Les Claypool's Frog Brigade in Los Angeles

About Les Claypool's Frog Brigade

Les Claypool's Frog Brigade is the project where Praxis and Praxis-adjacent bass weirdness meets actual songs. Starting in the late 90s, Claypool gathered musicians who could keep up with his amphibian-fixated vision — people like Bryan Patrick Martin on drums and various rotating members including Gill Peled. The Frog Brigade treats improvisation like it's mandatory but not required to sound like free jazz. You get structured weirdness, the kind where "Brain to Mouth" somehow becomes a vehicle for both groove and chaos. Unlike Claypool's main gig with Praxis, the Frogs lean more towards maintaining songs while deconstructing them. The band's recorded output bounces between studio clarity and bootleg-quality live captures, which seems intentional. They've never cared much about smoothing the edges or making sense to casual listeners. It's jamming for people who actually want something to grab onto.

People stand around confused for the first two songs, then gradually realize they're watching something genuinely weird happen. Claypool's bass does impossible things. Crowds get quietly invested in where this is going. No mosh pits. Mostly just sustained attention and occasional bursts of recognition.

Known for The Big Eyeball in the Sky, Holy Mackerel, Brain to Mouth, Rhinosaur, Me in Honey

Les Claypool's Frog Brigade + Los Angeles

Les Claypool's Frog Brigade have made LA a regular stop, and their July 2023 show at the Wiltern proved why they keep coming back. They opened with "When Johnny Comes Marching Home" before diving into a Pink Floyd deep cut — "Pigs on the Wing, Part 1" — segueing into the full "Animals" suite. It's the kind of move that defines their live approach: ambitious, slightly unhinged, completely committed. "Thela Hun Ginjeet" and "Whamola" showcased Claypool's bass work in full effect, while "Pure Imagination" as the closer felt earned rather than whimsical. Eighteen songs of controlled chaos at a venue that's seen the weird and wonderful for decades.

Les Claypool's Frog Brigade in Los Angeles News

• Primus Concert Setlist: Discover the Average Song List Ticketmaster Blog · Jan 21, 2026
• Les Claypool’s Frog Brigade Announces East Coast Tour Bass Magazine · Sep 27, 2023
• Les Claypool's Fearless Flying Frog Brigade announce more 2023 tour dates BrooklynVegan · Jul 11, 2023
• Les Claypool’s Fearless Frog Brigade to Reunite After 20 Years for 2023 US Tour Consequence of Sound · Jan 31, 2023
• Les Claypool’s Frog Brigade Reunite After 20 Years, Announce 2023 US Tour Dates mxdwn Music · Jan 31, 2023

Live Music in Los Angeles

Los Angeles has always been hospitable to progressive and experimental music, even when it wasn't fashionable. The city's bass culture, shaped by everything from P-funk to contemporary metal and experimental rock, creates the perfect audience for Claypool's bass-forward approach. The Wiltern itself sits in that LA tradition of mid-sized venues that bridge intimate shows and arena productions — places where a band like the Frog Brigade can sprawl out without losing the room.

Los Angeles road trip to see Les Claypool's Frog Brigade?

Stay in Los Feliz, where you can walk tree-lined streets and catch views from Griffith Observatory. Dinner at Republique in the Arts District—refined French-inspired food in a restored factory space that feels more Paris than LA. Spend an afternoon at the Huntington Library in San Marino, a world-class art collection that justifies the drive. The city's recording studio history is everywhere; walk through Hollywood and you're literally surrounded by the spaces where hits were made. End the night at a jazz bar like The Fonda Theatre or catch live music on Sunset Boulevard.