Primus Tracks

We tackle the title track this week with the help of old friend Lalo Fierro, who, even as a seasoned gigging bassist, maintains an uneven relationship with Claypool's bass playing, mostly due to its unpredictable nature, which is emblematic of today's track. We also consider the eternal question: Do you humor the crusty old guy's stories, or do you not engage? Plus, commentary on the recently comp...

After the bicep of One Better, we head straight to the crotch for Lust Stings. Les seems to want to highlight the body parts that the people want to see. Lust Stings gleefully swamps the listener with percussion and instrumentation that makes you want to take a hot shower, and adds to it off-putting yet matter-of-fact lyrics about the spread of STI. While all of that doesn't sound too appealing, i...

The great Luke Bemand returns to Primus Tracks to tackle One Better, the "bicep" of the Of Whales and Woe record. Luke shows us how Les flexes all over this track, and it's not limited to bass, as Les provides drums and guitar in addition to his usual bass and vocals. Luke also brings some commentary from Mike Dillon, who stars on the track. This is a Frankie favorite, so get ready for some fanboy...

Les Claypool followed up his Electric Apricot jaunt with a collection of taut, focused tunes in 2006's Of Whales And Woe record, which largely sees Les on his own in the studio, laying down bass, guitar, drums, percussion, and vocals for these tracks, and guest turns from the mighty Mike Dillon, Skerik, and Gabby La La. We discuss the album's backdrop, the physical releases, the Fancy touring band...

We are thrilled to speak with Soya and Steve Freeman, aka Extrakd, who has created loads of diverse music over the years with the likes of Brain, Disk, Mirv, Ler, and Buckethead. We tread some of the history and releases from the 90s and 00s, but hone in on Mars Mechanics, which has a new album titled In Through The Drive Through. The record is primarily arranged and performed by Steve , Brain , a...

Les Claypool was quite productive in the mid 00s, including these two discs  - one a smattering of videos and live cuts from his numerous non-Primus projects; the other a live experience sourced from fan videos of the 2006 Fancy Band tour. Each DVD came about before the proliferation of Youtube and smartphones with decent audio and video capture properties, so they were welcome additions to the ca...

In 2005, Les Claypool spawned an idea that would form Electric Apricot, a fictitious jam band of goofballs and misfits chasing their dream gig at Festeroo. The "band" formed and recorded some tracks at Rancho Relaxo in early 2005 before hitting the road that spring for some gigs that allowed them to gather live footage in between principle shooting slots. The film had a limited theatrical release,...

Flapjax has been there since the beginning and seen it all in the world of Primus and Les - the long, slow rise to notoriety, life on the road, making music a sort-of career, and being with his friends through it all. Soya joins to reminisce and jog Dave's memory - it's a great old-school time! Get involved Instagram Facebook Email Burn your money  Get involved Instagram Facebook Email Burn your m...

In our newest sub-series, Primus Legacy, we speak with pro musicians who have a fondness for Primus, and how the music impacted their musical paths. We begin with the great Tye Zamora, who you may know from Alien Ant Farm, \'mēk\, and his stints subbing in for bands such as Slightly Stoopid. Tye charts his Primus superfandom and how it influenced his development as a bassist, and handles with ease...

We conclude our c2b3 experience with the towering album closer, Ignorance Is Bliss. Peat Rains of You Bred Raptors? joins us to explicate the music and lyrics, and to discuss what makes this a grand statement at the end of the record. For those who don't know what a mohel is, we have you covered.  Find Peats band, You Bred Raptors? on Instagram and at youbredraptors.com Get involved Instagram Face...

Note: We recorded this episode prior to NYE, and I thought it fitting to include our postulations as to what we'd witness, you know, for s&g.  48 Hours To Go is another tune critical of the W administration and sticks with lyrics of its time. We dig into the time capsule lyrics and the heady jams that Brain brings to the fore. Plus, Josh is entranced by this week's live tracks, and Frankie get...

WE WERE THERE. The two-night stand for 2024 New Year's Eve dubbed Claypool Gold contained numerous surprises and delights to the senses as Les and Larry recruited numerous familiar faces to support them in performing a wide variety of tunes from the worlds of Holy Mackerel, Frog Brigade, and Primus. Limbomaniacs and Beanpole provided inspiring opening acts, making for two nights full of madness. W...

