Primus Tracks – Details, episodes & analysis

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. 

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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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This week on the podcast, we address the Les Claypool live staple D's Diner, which has been performed by so many iterations of his bands that everyone has lost count, except for Frankie. Bay Area resident and D's Diner regular Anthony Garcia helps us choose what menu items will be worth our while, models the main bass lick, and explains why it's okay to have a one-riff jam track in the middle of, to this point, a focused record. Next time you're in Sebastopol, get the breakfast burrito with extra red sauce!

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We welcome another new bass pro to Primus Tracks Towers: Blas Perez plays in Dhani Harrison's band and is an old school Primus fan who cut his chops on the likes of Les and Geddy. Blas helps us with the sublimely structured songwriting on Moron TV - a true band collaboration.

Find Blas on instagram @turboface and search his name on Youtube to see him playing around with beautiful, brand new Fender basses.

When Primus goes country/western, you call on the bassist of Mexico's greatest instrumental rock band, Parazit. Please welcome Kello Gonzalez to the Primus Tracks family! Kello tells his Primus story, then breaks down the technique and phrasing behind the bass groove of Lee Van Cleef, a live mainstay since its inception. Find Kello @kellogc on Instagram and check out Parazit at parazitmx.bandcamp.com - they rip!

Audio note: There was a buffer/sampling issue with the original audio recording. Thanks to our friend Anthony Garcia for cleaning up the crackle and dropped samples. Some warble remains, but this doctored version is much more palatable than the original recording.

A live staple since 2011, Jilly's On Smack hits all the hallmarks of a standout Primus track. Tune in to hear the checklist, as well as guest commentary from Jonny G of lespecial!

All eyes on this episode! Rory Dolan, the drumming madman of lespecial, returns to the show to discuss the unusual drumming here, and connects this track to a Primus classic. Frankie brings the track trivia and Josh thinks he has every lyrical reference nailed in this one, the content of which is a departure for Les Claypool in Primus terms.

Find Rory and lespecial @lespecialmusic and at www.lespecial.net

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The happy-go-lucky funk of Tragedy's A'Comin accompanies dark lyrics, making a strange contrast of flavors. Louis Ortega joins the podcast to talk about the funk underpinnings, and we range from Isley Brothers to Iron Maiden to Dylan Thomas. I suppose the greatest tragedy here is that we didn't reference more cultural touchstones in association with this unique Primus track.

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Anthony Garcia brings consumerist culture to the podcast and enlightens us as to the many unusual musical & vocal elements of Eternal Consumption Engine - and it all starts with a decade-old Ler idea. Plus, the intricacies of global economic policy! Okay, we skirt that issue, but Josh does like talking about steam engines.

Find us @primustracks on Instagram and Twitter and please share your observations re: is there a positive correlation between the goofiness of the tracks and our own level of goofiness?

Josh and Frankie unpack part four of the Fisherman's Chronicles, which addresses the concerns of commercial salmon fisherman in Northern California. Are these some of Les Claypool's strongest lyrics? Probably. Does the music provide adequate support? Tune in to find out!