Puscifer, Mat Mitchell Interview – ‘Existential Reckoning’ and Beyond
Puscifer – Story by Anne Erickson, photo by Travis Shinn
Mat Mitchell of Maynard James Keenan’s Pusicfer joins Anne Erickson to discuss the latest with the band in this in-depth interview
Electro-rock titans Puscifer are on the road in support of their latest studio album, 2020’s “Existential Reckoning.” They’re also coming up on the release of a special remix edition of the set, “Existential Reckoning: Rewired,” out Dec. 9 and featuring work from Nine Inch Nails’ Trent Reznor and Failure’s Greg Edwards.
Puscifer brings together Tool and A Perfect Circle vocalist Maynard James Keenan with guitarist Mat Mitchell and vocalist Carina Round. Together, they concoct a groovy, electronic sound that’s wholly their own.
Speaking with Audio Ink Radio, Mat Mitchell says that following the band’s current tour, they plan to start working on new music, although nothing is in the works yet.
“We’re always creating, and we’re always writing,” Mitchell said. “There’s nothing on the calendar specifically yet, but we never kind of stop working on things, so I think it’s just inevitable that as soon as we get home and start staring at the walls, we’re going to start talking and getting things down.”
As for whether Puscifer shares fans with James Keenan’s other bands, Tool and A Perfect Circle, Mitchell says that used to be the case, but not so much anymore. “I think it’s both,” he explained. “I think, certainly when we started, a lot of the fan base came from that because of the familiarly, and he has a built-in fan base. So, it certainly started that way, and that was both good and bad. People could show up with expectations, and it’s not necessarily what they were hoping for or what they were expecting, so those people have kind of veered off, and I think we’ve got a lot of new fans and a lot of people that maybe didn’t come from the Tool or APC camp. But, coming right out of the gate with the built-in fan base that Maynard has was unique. It’s not something that a lot of bands get when they’re staring off, but it’s definitely progressed into its own thing. It’s a very diverse kind of crowd at this point.”
If you’re wondering if Puscifer will be busy next year, the answer is yes. When asked if Puscifer will be active in 2023, Mitchell replies, “Absolutely.”
So, what’s it like working with Maynard James Keenan? “I’ve worked with a bunch of – or a handful of – very successful and very talented artists, and the common thread is hard work, and he works as hard as the hardest working people I know,” Mitchell said. “I think that’s the common thread with all of these successful, talented people is that added bit of hard work. That’s the main thing I can say- is just the work ethic is the biggest thing.”
Listen to Audio Ink Radio’s full interview with Mat Mitchell of Puscifer via the audio player above or on the Audio Ink Radio podcast on Spotify here and Apple Podcasts here.
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