Jackalope is the third of three instrumental tracks on the c2b3 record, and it doesn't stick around too long. However, it does have some unique aspects to it that separate the track from the rest of the record. Lalo Fierro helps us by modeling the bass parts and describing their singular elements, and how the band works together to make something groovy with very few theatrics.  And while we're on...

The title track of the c2b3 record inspires divergent thoughts from Josh and Frankie, but Matt Hunter holds us together with his bass breakdown and a look the tune's foundations. If you like exaggerated fretless bass slides and excoriating the media landscape, you're in luck! Get involved Instagram Facebook Email Burn your money Get involved Instagram Facebook Email Burn your money 

The heavy instrumental Scott Taylor attracted the attention of our old pal Luke Bemand, who had to marvel at its wildness with us. This tune's title was a mystery at the time of release, but we've sleuthed so that you don't have to, and the title is surprisingly(?) germane to much of the subject matter in the second half of the record. Live cuts feature loads of Bernie madness! Find Luke at lespec...

The first of many tracks on the c2b3 that airs grievances and frustrations with the George W Bush administration, Junior directly derides W through a variety of vocalizations, supported by a greasy soundtrack. Speaking of greasy, Sam Stewart of Flagman drops in to dissect the tune and reveal what he's learned from studying Les and c2b3 on a musical level.  Find Sam's music at flagmanband.com   Get...

Possibly the most challenging track of the album for its messiness and seeming lack of structure, there are redeeming qualities - Bucket's strange guitar sounds, a guest turn from Gabby La La, and the mystery of the single lyric - Hip Shot From the Slab captures c2b3 at its most abstract. Frankie doggedly mines English idioms to make sense of the title, for which we spend an inordinate amount of t...

The epic instrumental positioned at track 4 is mix of wistful pathos and chill dub, eliciting a wide range of interpretations and emotional responses. At Primus Tracks, we tend towards the visual spark, and this track takes us on some strange trips. We get into the heart of the matter, and discuss some megafauna along the way.  Get involved Instagram Facebook Email Burn your money  Get involved In...

The tyranny of the hunt will take you by surprise, and so will the origins of this track! We have deep background on the lyrics of this track thanks to some interviews around the time of record release, as well as our recent episode with Les, Brain, and Soya. Who knew the gangrenous penis would become the stuff of legend? (Me. I knew.) The music is well-structured, with some inspired breaks among...

The great Rory Dolan of Lespecial rejoins Primus Tracks to deconstruct Brain's unusual drum performance on the second track of the c2b3 record, which, actually, already sounds like it was deconstructed? After rocking our faces off, this looser number reveals the more casual and spontaneous side of the band and project. Frankie reveals the thematic origins of the seemingly-nonsensical lyrics, which...

The great Kello Gonzalez rejoins Primus Tracks amid his jam-packed schedule to discuss the fiery opening track to the lone Bucket of Bernie Brains release, Buckethead. The second biographical track about the mysterious masked figure with lyrics by Claypool, this one hoists him as a paragon of honor and excellence, with a towering track to match, but only after a whimsical keyboard intro courtesy o...

As we turn our attention to Colonel Claypool's Bucket of Bernie Brains, Tim Soya made sure we opened proceedings in style with two of the band members, Brian "Brain" Mantia and Les Claypool. We ask them about the origins and magic of C2B3 - which seems to be just that, given their commentary, but they certainly hold dear the experience of playing without a net and relying on one another to carry t...

We continue our DNA sub-series with a less obvious influence on Les Claypool and Primus: XTC. This English band influenced Les in his formative years, perhaps subconsciously influencing his own style, culminating in two Primus covers of XTC tracks from their album, Drums and Wires in Making Plans for Nigel and Scissorman.  Here to provide a crash course in XTC And to describe what he hears of them...

Les Claypool was busy enough in 2002 with the release and support of Purple Onion,  but he also found time to complete a cover of Hot Rod Lincoln for a compilation album, land Frog Brigade Bonnaroo performances on two official releases, and start his journey with Colonel Claypool's Bucket of Bernie Brains. We dig into the covers and the improv nature of c2b3. Get involved: Instagram Facebook Email...

As the 2024 Primus summer tour concludes, we take a look at the number of set list surprises and other goodies that packed the 33-date sojourn with much mirth, merriment, and mind-melting, mesmerizing musicianship. This tour was unique for being conducted without some kind of theme or conceit behind, nor any kind of official release to back. Primus was just out on the road, headlining some fetchin...