The Interrupters, TOOL, and Unpleasant Medical Procedures

Cover song: The Interrupters – Liberty

The Interrupters have a straight-forward pop-punk/ska sound with the novelty of a female vocalist and libertarian subject matter. Great things are happening for them, too: they are touring with a few semi-well-known bands called Green Day, Fall Out Boy, and Weezer.

Here is my “Johnny Cash” cover of their song, Liberty:

TOOL – Fear Inoculum

“Washington $%@& DC. This town needs a @#$% enema.” – Maynard James Keenan of Tool the other night before playing the song Ænema.

These TOOL fellows don’t mince words, and they chose their words provocatively. The experience of the TOOL performance recently in Washington DC on their Fear Inoculum tour was a sensory and mental assault of a prog-metal battering ram. The amazing stage effects, the cylindrical video screen that surrounded the performers, the multi-speaker surround-sound PA system distributed throughout the arena all contributed to the amazing night. The disturbing animations on the big screen were a nice compliment – my favorite part was when a flea (or louse?) had an eyeball with squid tentacles emerge from its thorax Alien-style. Of course, the center of it all was the band and their incredible music.

TOOL has something truly unique. There are plenty of other prog-metal bands, but there is only one TOOL. Adam Jones’ chunky, droning guitar riffs and haunting arpeggios and Justin Chancellor’s rhythmic bass riffs serve as the backbone gluing the songs together. Where in typical rock music, the drums serve as the rhythmic backbone, I wonder if this is reversed in TOOL. Though Jones and Chancellor are certainly not slouches in their musicianship, they tend to play simpler, understated, and repetitive progressions throughout the songs. You won’t find any John Petrucci guitar solos here. It is Danny Carey on drums that takes center stage literally as well as musically with his virtuosity and endless flow of improvisation. He is probably the member of the band that lets loose the most and is a constant fixture in the songs. Vocalist Maynard James Keenan is unparalleled for his distinctive, powerful voice, but because the songs tend to have extended instrumental parts, he is not present as often as Carey is.

Whoever the standout member may be, it is safe to say that each musician’s contributions are perfect for what the music needs. The marriage of vocals, bass, guitar and drums in TOOL is such that it doesn’t seem like it could be any other way. Adding another guitarist or keyboardist, or whatever, would actually take away from the musical chemistry they have.

Until the other night, I was only mildly impressed with TOOL’s latest album in about 14 years, Fear Inoculum. It is certainly a standard TOOL “style” and the songs are fine for what they are. However, there didn’t seem to be a stand out song on the album, like Schism or The Pot. The concert has changed my mind, though. Seeing the live performance of several of the tracks felt like that was how they are meant to be heard (and seen). Though I’m quite sure TOOL is anti-religion, I am a believer in Fear Inoculum now. I’d certainly recommend it, with the qualification that it may take you a few listens to really appreciate it.

Don’t forget:

VH1 Behind the Music, not with Matt Bankert

Is VH1 still around even?  Anyway, I wasn’t on VH1, but on the next best thing: YouTube.  Take a peek at this video giving some background on my new song, Enlighten Me:

video tn

Did you miss my song?  Check it out: www.MattBankert.com/enlighten-me

Libertarian Rock playlist

My latest Spotify playlist for November is here!

Artist Song Comments
Tim Hawkins The Government Can
All That Remains A War You Cannot Win
Backwordz Praxeology
Black Label Society Death March Peace through destruction
Dillinger Escape Plan Nong Eye Gong Your voice is the sound of nothing, butcher of every artform, peddler of deceit
Dragonforce War!
Havok I Am The State
Judas Priest Sword of Damocles
Killswitch Engage Know Your Enemy
Megadeth Killing Is My Business
Metallica And Justice for All
Rage Against the Machine Renegade of Funk Tom Paine was a renegade
Sons Of Liberty False Flag
Tool The Pot
Alice Cooper Private Public Breakdown
Bob Dylan I Shall Be Released
Death Politicians in my Eyes
Kinks Shangri-La The life of a retiree on a government pension
Nina Simone I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel to Be Free
Pete Seeger Draft Dodger Rag
Randy Newman It’s a Jungle Out There
Bad Religion The Kids are Alt-Right
Minor Threat Steppin’ Stone
Pennywise Land of the Free? Free to control your life
Sick of it All World Full of Hate
The Interrupters Liberty
Warehouse One Title Pending
Zebrahead Rescue Me
Aimee Allen Ron Paul Revolution
Alter Bridge Native Son Native son in a foreign land
Blacktop Mojo 8000 Lines
Cake Federal Funding
Corporate Avenger Taxes are Stealing
Elton John I Just Can’t Wait to Be King Rehearsed by every politician just before inauguration
Foo Fighters I’ll Stick Around I don’t owe you anything – but what about the social contract?
Incubus Megalomaniac
Jimi Hendrix Stone Free
Jordan Page The Ballad of Lavoy Finicum
Killers The Man They kiss the ring, I carry the crown
Matt Bankert Enlighten Me Pretentious intellectuals are annoying.
Muse Thought Contagion
Mutiny at Midnight Copperheads & Crows