A Taste:

Pantera, Tool, Slipknot, Down

Drowning Pool axeman C.J. Pierce knows metal better than most.

He’s been slinging riffs for Drowning Pool for a long time, and his playing has only gotten more and more fiery with each and every album. Coming off a successful run on this summer’s Crüe Fest 2, C.J. remains pretty stoked right now. Not to mention that Drowning Pool will soon be heading back in the studio to record their next album.

C.J. gave us a bit of a hard rock education in this exclusive feature. Check out his playlist below and pick up Drowning Pool’s Full Circle if you haven’t already!

C.J. Pierce’s Playlist:

1. Pantera

I always go back to my all-time favorite bands every single day just to get pumped up for the shows. Pantera is always on. I don’t know if it comes from growing up in New Orleans and living in Dallas now or just the fact that they’re the most metal band ever. Even when Phil screams, you can understand all of the words and it comes across as powerful. Phil has a lot of soul and flavor when you break it down musically.

2. Tool

I love Tool! I just can’t get past it. They can play 10-minute long songs and you never lose interest. The dude can play one riff 40 different ways in 10 minutes, and it’s mindblowing. If you listen to Undertow and then Aenima, you can hear the transition. But when you listen to Lateralus, they just go off into Pink Floyd land. They evolve by leaps and bounds on each of their records. I really like A Perfect Circle too. I got right into 10,000 Days. I went to Jamaica with my wife and we listened to it then. It was the only CD we had with us for the whole week. We didn’t have a TV just a radio. We spent the whole week jumping in the ocean, going out to eat and listening to 10,000 Days. It soaked in right away.

3. A Perfect Circle

4. Slipknot

5. Stone Sour

I’m a big Corey Taylor fan. He has a great voice. For hardcore music, he’s got a great scream. A lot of that stuff sounds like Cookie Monster nonsense, but he’s got a lot of conviction in his voice. I listen to Come Whatever May every day, and I’m really looking forward to what Corey Taylor is going to bring to the table next. He has one of the greatest rock voices right now.

6. Down

The Down records are awesome! I’m a Corrosion of Conformity fan. The whole mix of Pepper Keenan’s guitar and Phil’s voice is just pretty perfect. I listen to Down all the time.

7. HELLYEAH

The HELLYEAH record is awesome! I’m looking forward to their next record as well. Hopefully we can tour together. That would be a great tour!

—Rick Florino
08.30.09

A Taste:

Puscifer, Sweethead, Uncle Scratch’s Gospel Revival

“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 us 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

A Taste:

Tool, Mnemic, Jimi Hendrix

Robert Trujillo’s son has very good taste in music. The Metallica bassist laughs, “My four-year-old boy loves Tool! When I take him to school, we’re playing Tool all the time, so I definitely connect with them. There’s a lot of bass in that group which is nice. They’re a great band for a bass player to listen to. So believe it or not, my son and I are going through a big Tool phase!”

It’s good to hear that Robert’s started his son off early on the good stuff. However, Robert’s personal tastes are very diverse. In this exclusive feature for ARTISTdirect.com’s Grammy page, the Metallica bass master opened up his iTunes and gave us a look at his playlist.

Check out Metallica’s Grammy nominated Death Magnetic, and see what Robert’s spinning below.

Robert Trujillo’s Playlist

1. Tool — Everything

2. Jimi Hendrix — Everything

“I just love Jimi Hendrix!”

3. Black Sabbath — Everything

“I always reconnect with my old Sabbath records as much as I can.”

4. Mnemic — Eveything

5. Meshuggah — Everything

“I go through these real technical phases, and I listen to bands like Meshuggah and Mnemic. It’s stuff that’s a little bit complex and takes a lot of patience. Lately, I’ve been jamming a lot to our music. I play through the new songs so I can keep fresh and keep them in my head. I can act crazier on stage if I can play them with proficiency.”

—Rick Florino
02.04.09