Tool’s Maynard James Keenan Plays Music to the Grapes at His Vineyard

Tool and Puscifer frontman has been making wine in his adopted home of Jerome, Arizona for 15 years now, selling it under the Caduceus Cellars moniker. While one might not think the hot, arid climate of Arizona is conducive to growing… well, anything… Maynard’s made it work quite well, and he’s got a secret ingredient: he plays music for his grapes while they’re still on the vine.

What’s more, Maynard’s got a specific playlist for each type of grape that eventually becomes wine. From the prog epics of Pink Floyd to the soothing sounds of Portishead to the block-rocking beats of Night Club, he’s got it all pseudo-scientifically planned out, and he keeps careful track of it, too. Check out this chart:

Speaking to Discogs, Maynard explains of the process:

“During vintage, I choose whole albums to play to the grapes while processing. Some playlists are played year after year to the same fruit. We note what music was played to what grapes and then these playlists are included with the tasting notes.

“All whole albums. Played to the new grapes all day on rotation, but not shuffle.”

Discogs points out that playing music to plants has long been a theory discussed in the winemaking community, echoing on ongoing discussion in the plant world at large.

Head on over to Discogs to see some of the specific music-to-grapes matches Maynard employs.

Puscifer’s new album, Existential Reckoning, comes out today, with a Live at Arcosanti livestream scheduled for tonight.