Watch Maynard James Keenan’s Early Band C.A.D. on GRTV

Maynard James Keenan, known for his work with Tool, A Perfect Circle, and Puscifer, was once part of a band called C.A.D. that performed live on GRTV public television.

Every musician starts somewhere, and those early performances often look a lot different from their later success. In 1987, GRTV aired a live broadcast during its Peace Day marathon, featuring one of Maynard James Keenan’s earliest bands, offering a rare glimpse at his musical beginnings.

Public Television Showcasing Local Talent

When I was growing up in the east side of Michigan, there was a public television show called The Beat hosted by Detroit radio personality Doug Podell. The show featured local bands from Detroit and around the state. The program grew to include interviews and show performances from newly signed artists like Motley Crue.

On Michigan’s west side, Grand Rapids Public Television ran a program called GRTVaccess, which showcased live performances from emerging musical talent. In one episode, GRTV featured an early performance by Maynard James Keenan with one of his first bands, C.A.D. (Children of the Anachronistic Dynasty).

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Rare C.A.D. Footage: Maynard Pre-Tool On GRTV Access

The band C.A.D. only lasted a year, but featured Maynard James Keenan. In 1986, a cassette demo titled Fingernails was recorded in Keenan’s living room. At the time of the recording, Keenan handled vocals, bass, and drum machine programming, while guitarist Todd Horning played alongside him.

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C.A.D. eventually performed live on GRTV in a 24-minute, 39-second set. During this time, you can hear the early stages of Keenan's vocal style and melody direction. At 15:06 into the performance, C.A.D. plays the song 'Burn About Out', which sounds very similar to Tool's 'Sober' that he would later record in 1993. See the full performance below.

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