Tool, A Perfect Circle, and Puscifer frontman Maynard James Keenan has earned his blackbelt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu. The artist received it just in time before a busy touring season, which Tool’s winter trek kicks off this Wednesday (10th). Ty Gay, a fellow Jiu-jitsu black belt and Keenan’s friend and training partner, congratulated Keenan via Instagram. The black belt ceremony was described as an amazing event.
Ty Gay expressed:
“Congratulations to my friend, training partner, and sometimes nemesis @iamthebriefcase on the monumental task of receiving his Black Belt today. Was an amazing event, with a bunch of truly amazing people. Today, Jiu-Jitsu became just a little bit better.”
A busy year ahead
Following Tool’s fall tour, we’re curious to see if there will be any surprise special guests for their winter run. It was in November 2023 when Rush guitarist Alex Lifeson surprised the audience in Toronto. The live collaboration featured a rendition of Tool’s “Jambi” along with a snippet of Rush’s “A Passage To Bangkok” and “2112: Overture.”
Prior to the surprise, Tool bassist Justin Chancellor shared a potential update on the follow-up to 2019’s Fear Inoculum. In an appearance on The Vinyl Guide Podcast, Chancellor mentioned the band has a ton of ideas just stored away. It took Tool a few short thirteen years to release the follow-up to 2006’s 10,000 Days. During that time, we listened to about 10,000 updates on the follow-up, which inevitably became Fear Inoculum. Only time will tell what the group will decide to do with their leftover material.
There’s more on the radar for Maynard, of course. The artist will embark on a spring trek to celebrate his 60th birthday. Dates for the Sessanta tour, featuring Puscifer, A Perfect Circle, and Primus, can be found via this location.
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