Episodes

  • Purple Onion - Up on the Roof

    Purple Onion - Up on the Roof
    Jul 8 2024
    Sam Stewart of Flagman joins Primus Tracks to discuss Up On The Roof, and explains what makes it a certified banger in the Claypool catalogue. The track has familiar foundations in a percussive bass line and lyrics regarding drug addiction, but this tune remains fresh and vibrant over twenty years later.

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    1 hr and 6 mins
  • Purple Onion - Lights in the Sky

    Purple Onion - Lights in the Sky
    Jul 1 2024
    Lights in the Sky is another structured, thoughtful piece that seems simple, but allows maximum space for Frog Brigade collaborators to shine. In this case, they keep it atmospheric and low key until a bit of a heavier, unexpected ending. Although the lyrics are fairly generic for a Claypool tune, they provide ample fodder for conversation, and we take advantage by discussing stories of alien abduction. Because, yknow, it stands to reason.

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    40 mins
  • Purple Onion - D's Diner

    Purple Onion - D's Diner
    Jun 23 2024
    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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    1 hr and 2 mins
  • Purple Onion - Barrington Hall

    Purple Onion - Barrington Hall
    Jun 10 2024
    Barrington Hall is a legendary location in the Primus world, and its debauched past pairs well with the refined nature of the music from this Purple Onion track. Matt Hunter models the bass parts and harmonies, and we delve into the sordid events that led to Barrington's demise as a student housing cooperative.

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    57 mins
  • Purple Onion - Ding Dang

    Purple Onion - Ding Dang
    Jun 3 2024
    Ding Dang is a forceful number, both in terms of music and lyrics. We speak with bassist Alex Dalasio about the musicality of the tune, and what makes it memorable, as well as unpacking the lyrics, which are meant to provoke, and perhaps even make us uncomfortable, but there's a lesson to be learned and a resonant, timeless message. We get to the heart of the matter and solve all of the world's problems. Just another day at the office in Primus Tracks Towers!

    Find Alex's musical efforts under the name Psychedelic Waves on Bandcamp and Spotify.

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    56 mins
  • Purple Onion - Whamola

    Purple Onion - Whamola
    May 27 2024
    Les Claypool started banging on the Whamola on February 14, 2001, at a Frog Brigade show in Boston, Massachusetts, and it's accompanied him on nearly every subsequent tour, and numerous studio records. He popularized the one-stringed instrument that an enterprising person could construct for less than $100, and put his unique spin on it with percussive playing that utilizes distortion and evelope filter to achieve a big sound. Here, on the Purple Onion record, the track serves as a solo showcase for Les's side men, and they all deliver wild slices of sound, supported by drummer Fish Fisher of Fishbone. We examine the history of the instrument, numerous live cuts, and whether the track holds up 20+ years later.

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    48 mins
  • Purple Onion - Long In The Tooth

    Purple Onion - Long In The Tooth
    May 20 2024
    With Long in the Tooth, Les Claypool takes a page from the Tom Waits book of music, and puts his own spin on the concept, evoking numerous auti-biographical details - some clear, some hazy - that act as an ode to aging and general acceptance of the process. We explicate the lyrics in depth, and sample a bit of ol' Stompin' Tom Connors in the process.

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    45 mins
  • Purple Onion - Buzzards of Green Hill

    Purple Onion - Buzzards of Green Hill
    May 13 2024
    Frequent bass contributor Louis Ortega returns to model and explain the hooks behind Buzzards of Green Hill, Frankie's favorite track from the album, and perhaps his top Claypool track. This one seems to be the backwoods hick Claypool that had shone through with some Primus material, but takes the wheel here for a (sober, we hope) drive out in the county. Lyrically, we contrast drunk driving and nursery rhyme motifs; the latter likely a result of Claypool having toddlers at the time, and the former from Les observing the world around him. Some killer live cuts accompany this episode!

    Find Louis on Instragram

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    1 hr and 4 mins