Primus Tracks

A fan favorite from Brown Album, Josh wants to know why this wasn't the lead single. Frankie uses the word "idiosyncratic," and lespecial's Luke Bemand tells us why, musically, this track shouldn't make any sense. @primustracks on IG and Twitter. Get involved Instagram Facebook Email Burn your money 

The second track from Primus's Brown Album wallows in the depths of the brutality and corruption of bareknuckle boxing. Frankie lectures on the history of fisticuffs as well as the Lilly & McCoy of the lyrics, and Josh examines their connection to James Ambrose, aka Yankee Sullivan. Soya sounds off on the prep for this track and the overall sound. Plus, live tracks and the Ler Appreciation Society...

Fellow colleagues, distinguished podcast listeners, I'd like to take this opportunity to thank each and every one of you for joining us to explore the introductory track of the Brown Album. Our pal Leif drops in to discuss the music and the overall impact of this track as an opener, while Soya mines his memory for some intimate details. Also, Leif makes a musical connection to Ler's guitar line on...

Bryan "Brain" Mantia joined Primus during a period of uncertainty for the band, and helped drive them in a whole new direction - huge (literally) drums, overdriven grooves, and blown-out sounds. Brain gets us into Rancho Relaxo for the making of Brown Album and drops some behind-the-scenes knowledge about some of his first live shows with the band. Soya brings another heavy to you on Primus Tracks...

Jay Lane graciously joins our little podcast to get into the nitty-gritty details of some early-days Primus, as well as touching on Sausage, Frog Brigade, and the 2010 reformation with Larry LaLonde and Les Claypool. If you're anything like me, you'll only listen to Tower Of Power and The Time for weeks after this one. Get involved Instagram Facebook Email Burn your money 

Frankie takes total control of the podcast, kidnapping the men of lespecial and subjecting them to 15 extremely rare Primus / Claypool live covers (okay, a couple are somewhat common). We get into the covers, the original artists, and of course Frankie has to talk about Bowie. Thanks again to lespecial for being game to join in! Find them @lespecialmusic on socials and at lespecial.net Get involve...

Carla Freestep, aka Lupin, joins the podcast to share some stories from the road as the de facto photographer for some Frog Brigade and Primus tours. She shares the challenges of photographing in low light, getting Herb to look like an action hero, and some of her favorite people to capture. Find her work at wildlupin.com and order a print, ya ingrates! Get involved Instagram Facebook Email Burn y...

Longtime poster and album artist Reuben Rude drops in to discuss the Primus Poster Series of 2011-present, how he goes about his artistic process, and what makes working with Les/Primus unique. Find Reuben at reubenrude.com and on social media! Get involved Instagram Facebook Email Burn your money 

Cellist Teddy Rankin-Parker recalls his experience sliding into the Wonka tour to hold down one half of the Fungi Ensemble. What was it like getting into the rock world? How was working with Les and Primus? What the heck did Teddy do during the first set? We get into these topics and more. Get involved Instagram Facebook Email Burn your money 

Ah, The Residents. Men of mystery. Of enchantment. And the finest influence on Les Claypool this side of Geddy Lee! We dive into some of the mythos around The Residents, but we mostly stick to the Primus side of these with a medley recorded in 1990, released as a b-side in 1995, and then included on a remaster in 2002. Skinny. Constantinople. Get it. @primustracks on Instagram and Twitter. Get inv...

No surprises this time! Soya and Rory Dolan (lespecial) help us unpack this latter-day fan favorite, and a treasure to us all - Over The Electric Grapevine. We get into the approaches of Jay Lane, Tim Alexander (and what Brain might do!) with this track, Les Claypool's bass groove, and Larry LaLonde's beautiful Ler-Land moments. And with that, we'll have finished Tales From The Punchbowl. Lots mor...

The unthinkable has happened. What started as Soya, Josh, and Frankie with lespecial drummer Rory turned into a goofball hangout with a retelling of the Grapevine story (and many more!) with Adam Gates and Les Claypool. ADAM GATES AND LES CLAYPOOL. Listen. Savor. Enjoy. We couldn't be happier to share this with you. Thank you, Soya! Get involved Instagram Facebook Email Burn your money 

Soya and Gene Meyer (of Bandit) join us to talk about On The Tweek Again, a thematic sequel to a Primus classic. It's musically sparse, but we're able to mine the track for the psychology of drug abuse and Les Claypool approaches the topic. Soya tells the story behind a failed New Year's Eve gag from '94, and Josh demands Gene's top 5 comedians - severe consequences for not naming Richard Pryor! F...

