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cassandra is
> Teenager of the Year <
France
4233 Posts |
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Broken Face
-= Forum Pistolero =-
USA
5157 Posts |
 Posted - 12/13/2005 : 09:30:47
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i saw them twice with brain, never with herb. when i was in high school i worshipped these guys. as i matured, my tastes changed a bit, but i still toss on frizzle fry now and then. a truly unique band.
and antipop is a fucking terrible album.
-Brian
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Doog
* Dog in the Sand *
United Kingdom
1220 Posts |
Posted - 12/13/2005 : 13:04:36
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Great fookin' band.
"Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, morecambe and wise"
www.myspace.com/doog - www.doog.tk |
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IceCream
= Quote Accumulator =
USA
1850 Posts |
Posted - 12/13/2005 : 13:36:19
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| I think they will make another album, cassandra is. Their wikipedia article is hopeful. I love Tales From The Punchbowl. "Glass Sandwich" and "Over The Electric Grapevine" are two of my favourite songs. |
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HeywoodJablome
* Dog in the Sand *
USA
1485 Posts |
Posted - 12/13/2005 : 15:51:33
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I saw'em with Herb in '95 with Fishbone and that was a crazy ass show. Loads of fun.
However, the Brown album and beyond BLOW.
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"I'll bet any of you lame ass motherfuckers a cigarette I can eat every butt in this ash tray." |
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TRANSMARINE
* Dog in the Sand *
USA
2002 Posts |
Posted - 12/13/2005 : 15:56:19
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Les with OYSTERHEAD was quite cool too.
I was alone...in my BIG BED
-bRIAN |
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prozacrat
* Dog in the Sand *
USA
1186 Posts |
Posted - 12/13/2005 : 16:11:46
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I've been fortunate enough to see them twice, though never with Brain. He's good at poundin' them drums. There aren't many bands as tight as Primus out there. They're a real treat live. I once met a guy who said he loved Primus, but then he found Jesus and Jesus said he couldn't listen to Primus anymore. But that's another thread all together.
http://www.prozacrat.com |
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cassandra is
> Teenager of the Year <
France
4233 Posts |
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two reelers
* Dog in the Sand *
Austria
1072 Posts |
Posted - 12/14/2005 : 10:21:53
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didn't primus cover pink floyd "animals" album in its entity ? or am i mixing something up?
I joined the cult of Souled American / 'cause they are a damn' fine band |
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KimStanleyRobinson
* Dog in the Sand *
1972 Posts |
Posted - 12/14/2005 : 10:29:53
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| Primus Sucks. |
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The Holiday Son
= Quote Accumulator =
France
2023 Posts |
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Carolynanna
>> Denizen of the Citizens Band <<
Canada
6556 Posts |
Posted - 12/14/2005 : 11:09:54
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Wow, I'll have to check that out! I love Animals.
Primus is pretty unique. You can tell a Primus tune just a couple seconds into the song.
__________
Don't believe the hype. |
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remig
* Dog in the Sand *
France
1734 Posts |
Posted - 12/14/2005 : 11:18:59
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Saw them once with Brain on the drums in Montpellier (1996 maybe). great great show, really impressive.
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The Holiday Son
= Quote Accumulator =
France
2023 Posts |
Posted - 12/14/2005 : 12:01:31
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quote:
Originally posted by remig
Saw them once with Brain on the drums in Montpellier (1996 maybe). great great show, really impressive.
I was there too. It was in 1998. And a brilliant gig indeed. |
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frank_black_francis
= Cult of Ray =
Canada
895 Posts |
Posted - 12/14/2005 : 15:29:04
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[quote]Originally posted by cassandra is
I think they are one of the most original and creative bands of all times.
[quote]
Hardly...they are 'okay', but geez...that is an overstatement. They are merely "RESIDENTS meets RUSH". Nothing truly groundbreaking here. I saw them live in '93 when they toured Pork Soda...it was a good show...but if anything I much more enjoyed the MELVINS who opened for them.
