About Me
...is one of many musical projects involving Primus bassist Les Claypool. The original band was formed in 2000 and consisted of: Les Claypool (bass, vocals), Todd Huth (guitars, vocals), Jay Lane (drums), Jeff Chimenti (keyboards), Skerik (saxophone), and Eenor (guitars).The band released two live recordings in 2001, "Live Frogs Set 1" and "Live Frogs Set 2". "Set 1" is a mix of covers and originals, including Thela hun Ginjeet (King Crimson) and Shine On You Crazy Diamond (Pink Floyd). "Set 2" is a live cover of the entire Pink Floyd album, "Animals". A studio album was also released in 2002 entitled "The Purple Onion".All three albums were released on Les Claypool's Prawn Song Records.a lil bio about Les Claypool...
Leslie "Les" Edward Claypool is a bassist and lead singer, best known for his work with the alternative rock band Primus. Born on September 29, 1963, in Richmond, California, Claypool's mastery of the electric bass has brought him into the spotlight with his funky, creative playing style. Though he cites bass virtuoso Geddy Lee of Rush as his greatest influence, Claypool mixed heavy metal finger-tapping, along with a Larry Graham-like slap technique to develop his own unique style. Today Claypool is considered by many to be one of rock's best bassists, and Claypool himself has become an influence on younger bassists in recent years.Les Claypool was born on September 29th 1963 in Richmond, California, but was raised in El Sobrante, California in a working class family.As a teenager, Claypool was turned on to rock music such as Led Zeppelin and Jimi Hendrix by classmate Kirk Hammett (of Metallica fame). After picking up the bass at the age of fourteen and developing his chops in the school jazz band, Claypool played in a local cover band called the Tommy Crank Band where he was able to develop his slap technique through listening to Stanley Clarke and Larry Graham. He also bought his first Carl Thompson bass, his trademark four string piccolo. (He now owns six, including a multi-wood $10,000 fretless 6-string called the Rainbow Bass.)In 1986, after the tragic death of Metallica bassist Cliff Burton, Claypool auditioned to play bass for Metallica. Unfortunately, he did not get the position because his style was considered "too funky". In the late 80s, Claypool played in the band Blind Illusion with future Primus guitarist Ler Lalonde. Primus began as Primate with Claypool's friends Todd Huth and Jay Lane in 1989, though Huth and Lane left shortly thereafter to pursue other projects. Claypool replaced them with metal guitarist Lalonde and eclectic drummer Tim Alexander. Primus began selling out local clubs with their out-of-control live act and irreverent approach to music (their catchphrase was - and still is - "Primus sucks!").From 1989 to 2000, Primus steadily became the weirdest band to gain significant mainstream airplay, headlining Lollapalooza in 1993, appearing on David Letterman and Conan O'Brien in 1995, and even making an appearance at Woodstock '94 where they performed their Pork Soda hit "My Name is Mud" with predictable results (Claypool claims to still have mud in his speakers).The year 2000 saw Primus on indefinite hiatus, leaving Claypool to form Les Claypool's Fearless Flying Frog Brigade, a jam band in the vein of Phish. The band debuted at the New Orleans Jazz Festival and played a number of other festivals including moe.down. In October he officially disbanded Primus. This allowed him to return to his musical roots, playing songs by bands like Pink Floyd, King Crimson, and the Beatles. Claypool has called the Frog Brigade his "mid-life crisis band." In addition to two live albums (one being an exact cover of Pink Floyd's Animals), the Frog Brigade has released one studio album, 2002's Purple Onion. Claypool has also collaborated with Trey Anastasio and Stewart Copeland in jam-rock project Oysterhead.Claypool also collaborated with virtuoso guitarist Buckethead, funk keyboardist Bernie Worrell, and former Primus drummer Brain under the name Colonel Claypool's Bucket of Bernie Brains, whose concerts pushed the improvisational envelope by preparing no material and not rehearsing beforehand. At one of their shows they prepared sandwiches onstage for the audience members to eat.In late 2003 Claypool reunited with former Primus drummer Tim Alexander and guitarist Larry LaLonde to record a DVD/EP called Animals Should Not Try to Act Like People, which Claypool described as the first DVD with supplementary music, as opposed to the contrary. The band staged a two month tour in which they performed two sets per show, the second consisting of their 1991 release Sailing the Seas of Cheese in its entirety. They continued touring into 2004, even performing their 1990 release Frizzle Fry in its entirety.Colonel Claypool's Bucket of Bernie Brains re-united in 2004 to record The Big Eyeball in the Sky, an album with equal parts instrumental and vocal songs. The band began an 18-state tour of the US on September 24, 2004. The album features only one guest, the child-like multi-instrumentalist Gabby La La (noted as Gabby Lang on Les Claypool's Frog Brigade's Purple