Puscifer, who recently announced the release of their fourth full-length album, Existential Reckoning, take fans into the high desert of Arizona with a visually-stunning, livestream concert experience, dubbed Existential Reckoning: Live At Arcosanti.

Puscifer have become known for their kinetic live productions, a merging of music and the theatrical. Over the years, concertgoers have been treated to live Luchadores, a “Hee Haw” themed revue, and a desert-set campfire replete with an Airstream trailer. What does the band have in mind for their first performance of the pandemic era, and the debut of their Existential Reckoning production? Only Billy D. knows for sure, but one thing is for certain, it will be unlike anything Puscifer has done before.

“If you’re not familiar with Arcosanti, I highly recommend that you look it up,” says Maynard James Keenan of the location. “It’s one of a long list of examples of architects, artists, actors, musicians, writers, and poets. People who are not necessarily from Arizona but came here and found that creative tick that burrows under your skin here, something that sets you in a motion to respond to this, what I consider to be equal parts inspirational and hostile, environment. It’s not easy to survive here. There’s already been a dust devil that’s whipped through here, rattlesnakes, crazy red ants outside of my sleeping quarters which tried to consume my dog. We feel like we’re on the edge of the world. Imagine if you were an extra-terrestrial traveler and you landed in the Southwest and wanted to assume an identity here and blend in, this would probably be a good spot to do that.”

The location, Arcosanti, was described by Architectural Digest as a “utopian metropolis in the Arizona desert” that “looks like the sublime set of a big-budget sci-fi movie.” A location that’s both inspirational and bewitching, as Arizona itself often is. The 48th state has played a silent, yet meaningful, partner to the musical troupe, with its vistas and deserts often appearing in the band’s music videos, as concert backdrops and as the subject of numerous lyrics.

Livestream tickets, as well as a selection of limited edition merchandise exclusive to attendees, are available now via pusciferlive.com. The livestream debuts on October 30 at 3 PM, Pacific/6 PM, Eastern/10 PM, UK/11 PM, EU and remains on-demand for 72 hours.

“We could do a live stream from anywhere - a sound stage, an empty theater. But this location, at Arcosanti, in the heart of the unforgiving yet beautiful Arizona desert, adds another dimension to Puscifer’s music,” says Danny Wimmer, Founder of Danny Wimmer Presents, the largest independent festival producer in the United States and co-producers of Existential Reckoning: Live at Arcosanti.

“Maynard is an artist in everything he does, from his music to his wine to his farm-to-table restaurant. The common thread running through all of it is that he doesn’t take any shortcuts - and he’s chosen an environment that doesn’t allow for shortcuts,” he continues. “’Existential Reckoning: Live at Arcosanti” promises not just to be an experience, but to be an insight into that desert world that fuels and inspires Maynard and Puscifer. The only thing better would be to enjoy the show with a glass of Maynard’s Caduceus wine in hand.”

Recent reports out of Jerome, Ariz. confirm the impending arrival of Existential Reckoning, a 12-song album from the special agents operating under code name Puscifer. The release is scheduled for an October 30 arrival via Alchemy Recordings/Puscifer Entertainment/BMG.

The agents, Mat Mitchell (guitar, bass, keys) and Carina Round (vocals, keys), with agent-in-training Maynard James Keenan (vocals, stories) a.k.a. Dick Merkin, preview the forthcoming release with “The Underwhelming”. Get the single here, and watch a visualizer below.

In a report to commanding officers, the trio said: “In the summer of 2016, we received a call from Hildy Berger, Billy D’s loving wife. Billy D, rumored to have been carrying nothing but a bottle of wine and a mysterious briefcase, had disappeared without a trace somewhere in the high deserts of the Southwestern United States.

"Rumors of alien abduction were at the forefront throughout the dark web chatter. Therefore traditional methods of tracking a lost and hopeless drunkard in a dirty leisure suit were not an option. We hypothesized the only way to locate the subject was to construct traversable bridges between intuition and technology, requiring us to explore the metaphorical mycelium between Math and Passion, Art and Order, and Hope and Proof. Through these methods we are able to pinpoint the exact location of both Billy D and the mysterious briefcase.”

The agents recruited back-up: Greg Edwards (an experienced Agent having worked in operations classified as Failure and Autolux; bass, guitar, keys), Gunnar Olsen (drums) and Sarah Jones (drums). Existential Reckoning was produced by Mat Mitchell and Puscifer. The album was recorded and mixed by Mat Mitchell at Puscifer Studios in North Hollywood, Calif.

Album pre-orders include a number of limited edition vinyl variants including pure clear (indie retail exclusive), high dispersion gold, a wine & vinyl bundle featuring “oakwood” and trans red with black swirl versions as well as translucent tri-color clear blend (Revolver exclusive). Digital pre-orders include an instant download of both “Apocalyptical” and “The Underwhelming”.

Existential Reckoning tracklisting:

"Bread And Circus"
"Apocalyptical"
"The Underwhelming"
"Grey Area 5.1"
"Theorem"
"UPGrade"
"Bullet Train To Iowa"
"Personal Prometheus"
"A Singularity
"Postulous""
"Fake Affront"
"Bedlamite"

"The Underwhelming" visualizer:

"Apocalyptical" video:

Born somewhere in the Arizona desert, Puscifer is an electro-rock band, multimedia experience, traveling circus, and alien abduction survivors. The group’s catalog consists of three full-length studio albums—“V” is for Vagina [2007], Conditions of My Parole [2011], and Money Shot [2015] - in addition to a series of EPs and remixes. Beyond the core trio of Maynard James Keenan [vocals], Mat Mitchell [guitar, production], and Carina Round [vocals, songwriting], the group’s ever-evolving ecosystem encompasses a cast of characters such as Billy D and his wife Hildy Berger, Major Douche, Special Agent Dick Merkin, and many more. Meanwhile, the moniker’s origins can be traced to a 1995 episode of the HBO classic Mr. Show where Keenan first utilized the name “Puscifer.” Entertainment Weekly christened them, “Exceptionally groovy,” and Revolver fittingly described them as “indescribable.” Renowned for an immersive live show, the group’s performances blur the lines between concert and theater, traversing the dusty American Southwest with Billy D and Hildy or the sweaty squared circle with Luchadores. They’ve brought this to life everywhere from Coachella to Bonnaroo. On their 2020 debut for Alchemy Recordings/BMG, entitled Existential Reckoning, Puscifer track Billy D back to the desert and, just maybe, uncover the truth about aliens once and for all.

(Photo - Tim Cadiente)