...mind you, Frizzle Fry is still nice to listen to every once in awhile.
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Edited by - frank_black_francis on 12/14/2005 15:31:50 |
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Perk
- FB Fan -
USA
210 Posts |
Posted - 12/14/2005 : 18:48:48
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Primus does the South Park theme right ?
Don't sweat the petty things
and don't pet the sweaty things |
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HeywoodJablome
* Dog in the Sand *
USA
1485 Posts |
Posted - 12/14/2005 : 20:02:54
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It kind of bugs me when a band covers an entire fucking album at once. I heard that Les cover of it and all I all I could think was, "Sounds a lot better with Roger Waters singing." I'll never forget when a friend of mine went to see Phish and all they played was the entire White Album. What kind of bullshit is that? Funny bullshit, that's what kind! Damn hippies.
Primus did a cover of "Have a Cigar" that was pretty good. In fact Misc. Debris was all good as I remember.
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"I'll bet any of you lame ass motherfuckers a cigarette I can eat every butt in this ash tray." |
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prozacrat
* Dog in the Sand *
USA
1186 Posts |
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cassandra is
> Teenager of the Year <
France
4233 Posts |
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Newo
~ Abstract Brain ~
Spain
2674 Posts |
Posted - 12/15/2005 : 06:31:00
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My favourite is the Brown album, sounds much warmer than the rest. Heard Oysterhead today for first time and it was alright but Trey Anastasio is booooooring. Antipop sucks (and not in the Primus sense), Sailing Seas of cheese is a close second for me.
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Buy your best friend flowers. Buy your lover a beer. Covet thy father. Covet thy neighbour's father. Honour thy lover's beer. Covet thy neighbour's father's wife's sister. Take her to bingo night. |
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HeywoodJablome
* Dog in the Sand *
USA
1485 Posts |
Posted - 12/15/2005 : 22:43:22
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Yeah, my tastes had changed a lot between Tales from the PB and the Brown album. I didn't even buy it (which surprised all my friends because I was considered a Primus freakazoid). My buddy bought it and I think I gave it one dismissive listen and stopped paying attention to them altogether after that. Then said buddy wound up with an extra ticket to their San Diego show on the Brown Album tour so I went if just to hear the old stuff. Blink 182 (they were called just "BLINK" then) opened and pretty much got booed off the stage...in their hometown no less!
That was worth the price (free) of admission right there. Then the Long Beach Dub All-Stars played (Sublime after their singer OD'd) and it was real amusing watching a group of suburbanite 18 year olds trying to proclaim with the utmost conviction "Halle Selassie!"
Primus was okay but lacked the energy I had seen them with before. Pork Soda was their pinnacle in my opinion. Although there is something mighty catchy about the line "Smoke Tijuana Smalls & shake hands with beef".
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Professa, what's another word for pirates treasure? |
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Carl
- A 'Fifth' Catholic -
Ireland
11546 Posts |
Posted - 12/17/2005 : 07:56:49
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I never saw them live, I don't believe they've ever played over here. I've been meaning to get their Animals Should Not Act Like People DVD for a long time.
 "Join the Honeycult!"
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KimStanleyRobinson
* Dog in the Sand *
1972 Posts |
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Carolynanna
>> Denizen of the Citizens Band <<
Canada
6556 Posts |
Posted - 12/26/2005 : 15:18:55
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Funny, I just saw a Metallica dealie where Les Claypool tried out and they told him no because he's too good.
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Don't believe the hype. |
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Carl
- A 'Fifth' Catholic -
Ireland
11546 Posts |
Posted - 12/27/2005 : 19:16:05
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Yeah, I heard that before. They do a version of The Thing That Should Not Be.
 "Yo! Ho Ho! Merry Christmas!" |
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cassandra is
> Teenager of the Year <
France
4233 Posts |
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Carl
- A 'Fifth' Catholic -
Ireland
11546 Posts |
Posted - 08/22/2006 : 07:50:54
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Thanks cass. I'm not familiar with any LC solo, or his numerous side projects, but I'll check this out!
