Les Claypool is not your everyday name. Then again, Les Claypool is not your everyday rock star. If you’ve never heard his music or seen him perform, you’re missing out.
The former lead singer and bassist of Primus is currently promoting his new album ‘Of Fungi and Foe’ and headlining ‘The Oddity Faire: A Mutated Mini Fest.’ “It’s this traveling freak show. A slice of Burning Man and a slice of Barnum & Bailey… It’s a freak show for the freaks, by the freaks,” raves Claypool.
His current band features Claypool on bass/vocals, Paulo Baldi (Cake) on drums, Mike Dillon (Ani Difranco) on percussion, and Sam Bass (Deadweight) on Cello, all of whom will be part of the soundtrack for the faire at the Riviera Theater on Saturday, Mar. 21.
Les Claypool has a style all his own. His imagination and creativity keeps people wondering what he will do next or what story he will tell. When asked about going on tour, he bantered “It’s like [traveling on] a whaling ship…We leave and we’re gone for six weeks. [We] leave the families back at the docks and we sail off in our giant shiny box and harvest the whale oil.”
Each concert gives fans a chance to be a harvester in a sea full of the exotic creations of Les Claypool’s mind. A visionary among musicians, his music stands alone. The alluring sounds he is able to produce with just his bass can seldom be heard anywhere he is not. Claypool actually auditioned for Metallica but was dubbed “too good” to join the band by James Hetfield.
Whether jamming on his electric bass or plucking the strings of his stand-up bass, Les Claypool always has a way of putting on an unforgettable performance, filled with intricate jam sessions and psychedelic visuals to stimulate the senses. Seeing him live gives fans a chance to see, as Les says, “A little slice of Claypool on Halloween.”
Each song, filled with characters some people could never imagine, tells a story in a way that only Les Claypool could tell it. The new album, ‘Of Fungi and Foe,’ described by Claypool as “…a mutated slice of my current mental state,” is comprised mostly of songs originally written for the abstract, sci-fi video game ‘Mushroom Men’ and a movie called ‘Pig Hunt’ about a 3000 pound bore that terrorizes the marijuana fields of northern California.
When he isn’t touring he can be found out in the country at his northern California estate, fittingly named ‘Rancho Relaxo’ (from ‘The Simpsons’). “I’m out there sloppin’ the hogs and driving the tractor…pickin’ grapes, pullin’ crab pots.” Claypool is also an avid fisherman of the world, wrapping up a lifestyle that few people will ever experience.
The new album ‘Mushroom Men’ comes out on Tuesday, Mar. 17. Claypool describes the album as, “…very moody. It’s very textural. My stuff tends to have these odd tragic characters and there’s quite a collection of them on this record. But it’s a little darker. It’s almost like an old Peter Gabriel record…”
The new album will surface just in time for his arrival in Chicago with ‘The Oddity Faire’ on Saturday, Mar. 21.
So, ladies, gentleman, children of all ages, come one, come all to see Les Claypool and his traveling freak show this Saturday at the Riv.