Primus Tracks

The first of many tracks on the c2b3 that airs grievances and frustrations with the George W Bush administration, Junior directly derides W through a variety of vocalizations, supported by a greasy soundtrack. Speaking of greasy, Sam Stewart of Flagman drops in to dissect the tune and reveal what he's learned from studying Les and c2b3 on a musical level. 

Find Sam's music at flagmanband.com 

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Possibly the most challenging track of the album for its messiness and seeming lack of structure, there are redeeming qualities - Bucket's strange guitar sounds, a guest turn from Gabby La La, and the mystery of the single lyric - Hip Shot From the Slab captures c2b3 at its most abstract. Frankie doggedly mines English idioms to make sense of the title, for which we spend an inordinate amount of time. Some fascinating live cuts and brave Primates' Takes round out this episode. 

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The epic instrumental positioned at track 4 is mix of wistful pathos and chill dub, eliciting a wide range of interpretations and emotional responses. At Primus Tracks, we tend towards the visual spark, and this track takes us on some strange trips. We get into the heart of the matter, and discuss some megafauna along the way. 

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The tyranny of the hunt will take you by surprise, and so will the origins of this track! We have deep background on the lyrics of this track thanks to some interviews around the time of record release, as well as our recent episode with Les, Brain, and Soya. Who knew the gangrenous penis would become the stuff of legend? (Me. I knew.) The music is well-structured, with some inspired breaks among the stop-start verses, and Buckethead shows his versatility throughout. The lyrics lead us to a discussion of body horror (Halloween is coming!) and what our limits are. Spoiler: they're low. 

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The great Rory Dolan of Lespecial rejoins Primus Tracks to deconstruct Brain's unusual drum performance on the second track of the c2b3 record, which, actually, already sounds like it was deconstructed? After rocking our faces off, this looser number reveals the more casual and spontaneous side of the band and project. Frankie reveals the thematic origins of the seemingly-nonsensical lyrics, which brings it all together. 

Rory on Instagram
lespecial.net 


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The great Kello Gonzalez rejoins Primus Tracks amid his jam-packed schedule to discuss the fiery opening track to the lone Bucket of Bernie Brains release, Buckethead. The second biographical track about the mysterious masked figure with lyrics by Claypool, this one hoists him as a paragon of honor and excellence, with a towering track to match, but only after a whimsical keyboard intro courtesy of Bernie Worrell, which calls to mind the improvisational nature of the band's live performances and the manner in which they took the stage. Kello is a Buckethead fan, adding a layer of commentary to the normal proceedings that brings to light Bucket's prolific releases, but also his undeniable musicality. Plus: SIX live tracks? Frankie's had too many cookies. 

Find Kello Gonzalez everywhere on the internet @kellogc

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As we turn our attention to Colonel Claypool's Bucket of Bernie Brains, Tim Soya made sure we opened proceedings in style with two of the band members, Brian "Brain" Mantia and Les Claypool. We ask them about the origins and magic of C2B3 - which seems to be just that, given their commentary, but they certainly hold dear the experience of playing without a net and relying on one another to carry the show should the need arise. We get into some of the album's tracks and stump them with a clip of a song they didn't know they wrote. Massive thanks to Soya for wrangling Brain and Les for this very special episode of Primus Tracks. 

Reminder: Patreon members get video of this and more episodes! 

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We continue our DNA sub-series with a less obvious influence on Les Claypool and Primus: XTC. This English band influenced Les in his formative years, perhaps subconsciously influencing his own style, culminating in two Primus covers of XTC tracks from their album, Drums and Wires in Making Plans for Nigel and Scissorman. 

Here to provide a crash course in XTC And to describe what he hears of them in Primus is Xpert Mark Fisher, who maintains an XTC podcast, What Do You Call That Noise? and keeps the world apprised of the band via xtclimelight.com

Special thanks to Mark for his time and his insights. XTC are a worthy band to explore, and there's certainly something for every Primus fan within. 

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Les Claypool was busy enough in 2002 with the release and support of Purple Onion,  but he also found time to complete a cover of Hot Rod Lincoln for a compilation album, land Frog Brigade Bonnaroo performances on two official releases, and start his journey with Colonel Claypool's Bucket of Bernie Brains. We dig into the covers and the improv nature of c2b3.


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As the 2024 Primus summer tour concludes, we take a look at the number of set list surprises and other goodies that packed the 33-date sojourn with much mirth, merriment, and mind-melting, mesmerizing musicianship. This tour was unique for being conducted without some kind of theme or conceit behind, nor any kind of official release to back. Primus was just out on the road, headlining some fetching venues and digging deep into the bag of tracks, much to the delight of the hardcore fans such as us. We sample some of the memorable moments captured by attendees and offer our astute(?) observations. 

What was your summer tour highlight? Tell us all about it on the socials!

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