Playlist: Maynard James Keenan of Puscifer

"What have I been listening to lately?" asks Maynard James Keenan inquisitively when approached about the subject of his playlist.

The Tool, Puscifer and A Perfect Circle frontman has a thought ready for about almost anything, but the topic of music causes him to step back for a second. Then he laughs, "I've just been so sheltered!"

Maynard's far from "sheltered," but he is spending a lot of time spinning Puscifer tracks in order to prep for the band's two Los Angeles shows at Club Nokia on April 4th and 5th. However in between preparations, he sat down with ARTISTdirect.com for this exclusive interview. He opened up his iTunes and gave us a peek at his playlist.

Check out Maynard's playlist below.

Maynard James Keenan's Playlist:

1. Puscifer

"To be honest, I've been listening to our own stuff because we're trying to get these shows going and we're reinventing all of the tracks. I'm sitting here right now trying to learn the harmony to a version of 'Undertaker' that we did called 'Spanish Fly.' It's got a lead sung by Juliette Commagere, but it's in Spanish, and I don't know Spanish [Laughs]. I'm sitting here all day long listening to this harmony in Spanish trying to learn the words. I'm going to have to write them on my hand, and then put on my glasses [Laughs]."

2. Sweethead

"Other than Puscifer, I've been listening to Sweethead's CD in my car. It's Troy Van Leeuwan's [A Perfect Circle and Queens of the Stone Age] side project with Eddie Nappi [Handsome]. Serrina Sims is singing. I've known Serrina for about 17 years, and I had no idea she sang. It's awesome. If you've ever met Serrina, she's saucy and feisty. She loves my cooking. I thought I had plenty of gnocchi and oven-dried tomatoes to go around until she got here. She was hungry [Laughs]. It's super fun music though. Troy definitely has a signature sound and flare. It's really refreshing to hear a lady's voice on it. Serrina can carry a tune, but more importantly she has personality. For me, the key factor in a vocalist is if the comedy, tragedy and passion come through."

3. Into the Presence

"Tim Alexander [Primus] recently put out a record with Luis Carlos Maldonado. The project is Into the Presence. I haven't really had a chance to listen to the whole album through so I can't really comment on it, but what I did hear sounded good. Like I said, I've had more of a chance to absorb the Sweethead CD."

“
For me, the key factor in a vocalist is if the comedy, tragedy and passion come through.
”

4. Uncle Scratch's Gospel Revival

"Oh, I've also been listening to Uncle Scratch's Gospel Revival. It's these two guys out of Ohio that do funkabilly religious tunes. There's a guitar player and a guy with a cardboard drum kit. It's fantastic!"

—Rick Florino
04.02.09