Primus

About Primus

Primus makes the kind of music that sounds like nothing else, which is both their defining feature and maybe the whole point. Les Claypool's slap bass technique sits front and center in a way that feels physically impossible, anchoring songs that lurch between funk metal, prog rock, and something closer to avant-garde comedy. They formed in El Sorito, California in 1984, originally called Primate, with Claypool handling bass and vocals alongside guitarist Todd Huth and various drummers. The current lineup solidified in 1989 when Tim Alexander joined on drums and Larry LaLonde replaced Huth on guitar.

Their first proper album, Suck on This, came out in 1989 as a live recording that captured their confrontational energy. But Frizzle Fry in 1990 was where things got interesting. Songs like "John the Fisherman" and "Too Many Puppies" established their aesthetic: Claypool's cartoonish vocals, byzantine bass lines, and lyrics about weird characters doing weird things. They got signed to Interscope, which seemed improbable given how deliberately unmarketable they sounded.

Sailing the Seas of Cheese in 1991 was their commercial breakthrough, though "commercial" is relative here. "Tommy the Cat" featured a spoken word bit from Tom Waits. "Jerry Was a Race Car Driver" somehow got MTV rotation despite sounding like nothing on the radio. The album went gold, proving there was an audience for bass-driven oddball rock that refused to fit anywhere cleanly.

Pork Soda arrived in 1993 and went platinum, peaking at number seven on the Billboard 200. It was darker and stranger than Seas of Cheese, with tracks like "My Name Is Mud" leaning into sludgier tempos and even more unsettling lyrics. They toured relentlessly, building a reputation as a legitimate live act that could hold arena stages despite never really softening their approach.

Tales from the Punchbowl in 1995 and The Brown Album in 1997 continued their streak, though by this point they were clearly more interested in experimentation than repeating themselves. Alexander left after Brown, replaced by Brain, then returned, then left again. Claypool pursued countless side projects, including Oysterhead with Trey Anastasio and Stewart Copeland.

They've reunited multiple times with different configurations. The most recent albums include The Desaturating Seven from 2017, based on a children's book about rainbow-eating goblins, because of course it was. They still tour regularly, with Alexander back behind the kit. Their setlists pull from across their catalog, and the fanbase remains devoted in that way fanbases get when a band never compromised or tried to sound like anyone else. Claypool is 62 now and still playing bass like he has something to prove.

Primus shows are claustrophobic in the best way. The crowd is mostly musicians analyzing every note Claypool throws at them. Sets feel chaotic but deliberate, with songs morphing into jams. People don't mosh so much as stand mesmerized by the bass.

Known for My Name Is Mud, Wynona's Big Brown Beaver, Jerry Was a Race Car Driver, South Park Theme, Lacquer Head

See Primus Live