Primus Tracks Josh, Frankie, & Soya

Ding Dang is a forceful number, both in terms of music and lyrics. We speak with bassist Alex Dalasio about the musicality of the tune, and what makes it memorable, as well as unpacking the lyrics, which are meant to provoke, and perhaps even make us uncomfortable, but there's a lesson to be learned and a resonant, timeless message. We get to the heart of the matter and solve all of the world's problems. Just another day at the office in Primus Tracks Towers!

Find Alex's musical efforts under the name Psychedelic Waves on Bandcamp and Spotify. 

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Les Claypool started banging on the Whamola on February 14, 2001, at a Frog Brigade show in Boston, Massachusetts, and it's accompanied him on nearly every subsequent tour, and numerous studio records. He popularized the one-stringed instrument that an enterprising person could construct for less than $100, and put his unique spin on it with percussive playing that utilizes distortion and evelope filter to achieve a big sound. Here, on the Purple Onion record, the track serves as a solo showcase for Les's side men, and they all deliver wild slices of sound, supported by drummer Fish Fisher of Fishbone. We examine the history of the instrument, numerous live cuts, and whether the track holds up 20+ years later. 

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With Long in the Tooth, Les Claypool takes a page from the Tom Waits book of music, and puts his own spin on the concept, evoking numerous auti-biographical details - some clear, some hazy - that act as an ode to aging and general acceptance of the process. We explicate the lyrics in depth, and sample a bit of ol' Stompin' Tom Connors in the process.

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Frequent bass contributor Louis Ortega returns to model and explain the hooks behind Buzzards of Green Hill, Frankie's favorite track from the album, and perhaps his top Claypool track. This one seems to be the backwoods hick Claypool that had shone through with some Primus material, but takes the wheel here for a (sober, we hope) drive out in the county. Lyrically, we contrast drunk driving and nursery rhyme motifs; the latter likely a result of Claypool having toddlers at the time, and the former from Les observing the world around him. Some killer live cuts accompany this episode!

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This week, we discuss David Makalaster, often referred to as Mak 1, which brings Purple Onion to life after the ambient opening track. Mak 1 and 2 somewhat bookend the Pruple Onion record, and we discuss this first installment in near-isolation, but it's difficult to separate the two. Lots of lyrical references to unpack, and the mass of instrumentation makes for a busy and full musical experience. It's also the first exposure to Skerik's fancy sax for many fans, and boy, does he deliver. Plus, we have live cuts from over the years and lineups/iterations of Les's solo bands. 

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As we begin to peel back the layers of Les Claypool's 2002 album Purple Onion, we discuss the background of the record, its place in (and out) of its time, the inspiration for the title, and we discuss the title track's ambience and ambiguous lyrics. Purple Onion stands as the jump-start to the Les Claypoo; 2000s solo career in terms of writing and performing original material with the Frog Brigade, Fancy Band, Fungi Band - whatever the name of the iteration, it's based on a Claypool record. Grab your local, organic produce and join us. 

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