Puscifer’s new album, Normal Isn’t (Puscifer Entertainment/Alchemy Recordings/BMG) is out now and can be streamed here: https://puscifer.lnk.to/NormalIsnt.
The collection marks Puscifer’s first new album in five years and finds the trio of Maynard James Keenan, Mat Mitchell, and Carina Round embracing the post-punk influences that shaped their early musical experiences, channeling those roots into a darker, more guitar-driven sound.
Arriving in tandem with yesterday’s album release is an animated video for “Bad Wolf” (https://youtu.be/gQsFPPFNUXk), directed by AF Schepperd.
“Oral Tradition, the practice of passing down legends, myths, and metaphors, has always fascinated me,” Keenan reflects. “The stories contain history, important lessons, values, social contracts and the like. One of my favorites has always been the Cherokee tale of the Two Wolves. This story serves as a metaphor for our inner battle between good/wise/loving choices and poor/selfish/hateful choices. The wolf that thrives is the wolf you feed.”
Yesterday also sees the kick-off of over 90 independent record store screenings of the band’s concert film: “Normal Isn’t: Puscifer Live at the Pacific Stock Exchange,” followed by at-home availability beginning Feb. 9 via Puscifertv.com. Filmed at Los Angeles’ original stock exchange, an art deco landmark long rumored to be among the city’s most haunted sites, “Normal Isn’t: Puscifer Live at the Pacific Stock Exchange” captures the first-ever live performance of Normal Isn’t. The film features an entirely new stage setup, new costumes, and a graphic-rich light show. As tracks like “Self Evident,” “ImpetuoUs,” and “Bad Wolf” pulse through the building’s granite-lined interior, Maynard James Keenan, Carina Round, Mat Mitchell, Gunnar Olsen, and Josh Moreau deliver a visceral, high-energy performance that brings the album to life.
Written and recorded across Arizona, Los Angeles, and on the road during last year’s Sessanta tour, the album blends the dark electronics and sharp humor Puscifer is known for with a more spontaneous creative process. “From the outset, we had discussed an element of rawness and edge, which guitar brings,” Mitchell, who co-produced the album, notes. “We got rid of the guard rails and made the music more aggressive.”
Round adds: “Creating this album, for me, was about carving out joy as an act of necessity. Performing it live will be about manifesting connection within that joy. It’s a time of uncertainty and polarization. We create atmospheres. We tell stories. We enhance, skew, deepen, and broaden the emotional reach. We choose exploration over convention and we trust in the unexpected. Come with us.”
Album guests include Greg Edwards (bass), Gunnar Olsen (drums), and Sarah Jones (drums) with guests Tony Levin (bass on “Normal Isn’t” and “Seven One”), Danny Carey (drums on “Seven One”) and Mr. Ian Ross (father of Atticus Ross, who narrates “Seven One”).
Puscifer kick off their North American tour on March 20 with stops at New York’s Terminal 5, The Greek Theatre in Los Angeles, and the famed Red Rocks Amphitheatre. Tickets and VIP packages are on-sale now via Puscifer.com.
Normal Isn’t North American tour dates:
March 20 Las Vegas, NV The Chelsea at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas
March 21 Phoenix, AZ Arizona Financial Theatre
March 24 Austin, TX Bass Concert Hall
March 25 Dallas, TX Music Hall at Fair Park
March 27 Nashville, TN The Pinnacle
March 28 Atlanta, GA Coca-Cola Roxy
March 31 Asheville, NC Thomas Wolfe Auditorium
April 1 Durham, NC DPAC – Durham Performing Arts Center
April 3 Bethlehem, PA Wind Creek Event Center
April 4 Boston, MA Boch Center – Wang Theatre
April 7 New York, NY Terminal 5
April 8 Hershey, PA Hershey Theatre
April 10 Mashantucket, CT Premier Theater at Foxwoods Resort Casino
April 11 Atlantic City, NJ Ovation Hall at Ocean Casino Resort
April 15 Niagara Falls, ON OLG Stage at Fallsview Casino
April 16 Akron, OH Akron Civic Theatre
April 18 Detroit, MI Fox Theatre
April 19 Cincinnati, OH Taft Theatre
April 21 Louisville, KY The Louisville Palace
April 23 Indianapolis, IN Murat Theatre
April 25 Chicago, IL The Chicago Theatre
April 26 Milwaukee, WI Landmark Credit Union Live
April 28 Madison, WI The Sylvee
April 30 St. Louis, MO The Factory
May 1 Kansas City, MO The Midland Theatre
May 3 Morrison, CO Red Rocks Amphitheatre
May 5 Salt Lake City, UT Maverik Center
May 8 Portland, OR Theater of the Clouds
May 9 Seattle, WA WAMU Theater
May 11 San Francisco, CA Golden Gate Theatre
May 13 San Diego, CA San Diego Civic Theatre
May 14 Los Angeles, CA The Greek Theatre
Puscifer is a band of three creative confidants, namely Mat Mitchell, Carina Round, and Maynard James Keenan, who fuse music, performance, and visual art into a singular experience. Over the years, Puscifer has carved an indelible mark on the cultural landscape, releasing a series of acclaimed albums, selling out famed venues, appearing on the lineups of Coachella, Bonnaroo, and other major festivals, and even curating their own touring festival, Sessanta. They’ve provided what was essentially the soundtrack to the first season of “Yellowstone,” and their albums regularly land on the top 30 of the Billboard Top 200. They’ve made memorable appearances on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” and “The Late Show,” bringing their signature blend of precision, wit, and theatricality to late night television.
Puscifer has also welcomed a revolving door of collaborators, from musicians like Greg Edwards, Gunnar Olsen, and Sarah Jones to remixers including Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross, Phantogram, and Sir Mix-A-Lot, as well as actors Bob Odenkirk and Milla Jovovich. It’s also a universe for the (mis)adventures of original characters: Billy D, (his wife) Hildy Berger, Major Douche, and Special Agent Dick Merkin. More than a band, Puscifer is a creative ecosystem; a boundary-pushing collective where sound, story, and spectacle collide.
