Maynard James Keenan Speaks of ‘Jamming’ Sessions for Tool + A Perfect Circle

As Maynard James Keenan and the rest of Puscifer prepare for the release of their new EP 'Donkey Punch the Night,' many fans are holding out hope for a 2013 release date for a new Tool album. While singer Maynard James Keenan recently insinuated there would be no new Tool album this year, he offers hope by stating in a new interview that he has been jamming on new material from both Tool and A Perfect Circle.

In an interview with Spin.com, which is hosting the stream of the Pusicifer EP, Keenan addresses the progress on new material for both Tool and A Perfect Circle. "Basically right now it's a lot of ideas," Keenan reveals. "Jamming. There's no actual songs for either project. It's still kind of noodles in a big basket … Lots of noodles, just no dishes."

In discussing the 'Donkey Punch the Night' EP, Keenan talked about Puscifer's cover of the Queen classic 'Bohemian Rhapsody.' "From a production standpoint, it's wonderful exercise of recording the layers to really see what went into making it," describes Keenan. "I have a lot more respect for the original artists. I enjoyed seeing how they approached their signature vocal arrangement. It was very inspirational." Although Freddie Mercury's vocal range went much higher than Keenan's, the singer chose to stay true to 'Bohemian Rhapsody' and it's original key. "There's something about it, in that key, that resonates on almost a molecular level," says Keenan. "We wanted to stay right there."

One of Puscifer's new songs, 'Dear Brother,' is dedicated to several people who have passed away, including Beastie Boys musician Adam 'MCA' Yauch. "Well, you know the Beastie Boys gentleman, that was a sad day when I got that news," reveals Keenan. "It also pays tribute to our friend Edward Willie, Jr. from Uncle Scratch's Gospel Revival — they're a band who opened up for us, out of Ohio in the area where I was born. And Ray Beckwith was an Australian winemaker, who, in a way, reinvented the wheel in winemaking."

Check out the exclusive stream of Puscifer's 'Donkey Punch the Night' EP via Spin.