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Primus is a Grammy -nominated American Rock Band formed in California in the mid-1980s. Singer and Bassist Les Claypool has been the only constant member, although the band has also featured Larry LaLonde (guitar) and Tim "herb" Alexander (drums) for the majority of its career. Their music is difficult to define, and while usually considered by critics to be Funk Metal or Alternative Metal , Primus has been called everything from " Thrash - Funk meets Don Knotts , Jr."4 to " Alternative Rock " to "the Freak Brothers set to music."5 Les Claypool himself once described their music as " Psychedelic Polka ."6 Primus is the only band with its own ID3v1 genre tag, as extended by Winamp .7 Due to the diversity of their sound, Primus have been able to gain a modest segment of fans from many different rock sub-genres. They are characterized by their irreverent approach to music. Primus release their records on Claypool's '' Prawn Song Records '' Label , a parody of Led Zeppelin 's Swan Song . The band's catchphrase is no longer "Primus Sucks!" because the band thought it became tiring, although it was a tradition that dated back to their first album. BAND HISTORY circa 1989. Both bands have several songs about Fishing .]] The early years (1984–1990) Primus began as Primate in El Sobrante, California during the mid-1980s, with singer and bassist Les Claypool and guitarist Todd Huth . Claypool rounded out the band with a drum machine but drummer Perm Parker was added for the recording of Primate's demo tape.8 The band would go through many drummers throughout their early history, eventually settling on Jay Lane . Although not a Thrash Metal band, Primus was heavily associated with the Bay Area Thrash scene in their early years. Opening for bands such as Testament and Exodus , whom Claypool almost joined, they picked up a following of fans from the scene as a result. Primus received praise from Testament 's Alex Skolnick very early into their career.9 After rising to local music scene stardom with their brand of Funk Metal fusion, Huth and Lane left in 1989 to pursue other projects. Claypool then recruited former Blind Illusion bandmate and one time Joe Satriani student Larry "Ler" LaLonde , and eclectic drummer Tim "Herb" Alexander . During this time, Primus played a number of shows at Barrington Hall , a notoriously free-wheeling Berkeley student housing co-operative. Barrington Hall is often referenced in the band's music; the song "Frizzle Fry" refers to a Barrington party, and the album '' Tales From The Punchbowl '' refers to the LSD -spiked punch that was frequently served at Barrington social events. Primus continued to gain popularity and in 1989 released their first album, '' Suck On This '', a live recording culled from two of their Berkeley concerts. The album was financed by Les' father. In 1990 the band released their first studio album, '' Frizzle Fry '', and released singles for " John The Fisherman " and " Too Many Puppies ", songs which seem to be military oriented, (i.e., too many puppies) With a music video featuring Kirk Hammett , a studio album and a tour with Jane's Addiction , Primus' popularity grew to the point where they attracted attention from Interscope Records , who signed them in 1990. Cheese, Soda and Punch (1991–1996) and The Melvins at Bill Graham 's New Year's Eve show circa 1992. Artwork by Tom Tomorrow ]] Primus' major label debut was the album '' Sailing The Seas Of Cheese '' supported by singles " Jerry Was A Race Car Driver ," and " Tommy The Cat (featuring Tom Waits )," both of which appeared on MTV. A third single, " Those Damned Blue-Collar Tweekers ," was also released but did not feature a video. The band appeared as contestants for the Battle Of The Bands in '' Bill And Ted's Bogus Journey '' and made music for Beavis & Butthead . With a major label behind them, ''Sailing the Seas of Cheese'' went gold. The band then toured in support of Rush , U2 , Anthrax , and Public Enemy . After the release of ''Sailing the Seas of Cheese'', in 1992 Primus released a Cover Song EP '' Miscellaneous Debris '', with their version of XTC 's "Making Plans for Nigel" receiving enough airplay to reach #30 on Billboard 's Modern Rock Tracks chart. |
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