Primus Tracks

As we begin to peel back the layers of Les Claypool's 2002 album Purple Onion, we discuss the background of the record, its place in (and out) of its time, the inspiration for the title, and we discuss the title track's ambience and ambiguous lyrics. Purple Onion stands as the jump-start to the Les Claypoo; 2000s solo career in terms of writing and performing original material with the Frog Brigad...

No Forcefield was an experimental collaboration of Larry LaLonde, Brain, Adam Gates, DJ Disk, and Extrakd for Stray Records, which produced two albums: 2000's Lee's Oriental Massage and 2001's God is an Excuse. They're wild, unpredictable, bizarre, and good, clean fun. Both albums are long out of print, but readily available on resale sites such as Discogs. We discuss the (lack of) notoriety for t...

Sessanta spoilers abound Rejoice, for there is new Primus! As part of the Sessanta tour celebrating Maynard James Keenan's 60th birthday, Primus is supporting live and  recorded a track with Maynard for the Sessanta E.P.P.P. We couldn't wait to discuss this track, the first new Primus recording in two years. We discuss its greater context in Sessanta, the tour, and the tune itself, which is certai...

In this super-sized episode, we discuss the 1985/86 Primus demo tape informally titled Welcome To This World, and set it against its time period in the development of the band. From there, we welcome Peter Libby to the show. Peter drummed for Primus over 1984-86, and his skilled approach elevated the band in the Bay Area scene. Peter discusses those early days, his friendship with Tim Soya, his ow...

We sample Frankie's newly-acquired 1984 Primate demo tape and give context to its origin, as well as comparing the primordial Primus tunes to what they'd become on official studio releases. Who knew that so many tunes were nearly fully formed as early as 84? We had clues from some bootlegs that go as far back as 86 or 87, but this is a whole new realm, including the infamous initial recording of T...

Surprise! We're not quite through with Oysterhead yet. Weexamine the two "bonus" Oysterhead tracks created by Stewart Copeland shortly after the 2001 tour wrapped.  Soya phones in from yet another hotel room and tells stories from the Oysterhead tour, including hanging with the men of Oysterhead and integrating with the Phish crew that largely staffed the tour, as well as the mysteries of Les's Sh...

We wrap up our coverage of the sole studio release from Oysterhead in style with Owner of the World, a sunny day feel-good track that closes the record in fine form. How does the album stack up for you? What lasting takeaways do you draw from the record? We want to know your thoughts! primustrackspod@gmail.com Get involved: Instagram Facebook Email Burn your money Get involved Instagram Facebook E...

We've reached the title track of Oysterhead's lone studio album, and its medieval bent invites comparisons between the futility of feudalism and modern capitalism. Les Claypool uses classic and crass imagery to expose our class system, while maintaining the happy-go-lucky jauntiness of the music. Tamborines to armageddon! Get involved: Instagram Facebook Email Burn your money Get involved Instagra...

This one might be The Grand Pecking Order's top track for many listeners, and we get into what makes it so inviting in terms of musicality (Sabbath?!) and the tale hidden within the lyrics, some of it autobiographical for Les Claypool, and some of it hurtful to Buffalo Bills fans, me included. Dig in! Get involved: Instagram Facebook Email Burn your money Get involved Instagram Facebook Email Burn...

Have you spent endless sleepless nights wondering, "What does a Romanian dictator have to do with Oysterhead?" Friend, we understand, and will assuage these existential worries with an exploration of Stewart Copeland's lyrics and the underlying groove of the music. BARBER... Get involved: Instagram Facebook Email Burn your money Get involved Instagram Facebook Email Burn your money 

Birthday Boys is a little ditty that celebrates the accident of adjacent birth for two of the band's members, right? RIGHT? There's a bit more to it, and Les Claypool has hinted at some of the details over the years, which lend a tawdry bent to the lyrics, contrasted with the wholesome-sounding music. Rumors and innuendo swirl around Birthday Boys. Join in the intrigue! Get involved: Instagram Fac...

We are thrilled to welcome Tim Alexander to Primus Tracks! The longtime Primus drummer has stretched his rhythmical and compositional skills through numerous projects over the years, and he is ready to share what he's learned throughout his career. We discuss his newly-founded Stick Academy, the foundations of his drumming, his abstract visual art, and what it means to be back in the Bay Area. Rem...

