. Despite the crowd’s apathy, Round stormed through an energetic and attitudinal set that combined elements of rock and dashes of electronic leitmotifs that energized a small but very vocal group of her supporters.
I had originally intended to present Blow The Scene readers with a rich review and photo gallery, but do an array of miscommunications with The Tower Theater’s security staff, this simply wasn’t in the cards. I spent the majority of the evening briefing the rotating set of guards on what the photo stipulations were set by the tour, as they apparently were clueless. I was able to focus long enough to witness Mr. Keenan captivate the audience with his dry wit and humor as he set up a smorgasbord of stage props that included trailer camper (which he pulled onto stage), grill, picnic table, and of course Maynard’s own wine from his Caduceus Cellars.
Puscifer continue to support their troupe’s latest LP, Conditions of My Parole, which made an impressive debut at #27 on the Billboard Charts in October.
“The Verde Valley is an intrinsic part of what Puscifer is,” explains Keenan. “It’s equal parts Twilight Zone, Mayberry and Road Warrior. The ghosts and aliens, Republicans and Democrats, cowboys and artists living side by side with hostile creatures such as scorpions, spiders, rattlesnakes, javelina and hippies are just a few of the spicy ingredients that give Conditions of My Parole its unique flavor.”
Conditions of My Parole was recorded in Jerome, Ariz. this spring with tracking done amidst the wine barrels from Keenan’s Caduceus Cellars. The album was produced by Keenan, Mat Mitchell, and Josh Eustis. Contributing musicians for the new album include the aforementioned Keenan, Mitchell, and Eustis as well as Carina Round, Juliette Commagere, Matt McJunkins, Jeff Freidl, Gil and Rani Sharone, Jonny Polonsky, Tim Alexander, Devo Keenan, Alessandro Cortini, Sarah Jones, and Jon Theodore.
Rather than scrapping the entire set of photos, I decided to post a handful of haphazardly shot pictures I was able to shoot amidst the confusion of an ill informed security team.
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