Nice video! A nice bit of wacky animation, with a little message in there somewhere, like classic Primus!! I like the Yellow Submarine cameo! BTW, after playing it through, you can pick it out of your Temporary Internet folder to keep!!
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Edited by - Carl on 08/22/2006 08:06:20 |
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cassandra is
> Teenager of the Year <
France
4233 Posts |
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edbanky
= Cult of Ray =
Burkina Faso (Upper Volta)
388 Posts |
Posted - 08/22/2006 : 08:30:40
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Seen them on Seas of Cheese tour (or during whatever Rush tour, but headlining) with Trulio Disgracias (I think pretty much Fishbone). Was the best live show I have been to, I believe.
T'was nice to have them only able to draw from Frizzle/Suck On This and StSoC.
I have a recording of Flying Frog Brigade (or some Claypool concoction) performing the Frizzle Fry album live in its entirety. I think they even do the reprise thing at the end.
"The man has led us to his current sound like a basket of eggs."
ScottP |
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HeywoodJablome
* Dog in the Sand *
USA
1485 Posts |
Posted - 08/22/2006 : 09:25:23
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quote:
Originally posted by Carolynanna
Funny, I just saw a Metallica dealie where Les Claypool tried out and they told him no because he's too good.
__________
Don't believe the hype.
I think Cliff's 70's stoner dirtbag look fit in better with the whole 'tallica thing anyway.
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Wait a minute, strike that. Reverse it. |
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Carl
- A 'Fifth' Catholic -
Ireland
11546 Posts |
Posted - 08/22/2006 : 13:35:02
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He tried out for Metallica when they were looking for a replacement for Cliff. He's firendly with them, as far as I can tell....at least, with Kirk Hammett, who appears in the video for John The Fisherman. I remember reading a Primus interview years ago, where Les Claypool said he called Hammett up one night to come over and jam/record with them at Les' home studio. He just said "Get over here!", and Hammett drove over in his pajamas!
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cassandra is
> Teenager of the Year <
France
4233 Posts |
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Carl
- A 'Fifth' Catholic -
Ireland
11546 Posts |
Posted - 08/25/2006 : 07:41:07
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The latest issue of Bass Player has an interview with Les in it-which you can read on the site!!
http://www.bassplayer.com/story.asp?storycode=15180
With A New Album, Tour, Novel & Film, Les Claypool Casts The Widest Net Of His Creative Caree
Les Does More
By Brian Fox | August 2006
Backstage before soundcheck, Les Claypool settles into a couch to nosh on a turkey sandwich, fuel for what will certainly be an electrifying performance from alt-rock’s favorite mascot. At the start of his band’s tour to support Of Whales and Woe, Claypool’s latest collection of musical oddities, Les simmers with potential energy; he seems to know to conserve that energy for the show, where he’ll wail furiously on his bass and stomp maniacally across the stage, whipping his fans and bandmates into an ecstatic fury. After all, that’s what we’ve come to expect from Claypool, the beloved clown prince of rock.
Les is like the alien love child of Frank Zappa and George Clinton. Like Zappa, his music is esoteric and challenging. Like Clinton, his manner is zany, his grooves undeniably funky. Claypool’s sonic assaults have come in various forms over the years; of course there’s his famed trio, Primus. But Les has always been one to push himself, assembling casts of like-minded musicians under various names—Sausage, Les Claypool & the Holy Mackerel, Oysterhead, Les Claypool’s Frog Brigade, and Colonel Claypool’s Bucket Of Bernie Brains, to name a few. (Claypool’s 5 Gallons of Diesel DVD, released last year on his own Prawn Song label, shows these various groups in action.)
“I love playing with absolute monsters,” says Les, pointing to the stage where saxophonist Skerik is blowing through some mind-bending warmup licks. “Playing with great players pushes you, but playing with people who aren’t so great also helps. Everybody perceives things differently; whether it’s art, music, or making pancakes, everyone has something you can learn from.”
