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:

• You can occasionally hear TOOL on my Spotify playlist “Libertarian Rock”. Just search those words on Spotify or try this month’s list.
• My new song Enlighten Me
• Hear me on the Bob Murphy show!