Josh declares that he has little to say about this track, but there is plenty of ancillary stuff to discuss! Matt Hunter breaks down the music (and plays Tommy for Soya), Frankie has the live history and some theories about the upright bass, Soya explains the lyrics, and the whole group gets into how it feels like one is "in the club" when receiving a nickname from Les Claypool, or even reading th...

Del Davis Tree Farm was an actual place in Sonoma County. Locals Soya and Anthony Garcia bond over Primus landmarks in the area and this particular under-the-radar fan favorite. Josh inquires about regional rivalries and Frankie brings waaayyyy too many live tracks to this episode. Finally, we ask the immortal question: Is Del Davis Tree Farm a Christmas song? Tell us about it @primustracks on Ins...

A weird Primus track births a plethora of topics: Jay Lane, Butthole Surfers, voyeurism, the nature of anticipation. Tim Soya and lespecial's Jonny Grusauskus join the podcast to break down Glass Sandwich, and to answer the age-old question: what's the point of trying to figure out Larry Lalonde's guitar solos? Find us @primustracks on Instagram and lespecial @lespecialmusic all over the socials....

As we reach the halfway point of Tales From The Punchbowl, we encounter another Primus oddity. Hellbound is a unique track in the Primus catalogue, and drummer Zak Mendoza helps us understand just what in the world we're listening to and why Tim Alexander's left hand should be cast in gold. Also, you'll scream at Zak and Frankie for missing an obvious movie reference. Follow us @primustracks on IG...

Tim Soya and Luke Bemand return to break down Space Farm and Josh's absolute favorite Primus track, Year of the Parrot. Luke tackles the musical elements, and Josh inquires as to how one finds their authentic voice without being derivative of one's influences. Plus, Soya talked to Ler and Herb specifically for this episode and drops some nuggets about the making of these tracks! Get involved Insta...

It's another foursome for Primus Tracks (we should start a charity golf tournament) - this time Josh, Frankie, and Soya welcome Luke Bemand of lespecial to dig into the bass line that gets latter-day Primus fans fired up. Soya provides more details about the Punchbowl album, and we're up to our old tricks with musical and lyrical analysis. Find lespecial @lespecialmusic on social media platforms a...

It's the best-known Primus Track of them all! Josh and Frankie call in reinforcements to discuss the depth and breadth of the impact the unexpected success of this single had on Primus, MTV, and pop culture. Also, Soya gives Josh his phone number. Inner Circle Achievement Unlocked! Find us @primustracks on Instagram and Twitter! Get involved Instagram Facebook Email Burn your money 

Track 2 of Tales From The Punchbowl combines an earnest narrative with off-kilter music. What made this track as a single not so successful, where the Beaver song hit it big? Josh and Frankie get into those details, as well as some exemplary live versions, and Josh gets in touch with his vulnerable middle school self. Get involved Instagram Facebook Email Burn your money 

Ahoy! Senior bass analyst Louis Ortega helps us kick off Tales From The Punchbowl in style with a breakdown of the complex, mysterious Professor Nutbutter, which eventually turns into some fanboy fawning (damn you, Primus!). We get into the music, the lyrics, and the expansion of the Nutbutter story that was exclusive to the Punchbowl Enhanced CD from 1996. Creeeepy! Get involved Instagram Faceboo...

Tim Solyan drops into Primus Tracks World Headquarters to give us the backstory on the making of Tales From The Punchbowl, the record that cemented Primus in 1990s culture. Soya assisted in the studio and retains numerous minute details about the making of the record. All aboard Captain Shiner's Yacht for a special exploration of Primus in the studio! Get involved Instagram Facebook Email Burn you...

Bryan Kehoe is a force of nature, and brings his magnanimity to Primus Tracks. Kehoe discusses the earliest days of the Bay Area thrash and alt scenes, his time with M.I.R.V. and Kehoe International, and naturally, his run with Duo De Twang. Enjoy out conversation with this unstoppable man! Get involved Instagram Facebook Email Burn your money 

Elizabeth Gohr has taken live concert photos of numerous fantastic bands in the Bay Area, but she holds a special affinity for Primus - and it shows! Elizabeth discusses how to get the right shot of the band, the challenges of low lighting, and how to concentrate whilst trying to rock out. Visit Elizabeth at egohrphoto.com and @egohrphoto on facebook and instagram. Grab a print while you're at it!...