With all things artistic, Les has certainly learned how to be prolific. Earlier this year, after releasing Of Whales and Woe, a solo disc that sees him wearing the hats of bassist, drummer, guitarist, songwriter, and more, Claypool oversaw publication of South of the Pumphouse, his first novel. Add Electric Apricot—The Quest for Festeroo, Claypool’s new “mockumentary” film lampooning the jam-band scene, and you have one prolific provocateur.
Amidst this flood of creative output, Claypool has somehow found time and energy for fellow artists’ projects: Les produced the debut from singer/sitarist Gabby La La, and he collaborated with Tool drummer Danny Carey on Side Three, the latest from guitar mad scientist Adrian Belew.
Claypool’s flamboyant, funky, and freaky playing style turned bassists on their ear when Primus oozed onto the early-’90s alt-rock scene. Slapping, tapping, or thwacking on a wild-looking fretless Carl Thompson 6-string, Les’s over-the-top approach sent countless kids straight to the woodshed to work out the whacked-out bass lines on such tunes as “Tommy the Cat” and “My Name Is Mud.”
Lately, Les has toned it down—sort of. Though most of his new solo disc features Les’s fretted Thompson 4-string, its bass lines are anything but conventional. As Claypool the novelist hits the publicity trail for South of the Pumphouse and Claypool the filmmaker scouts prospective buyers for Electric Apricot, Les the bass monster continues to sharpen his chops on the road with his latest cast of musical cohorts. “It’s a lot like having a conversation,” he says, musing about being a musician. “To become a good conversationalist, you have to have a few conversations.”
Who are you playing with on this tour?
Skerik, the saxophone mutator; Mike Dillon on vibraphone, marimba, and various things that go click and clank; Gabby La La on sitar, ukulele, and Theremin; and Paulo Baldi on the drums. And I play the bass.
Are there any bass lines on Whales and Woe that you’re especially excited to play live?
I’m excited about a lot of it because it’s almost all on the 4-string, which for me is like driving a Volkswagen—it just feels comfortable. And it’s kind of aggressive—it’s more thumping and popping than I’ve done in a long time. I had to go back and learn some of the lines because of all the other things I was doing while making the record. Some of it is pretty damn hard! [Laughs.]
What you hear on the CD is not what you’ll hear live, because we go all over the place. We already know that a song like “Phantom Patriot” could be ten to 15 minutes long when we play it live, because it’s got that kind of pulse.
You recorded Of Whales and Woe at home. Tell me about your studio setup.
I record all of my stuff in my studio to 2" tape with a 16-track API console. I then mix down to a w" ATR tape machine. I might use Pro Tools to add tracks or overdubs. But bass, drums, and all the basic tracks always go to tape.
What basses are on the record?
It’s mainly just my 4-string—the same old Carl Thompson bass I’ve had forever. There’s one song with fretless 6-string at the end of the record; it’s a that track mainly showcases everyone else’s playing, not my own. I played upright on one song, and bass banjo on “Iowan Girl.”
Tell me more about the bass banjo.
It’s something I had my friend Dan Maloney make years ago. He used to be a luthier at Zeta and he’s built me a few instruments over the years. Ten or 12 years ago, I told him I wanted a banjo body with a bass neck. So he built one.
That bass line sounds so linked with that instrument. Did you write the line on bass banjo?
It really started with the lyrics. I’d had the lyrics for a while, and I just thought it would be a good song for something eclectic-sounding, so I grabbed the bass banjo. That instrument sounds very different acoustically than it does plugged in. If I remember correctly, I blended a direct line from the bass with a microphone for the record.
What kind of mic did you use?
I have no idea. Generally, the mic I like to use is whatever is closest to me.
Ah, a lazy audiophile.
Yes. But I tend to have pretty decent mics lying around. I have a slew of various Shure condenser mics, and that’s what I use. I’ll also often use SM57s.
How do you record your 4-string?
I very rarely use an amp. I just go through a couple of pedals, into a DI, and into a board.
Do you take that same gear on the road?