Onion) on vox and sitar. She also opened, to poor reviews, on every show during the 2004 tour as a solo act with sometimes members of Colonel Claypool's Bucket of Bernie Brains.Claypool recently alienated many of his fans when he produced and performed on Gabby La La's first album, Be Careful What You Wish For.... He's also performed select shows with her (including the 2005 edition of the Bonnaroo Music Festival where he made his only appearance that year) and has added her to his new touring band, Les Claypool & His Fancy Band (also featuring Skerik on saxaphonics, Mike Dillon on percussion, and Jay Lane on drums). Gabby La La is the first artist Les has signed to his label since Charlie Hunter in 1993.Currently, Claypool is working on his first attempt at film, Electric Apricot. The movie is to be a spoof of the jam band scene centered around the fake band, Electric Apricot, in the mockumentary tradition of Spinal Tap. The band was originally rumored to include Bob Weir of the Grateful Dead and Ratdog on guitar but those rumors were slowly put to rest after their first low-key show. The group is currently still performing low-key shows in the California area (most recently High Sierra Music Festival for the filming of the movie. The members of the band go by the assumed names (real identities in parenthesis) of Steve Hampton Trouzdale (Bob C. Cock) on bass and vocals, Steve "Gordo" Gordon (Brian Kehoe) on guitar and vocals, Herschal Tambor Brillstien (Jonathan Korty) ..boards and vocals, and of course Lapland "Lapdog" Miclovik (Les Claypool) on drums and vocals. There is currently no release date for the film but you can find their fake profiles on its website, http://electricapricot.com.Claypool is currently working on the long-awaited 8th full length Primus album set for a release in spring or summer 2006. He lives in Sebastopol, CA with his wife, son and daughter. His home is called "Rancho Relaxo", he records most of his music at his home too.
Okay so here we go....Les Claypool as well as his band memebers do not run this site. I do not know Les Claypool, I'm just a fan trying to spread the music. All info and music is copywritten to them. Blah Blah *insert legal stuff here* If you have any questions We cant answer you should go to the official site I've listed on the left. Thanks for checking out this crazy music!
some more information about the frogs...
Claypool formed the band to play the Mountain Aire Festival, a jamband festival that takes place in Northern California on Memorial Day weekends each year. Its initial lineup featured MIRV on guitar, Skerik on saxophone, and both Jack Irons (ex-Pearl Jam and Red Hot Chili Peppers) and Primus' Tim Alexander on drums.In August 2000, Claypool created a new line-up of the Frog Brigade and took it on a tour that fall. The band consisted of Jay Lane on drums and Todd Huth on guitar, who had worked with Claypool in Sausage (which in itself was a re-formation of the first line up of Primus), guitarist Eenor, who got a place in the band by winning a mail-order competition, Jeff Chimenti, the keyboardist from Ratdog (Jay Lane also has worked with Ratdog), and Skerik continuing on saxophone. This version of the band played a show consisting of two sets - the first filled with covers and songs from Claypool's previous bands, and a second set where the band would play all of the Pink Floyd album, Animals.After this tour, the Brigade released two live recordings, both taken from the Autumn 2000 concerts by the band in San Francisco. Live Frogs, Vol. 1 contained material from the first, free-form set, and Live Frogs, Vol. 2 was a recording of the band performing Animals.In the summer of 2001 the band comprised of Claypool, Skerik, Eenor and a new drummer, Paul Svena. Les began writing new material and they began playing single-set live shows. In 2002, Mike Dillon was added as a percussionist and the Frog Brigade recorded their only studio album to date, Purple Onion.In 2003, Eenor left the band and guitarist Brian Kehoe joined. Throughout their touring schedule the band has changed drummers multiple times. Drummer Paulo Baldi also entered the rotation in 1993. Baldi, formerly of the fantastic bay area trio Deadweight, who have disbanded, is a natural fit along the lines of Tim Alexander and Jay Lane.In 2004 Claypool formed a new jamband, Colonel Claypool's Bucket of Bernie Brains, with guitarist Buckethead, keyboardist Bernie Worrell, and former Primus drummer Brian Mantia (aka Brain). This band had much the same genesis as the Frog Brigade; Formed to play at the Bonnaroo Festival of that year, it has since gone on the road, and recordings have become subsequent live albums.As of Spring 2007, the Frog Brigade has not recorded any new material since Purple Onion, and the band has not gone on a major tour since Summer 2003, but has occasionally re-formed to play other one-off shows and music festivals. Claypool is currently undertaking a tour with Jay Lane, Gabby La La, Mike Dillon and Skerik as Les Claypool's Fancy Band.The new South Park theme music features the song "Whamola" in the intro from Season 10 (Make Love, Not Warcraft) onwards.
