Twisted Songs By Two Guys And A Mini-tambourine-doohickey

It would be great to be able to look inside Les Claypool's head. The man behind Primus writes some rather twisted music. Primus' songs already have some mildy insane lyrics. In his other projects this isn't any different, as he already proved in his solo work and for example in Oysterhead. It has to be quite an experience to see from what well these crazy lyrics and music originate. This time he formed the duo Les Claypool's Duo De Twang with his good friend Bryan Kehoe. On Four Foot Shack they limit themselves to only a few string instruments and a "mini-tambourine-doohickey" for the rhythm.

Les Claypool's Duo De Twang - Four Foot Shack (Ronald Says 7 out of 10)

The duo is mainly drawing inspiration from American folk and country music. That's why you'll hear famous folk songs like 'The Bridge Came Tumblin' Down', by Candadian folk singer Tom Connors, and 'Battle Of New Orleans' by the legendary Jimmy Driftwood. Of course everything was pushed through the "Claypool-filter", so it bears unmistakably his signature.

Both musicians wanted to play songs they are listening to themselves a lot. That's why, besides Claypool's own compositions and the popular folk songs, a few cover songs were added to the record. The Bee Gees' disco super hit 'Stayin' Alive' is almost unrecognisable in a genuine Hillbilly version. They got rid of the grunge layer in Alice in Chains' 'Man In The Box'. It is one of Claypool's qualities that he's able to adopt to everything. When you like his other work, this record won't disappoint.

Sometimes it all gets a bit too cheesy, but that's forgivable. Clearly with a lot of fun, the duo came up with a remarkable record, which only gets better every time you listen to it. Despite the cheesiness it then displays the musical quality of both musicians. Hopefully the well inside Claypool's head is far from drying out.



This review has been published on Festivalinfo in Dutch over here.

Listen to 'Four Foot Shack' on Spotify.

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New Sounds: Les Claypool's Duo De Twang - Four Foot Shack

Les Claypool goes Americana. What!? Yes, the Primus front man has teamed up with his friend Bryan Kehoe, a guitar, a bass and a mini-tambourine-doohickey to form Duo de Twang. They are playing Americana songs, rootsy country songs, seated down in a rocking chair on their porch. In Claypool's unique twisted and brilliant style of course. Wait a minute, 'Staying Alive'? 'Man In A Box'? They didn't! Yes, they did. Listen for yourself:





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Pretty Avarage Night With Primus

Primus are still touring around their latest album release Green Naugahyde. After seeing them in Paradiso last year they were now taking to a bigger stage. And that show got me hungry for more. So I headed down to Eindhoven where they were playing the new Klokgebouw venue.



Primus at Klokgebouw Eindhoven, April 1 2012 (Ronald Says 7 out of 10)
It was my first time at that venue which is located in an old factory building previously owned by multinational Philips that started out in Eindhoven many years go. It's a good location but the industrial surroundings never really get you in the mood for a rock show. We came in late and missed the beginning of the show. They had started off with a few of their classics, great songs like 'Frizzle Fry', 'Seas Of Cheese' and 'Mr. Krinkle'. At both sides of the stage the two familiar astronauts are staring at us and the big screen at the back is showing great visuals.



Before we know it it's time for the intermission with classic black and white Popeye cartoons. Three cartoons in total prove to be a bit too much for some people and for a good reason. One cartoon would have been good enough. When the band are back on stage they start playing Green Naugahyde front to back, which is a nice feature. They are tight as always. The sound is good and all members get plenty of room in the songs to show their freakishly great skills. Some new songs already made it into Primus fan favourites like 'Last Salmon Man' and 'Lee Van Cleef'. Of course Les Claypool is the center of attention with his "out-of-space" bass playing. Although some songs end up in lengthy jams, the band is running on routine tonight. There's hardly any interaction with the crowd and they don't really put in a lot of extra effort to make it into a memorable night.



At the end of the show there's time for two more Primus hits Groundhog's Day and Winona's Big Brown Beaver and that's that. It's still over two hours of high standard rock songs. I don't think this band can ever really disappoint. With their skills and song material there's always plenty to enjoy. This was a decent show, so I guess everyone leaves home satisfied tonight. But it won't be enough to keep us satisfied for another decade.

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Setlist:
01. John the Fisherman
02. Duchess and the Proverbial Mind Spread
03. American Life
04. Frizzle Fry
05. Seas of Cheese
06. Mr Krinkle
07. Fish On
08. Jerry Was A Racecar Driver
Intermission
09. Hennepin Crawler
10. Last Salmon Man
11. Eternal Consumption Engine
12. Tragedy's A-Comin'
13. Eyes Of The Squirrel
14. Jilly's on Smack
15. Lee Van Cleef
16. Moron TV
17. Green Ranger
18. Hoinfodaman
19. Extinction Burst
Encore
20. Groundhog's Day
21. Winona's Big Brown Beaver

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Genius With Crazy Primus

The only time I saw Primus play was when the earth was still flat. It was at the Pinkpop festival and they made the crowd bounce so hard it resulted in a 1.2 earthquake. A few years after that it looked like they had disbanded and it got silent. Until a few months ago when a new album was announced and a European tour to kick off in Amsterdam. It can't be a surprise that this guy was present as well.

Primus in Paradiso Amsterdam, June 18 2011 (Ronald Says 9 out of 10)
Two giant astronauts are waving at us from the stage. Their helmets are used to project a colourful collection of video clips, that are just as crazy as the band itself. Their music is impossible to describe and you get tossed between rock, funk, math rock, punk and more. Front man Les Claypool and the master mind of the band doesn't want to have it any other way. He thrives on the twists and turns of their music and the way it puts people on the wrong foot.



They head it off with 'To Defy the Laws of Tradition'. The threesome is back in the same line-up as they once were even before their first album release. What follows is a incredibly tight show with lots of variation in the set. A great overview of what Primus is all about and the quality of the band. They play a few songs from their upcoming record as well. Guitarist Larry LaLonde and drummer Jay Lane have no trouble following the complicated rythms and twists. They even can afford to not play big hits like 'Tommy the Cat' and 'Too Many Puppies'. But with the two hour show and so many other great songs they don't have to. Especially when no one seems to mind what song they play. It all goes down great.



Claypool, with his collection of different basses and his striking appearance, is the big star of course. The way he moves around the stage easily earns him a position at the Ministry of Silly Walks. But the man is a brilliant bass player. His sense of humour explains the style of music. The small speeches in between songs are in the same line. After two hours there's time for one encore 'Southbound Pachyderm'. This show only makes you beg for more. I can't wait to hear the new album. Hopefully it won't be another 15 years before I see them again.

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