I do. I’m not a big gear head. I’ve just accumulated things over the years, and they become a part of my thing. They haven’t broken yet, so they’re still with me. I just use pedals now; I got tired of using a bunch of rack gear. Back in the old days, I used all sorts of ADA rack gear purely out of convenience, because I worked for ADA and knew how to use it; I had to test all the damn things! I’m not very good at seeking out the latest, greatest thing.
How do you land on these various sounds you end up with on your records?
Just by hitting buttons.
You don’t design your sounds?
No. It’s more just fumbling around. And then of course, when you mix it, the trick is trying to make it sound good in the mix. Having something sound good on its own is very different from having it sound good in the context of a bunch of other instruments that are taking up different portions of the sonic space.
Given this record’s unusual instrumentation, did you have to take a different approach to mixing bass?
No, not particularly. But the bass is very in-your-face. This record is much more centered on drums and bass than some of my others. Purple Onion [by the Les Claypool Frog Brigade] was much more about composing and working through songs with other musicians, tailoring them before they went to tape. There wasn’t a lot of jamming, like there was for this one.
More than anything, this record was much more like the Holy Mackerel record. I thought of that one as “the songs I didn’t want to inflict upon the Primus guys.” It was just me piddling and futzing around in the studio when I had free time. This is very similar: I started this record before we finished the Bucket Of Bernie Brains CD. When I found out that we weren’t going to do another Primus record last year, I thought I’d finish this one up.
Jamming typically involves interaction between musicians, but you were on your own making most of this record. How did that work?
One of my favorite things to do in the studio is get drum sounds. In fact, I spend way more time getting drum tones than I do bass tones. I’d go out to the studio and just lay down a beat to tape, grab my bass, and start banging away. Unfortunately—and I’m only coming to this realization as I’m talking about it—because I’d get in that excited creative mental space, I didn’t spend that much time getting “ultimate” bass sounds. But a lot of the tone is right there in my bass and my pedals—it’s the stuff I’ve been doing for years onstage.
How would you describe your drumming style?
I am incredible [laughs]. Do you mean what drummers do I rip off? Stewart Copeland, David Garibaldi, and John Bonham.
What do you like when it comes to drum sounds?
I like things to have a lot of contrast: snappy, crispy hi-hat sounds paired with big, open drum sounds; really big toms next to really small toms; and giant kick drums. I prefer either quick-sounding or very janky-sounding cymbals. I like low-fidelity sound—stuff that has some fur on it—and I try to get as much room sound as possible. I don’t want a drum kit to sound like it does when I go into Guitar Center. You’ve gotta throw some mud at it.
Tell me about your main kit.
For many years I used a stainless-steel Ludwig kit from the ’70s, but I recently acquired an old Gretsch kit—the same one I learned to play drums on. I sold it to a friend who then sold it to [Primus drummer] Tim Alexander. Tim subsequently sold it to me. I used it when I played the drummer character in Electric Apricot, and I used it on the record.
What do you like about playing with Paulo Baldi?
He listens really well and has a great feel. He also has a very good sense of dynamics, which is important for this tour. There are many qualities of Paulo that I very much enjoy. He’s not afraid to experiment.
We’ve put together a kit for him specifically for this tour that’s really cool. It’s got an old 24" Vistalite kick drum that sounds like someone knocking on a barn door, my old giant Rototoms—which sound amazing—plus cowbells, tambourines, funky cymbals.
Have you heard any new music that’s inspired you?
I don’t listen to very much new music. There’s often music going on peripherally—usually Ween or Morphine. But I don’t seek it out like I used to. I tend to enjoy silence a lot more.
I like Hella, and I like playing with Zach [Hill, drummer], because it makes me think in a different way. He does what I call Tourette’s drumming; it’s such an onslaught. He’s doing all the things that we were told not to do. It’s abrasive, yet strangely compelling. It’s those kinds of things that make me think, Wow—I’m an old guy.
I’m sure there are kids doing the same thing with bass out there—there’s some kid in his bedroom beating on a 3-string bass with a chicken leg, who’s going to blow everyone away [laughs]. I saw Alex Lifeson [of Rush] play guitar with a tortilla chip once.
