For modern rock fans, there's plenty of reasons to love the band Tool. Formed in 1990 and led by eccentric songwriter Maynard James Keenan, the L.A. act has continued to grow its cult following—the Tool Army—by traversing sub-genres, giving epic performances and earning a reputation as "the thinking person's metal band."

Montreal musician Gilbert Kinsley is one such Tool devotee. Together with his bandmates, Martin Allin, Simon Rockwell and HV Jamer, they've slavishly engineered their tribute act, Parabolus, to encompass an immersive journey through Tool's material they call "the complete Tool experience." And they'll be delivering that experience to fellow Tool fanatics in Kingston when they perform at The Broom Factory on Saturday, April 13.

What began as a passion project quickly turned into pastime for the members of Parabolus. "We started this without the intention of bringing it to where it is today, but we realized there was a demand for it," explained Kinsley. "None of us are professionals, but we all took this hobby very seriously, so we worked hard on recreating the band's sound and music."

As a tribute act, recreating their favourite band's music hasn't been all fun and games. "We faced a lot of criticism," recalled Kinsley. "Tool fans are known to be extremely demanding—and some almost worship the band—but we received a lot of positive feedback too, which fuelled our fire."

The band's courage to continue despite their critics has paid off. As one of very few Tool tribute acts, Parabolus' show has put them in high demand. "We've drawn the attention of venues, who've reached out and now we're playing outside Montréal often."

As a band known for highly complex musical compositions and rich, multi-sensory live performances, recreating the Tool concert experience is a challenge Parabolus has not taken lightly. "We've gone further than just recreating their music," explained Kinsley. "We use most of the same gear [as Tool] and set-up our stage in the same way as they do. Our show includes video for visual support and we even have a professional lighting and sound team." Parabolus has scrutinized every detail, right down to wardrobe, hair and makeup.

"The complete Tool experience" created by Parabolus doesn't just emphasize Tool's early material. "Most die hard fans are just interested by the early days of the band, their first 3 albums," said Kinsley. "But our spectacle is focused on covering the whole Tool catalog." On April 13 at The Broom Factory, Kinsley says Tool fans of Kingston can expect, "…a show like no other. We adapt each performance to suit the venue, size and crowd, including our setlist." Attendees should expect some surprises, as well as the energy of the band's infections enthusiasm. "One thing is certain," added Kinsley, "Our performance will be passionate, and you should expect it to run over two-and-a-half hours."

Tickets for Parabolus: The complete Tool experience on April 13 at The Broom Factory are $26 each, and are available for purchase online here: web link Posted: Mar 16, 2024