It seems antithetical to describe anything Claypool-related as pleasant, but that's the word which comes to mind for this jaunt. The vocal layering is a highlight here, as well as the imadery produced by the lyrics. Feel the gravel between your toes and dance your way through this episode of Primus Tracks! Get involved: Instagram Facebook Email Burn your money Get involved Instagram Facebook Email...

The title "Rubberneck Lions" suggests a strange word soup, but there's some kind of meaning underneath the opaque lyrics, and they trend towards familiar territory for Les Claypool and Trey Anastasio. We closely inspect this track, which is one of four that survived Oysterhead's initial performance in May 2000. Get involved: Instagram Facebook Email Burn your money Get involved Instagram Facebook...

Army's on Ecstasy, or as I call it, Military on Molly, is a an uptempo, art-rock exploration of musical compormise. That is to say, with three strong-willed musicians in the room, something has to give, and this is what we get. It's sort of poppy, sort of jammy, and sort of weird, but undeniably a product of Les, Stew, and Trey. We get into these unique Claypool lyrics, their source material, and...

We can all breathe and drift away after the heavy subject matter and oppressive aura of Shadow of a Man, and perhaps it's a relief that the music of Radon Balloon is light and airy, and the lyrics make zero sense. Either way, please have your basement tested for radon, the silent killer, and then drift away as Josh and Frankie talk about the only Oysterhead track credited solely to Trey Anastasio....

Despite being an Oysterhead track, we suspect this is a tune that Les had at least formulated during the Primus Antipop cycle, and was revived for the Oysterhead record after some time on the shelf. The only track solely penned by Claypool on The Grand Pecking Order, this one is a quintessential Les track, and we discuss the for such an assertion, while embracing the darkness of the lyrical experi...

For the mighty thematic track underpinning the formation of Oysterhead and the purpose behind its record, we turn to a favorite, Kello Gonzalez, to discuss the structure and freedoms that both exist within Mr. Oysterhead. It's rare that Les pens such confident lyrics about himself and his music, but when you're flanked by Stew and Trey, I suppose one might be feeling their oats. Kello provides inf...

Who is Oz? Why is he floating? What does this have to do with John C. Lilly? We tackle all of these questions and more to gain an understanding of the second track from Oysterhead's The Grand Pecking Order, a compact number that tangentially broaches the metaphysical. Plus, song history, live tracks, and Josh helps you avoid cults, FOR FREE. Get involved: Instagram Facebook Email Burn your money G...

We continue our Primus-adjacent chronology with the 2001 release by Oysterhead, The Grand Pecking Order. This record came about after Les Claypool, Trey Anastasio, and Stewart Copeland reconvened at Trey's barn in Vermont many months after their only planned gathering, a one-off (at the time) show in May 2000 in New Orleans. In this episode, we chart the band's formation and development of the rec...

David Lefkowitz returns to Primus Tracks to further flesh out the narrative of the band's 1990s rise. We discuss the Pork Soda album cycle, complete with production, videos, touring, and how the band responded to suddenly having a top ten record. Soya and Josh hold it down in Frankie's absence. Get ready for inside baseball! Get involved Instagram Facebook Email Burn your money 

Les Claypool's Fearless Flying Frog Brigade returned in majestic form as they toured the USA in 2023 - 57 shows that thrilled, delighted, and awed audiences who came for the Claypoolian tunes and stayed for the cover of the entire Animals album by Pink Floyd. We delve into the tour by the numbers, provide our own personal highlights from the shows we attended and recordings abailable, and read lot...

After Primus went on hiatus in 2000, Les Claypool was at a musical and professional crossroads. Eventually, he assembled a group of friends as Colonel Les Claypool's Fearless Flying Frog Brigade for some festivals, and after solidifying the lineup, took to touring the States in a small Airstream trailer. These efforts results in Live Frogs Set 1 and Set 2, which provide a glimpse into the early Fr...

This week, we discuss Buckethead's album Monsters And Robots, a 1999 effort that features Les Claypool and Brian Mantia writing and performing with Bucket during some time off from Primus. The result: six unqie tracks from a Buckethead ouvre that now includes over 400 albums, a dizzying number. We provide a brief overview of Bucket's mysterious persona, and how Les and Brain help shape this record...

We take a detour from our standard programming to talk with frequent guest Luke Bemand about the new lespecial record, Odd Times. All three members of the band are good friends of the podcast, and we're excited to talk about their new music. Of course, it's not without some Primus connections. Luke discusses which track is a direct Pork Soda descendant, and the motivation behind the record's heavi...