One of the most amazing innovations or expressions of a bass player I’ve heard in the past 15 years is Mark Sandman of Morphine. I loved Mark, and I miss Morphine. What he did with his instrument was amazing, but it wasn’t some technically brilliant sort of thing.
What are your greatest sources of inspiration?
Playing with different people. Recently, Stewart [Copeland, drums] and Trey [Anastasio, guitar] were out here with me, rehearsing for our Oysterhead show at Bonnaroo. We started fumbling around, but all of a sudden it just came together. Trey and I looked at each other and went [whispering], “That’s Stewart Copeland right there!” Stewart was just killing it. He’s playing better now than any time I’ve played with him. That’s what I find most inspirational. Stewart thinks way outside the box; he just thinks about music in a unique way, and everything he does has that unique Stewart Copeland signature. Like most people who are uninhibited in their playing, his personality is reflected in his instrument. Playing with him makes me think differently. It’s the same with [P-Funk keyboardist] Bernie Worrell. With Bernie, you can play anything, and he’ll make it sound amazing.
I’ve played with a lot of players who have a lot of chops, but they don’t have what I call “salt”—life experience to give them that thumbprint they need to turn into someone with a signature sound. A guy like Bernie is salty; he’s an old kipper, a salty dog. He’s got a lot of tales to tell, and they come out in his playing. It’s unbelievable playing with people like that. It’s a whole different ball game.
Are you always in writing mode, or do you have to force yourself to write?
If I force it, I’m not interested. Like anything else, it comes and goes in waves. I am starting to get my head in Primus mode—what I want to do with those guys next. There’s talk of getting together later this year and working up some stuff for a record. This solo material is more ad-hoc; I look in the cabinet and grab some spices, and whip it up. With Primus, there are specific spices to work with: me, Larry, and Tim. It’s the same with Oysterhead or Bucket Of Bernie Brains. It requires a different mindset.
As a craft, writing requires a certain amount of discipline.
I try not to let writing be a disciplined thing. I hope it doesn’t get to that point. Writing music is like doodling; I’m that guy at the restaurant with the crayons on the tablecloth. That’s the way I approach music. When I try to force stuff, it freaks me out and I tend to not like the results.
I’m an airplane writer. When I’m on an airplane, I’m a writing fool. Ideas for stories and lyrics also come to me when I’m driving.
Do you have a good memory for those kinds of things?
No, I have a horrible memory. Most of those things just go away. Hopefully the ones that are worth remembering gets remembered. Who knows? I’m just throwing pasta at the wall. Some of it sticks, some of it doesn’t. Gotta do it while the brain cells are working. But I don’t abuse them as much as I used to.
You certainly have an image of being a fan of the weed. Do you smoke as much as you used to?
No. I think you get to a point in your body chemistry where it gets prohibitive. I’ve been on the planet long enough to see plenty of friends going through various forms of rehab. When you’re young, your body deals with it differently, and at some point your body starts to react differently. I was stoned for 13 or 14 years. I wasn’t a stoner in high school or anything like that; I didn’t like not having control over my brain. But when you get in a van with a bunch of smelly guys driving across the flats of Nevada, it’s like, Pass me that joint, dude! It was helpful for the creative process for a while, but it gets to the point where it isn’t anymore. I don’t care what anybody says: It affects your memory. I don’t want to not remember my kids’ childhood when they’re little guys.
Does weed still take you to a unique creative place?
Sometimes. Now it’s more of a novelty. I have a scientist friend who smokes a lot of weed, and once in a while he’ll get me to take a hit. I’ll have some minor epiphanies. But I find I’m way more creative in the shower. Like Perry Farrell sang with Jane’s Addiction: “Standing in the shower, thinking . . . .”
Where does Primus stand right now?
The big cash cow for me is making Primus records—it’s not a huge cash cow, but from a business perspective, that’s the smart thing to do. We used to just make records and tour, and by the end we were frazzled with the whole damn thing—the music, each other. It just left a horrible taste in our mouths. I haven’t even listened to Antipop in years; I’m hoping someday I’ll be able to listen to it and go, Wow, what an interesting record. When we came together and did Animals Should Not Try to Act Like People, it was fun, like putting on an old jacket. But look at Tool—those guys put out a record every four or five years. That’s not a bad schedule to get on [laughs].
With Primus, it wasn’t like we hated each other or anything. We were just completely burnt out. It’s funny—I’ve been sort of living this parallel existence with Trey Anastasio, because his Phish thing went down the same time Primus did. We’d get on the phone and talk about all this crap. He’d insist: You’re going to do Primus again! And I’d tell him, “Well, you’re going to do Phish again!”
In the middle of all this—your new record, the tour, Electric Apricot, Oysterhead and Primus shows—you also are publishing your first novel. What gives?
The publishing process is a long one: You get a literary agent, find a publisher, take notes, do rewrites, send it to the line editor, and go back and forth. It’s all happened over an extended period of time.
It just looks like I’ve been this methamphetamine-fed beaver building an incredible dam. In reality, these things just happen to be coming together at once.
Well, thanks for your honesty. We’ll do our best to keep the myth alive.
Gear
Basses Carl Thompson 4-string with Kahler tremolo; Carl Thompson 6-string fretless “rainbow bass”; Dan Maloney banjo bass; “Whamola” one-string washtub-style bass; 5-string NS Design electric upright; Dean Markley Blue Steel strings (.045–100)
Rig 2 Ampeg SVT-5PRO heads, 2 Ampeg 4x10 and 2 Ampeg 1x15 cabs
Effects MXR M-80 Bass DI +, Line 6 DM4 Distortion Modeler, Line 6 DL4 Delay Modeler, Boomerang Phrase Sampler, Kork Toneworks AX3000B multi-effects unit, DBX 160a Compressor, Access Virus TI synthesizer with MIDI foot controller
“We used to just run Les’s effected tone to the amps,” says tech Derek Walls. “On this tour we started to split his signal: wet to the 4x10s, and dry to the 1x15s.”
Album File
1990 Primus, Suck on This [Caroline] Primus, Frizzle Fry [Caroline]
1991 Primus, Sailing the Seas of Cheese [Interscope]
1992 Primus, Miscellaneous Debris, [Interscope] Tom Waits, Bone Machine [Island]
1993 Primus, Pork Soda [Interscope]
1994 Rob Wasserman, Trios [MGD-4021] Sausage, Riddles Are Abound Tonight [Interscope]
1995 Primus, Tales From the Punchbowl [Interscope]
1996 Les Claypool & the Holy Mackerel, Highball with the Devil [Interscope]
1997 Primus, Brown Album [Interscope]
1998 Primus, Rhinoplasty [Interscope] Jerry Cantrell, Boggy Depot [Columbia]
1999 Primus, Antipop [Interscope] Buckethead, Monsters & Robots [Higher Octave]
2000 Tom Waits, Hold On [Anti]
2001 Les Claypool’s Frog Brigade, Live Frogs (Sets 1 & 2) [Prawn Song] Oysterhead, Grand Pecking Order [Elektra/Asylum]
2002 The Les Claypool Frog Brigade, Purple Onion [Prawn Song] Gov’t Mule, Deep End, Vol. 2 [ATO]
2003 Gov’t Mule, Deepest End: Live in Concert [ATO]
Primus, Animals Should Not Try to Act Like People [Interscope]
2004 Tom Waits, Real Gone [Anti] Primus, Halucino-Genetics: Live 2004 [Prawn Song] Colonel Claypool’s Bucket of Bernie Brains, Big Eyeball in the Sky [Prawn Song]Jack Irons, Attention Dimension [Breaching Whale]
2005 Adrian Belew, Side One [Sanctuary] Gabby La La, Be Careful What You Wish For [Prawn Song]
2006 Les Claypool, Of Whales and Woe [Prawn Song]
Adrian Belew, Side Three [Sanctuary]
Strange Fruit
Look Out, Spielberg—There’s A New Director In Town
Next time you flip to Inside the Actors Studio, don’t be surprised to see Les Claypool sitting opposite host James Lipton revealing his motivation behind Electric Apricot—The Quest for Festeroo. Okay—maybe that’s pushing it. Still, Les’s directorial and acting debut is downright impressive.
“I’ve written a few screenplays and I’ve directed a lot of videos, but I’ve always wanted to make films,” says Les Claypool. “A while back, I told [South Park co-creator] Matt Stone an idea I had about doing a mockumentary about the jam-band scene; I’m in it, I hear stories, and I see all sorts of crazy stuff. We joked about it for a while. Next thing I know, I’m talking to a mutual friend who’s a producer. It ended up being one of the most difficult undertakings of my life. Not because filmmaking has to be difficult—we just had a gremlin onboard. It was like a daily kick in the nuts. We had trips to the hospital, and we even had a hit-and-run accident. We had all sorts of crazy shit happen to us on a daily basis. After being completely beaten down by it, it ended up being a pretty cool thing.
“When people hear about the idea, they automatically think, Spinal Tap. I actually watched Spinal Tap halfway through the production to compare the two. Spinal Tap is much more overt. With Apricot, if you didn’t know us, you’d think it was a real documentary. The approach was much more like Ricky Gervais’s style with the BBC’s The Office. By using interview scenarios, we’d try to guide the characters through the storyline.
“The movie’s been in some film festivals, and we’ve won some awards. We’re just trying to sell it now. We ran a big ad in Variety congratulating ourselves and announcing that someone should come along and buy this bastard. We said if you buy within 48 hours, you get a free oven mitt. No dice. I think we’ll put it on eBay next. We’ve had offers to release it on DVD, but we want to do a limited theatrical release.”
Hemingway. Fitzgerald. Claypool?
Les Courts The Literary Set With His First Novel, South Of The PumpHouse
Started ten years ago as a 60-page screenplay, South of the Pumphouse marks Les’s first foray into yet another creative world—writing.
“For the screenplay I wrote, we put together a production team and raised a bunch of money. But then one of the investors died, and producers came on and went away. During the whole process, people gave notes, and I’d take things into consideration and make alterations. It got to the point where it was getting so convoluted I decided to just put it into novel form.
“A friend of mine turned me on to a literary agent, who really liked it. We were in talks with major publishers, but it’s the same thing you get from record labels: ‘Well, if you work with this producer …’ and other bullshit. I was more excited to go with a cool indie publisher than with a major. Akashic is like the Sub Pop of books—they publish all sorts of cool stuff. Johnny Temple, the bass player from Girls Against Boys, is the editor-in-chief there, and he’s great. But now I’m a little scared—I have to go do readings and things like that.”
Where’s the Sheet Music?!
Much of the sheet music that Bass Player publishes is copyrighted material, licensed from the artists to run only in the printed version of the magazine. Bass Player continues to offer the explanatory text of these lessons online, but in order to get the complete song transcriptions and other bits of licensed sheet music, you need to have a copy of the magazine.
Sure, you could run down to the local music shop or corner store and pick up the latest issue of Bass Player, but why not subscribe today? It's easy, cheap and you'll never miss another lesson! |
Edited by - Carl on 08/25/2006 07:43:37 |
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El Loco
- FB Fan -
206 Posts |
Posted - 08/25/2006 : 08:41:21
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primus = sucks
mkay
IN MY PAST LIFE I WAS CALLED FARTBONE HERE. |
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Daisy Girl
~ Abstract Brain ~
Belize
5305 Posts |
Posted - 08/30/2006 : 13:06:46
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http://www.bellesofskincity.com/
belles of skin city is a local band that's primus influenced. i really like them. check them out.
primus i like b/c of the funky bass and voice of the lead singer. |
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cassandra is
> Teenager of the Year <
France
4233 Posts |
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Primus
