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<\/p>\nFormed in 1984 by bassist Les Claypool, Bay Area prog\/metal\/alternative band Primus has long since established its own bonafides as an original outfit, with nine albums of original music to the group\u2019s credit. And Claypool\u2019s creative impulses extend beyond Primus: he has toured and released albums by and with Oysterhead, The Frog Brigade, The Claypool Lennon Delirium (with Sean Lennon) and other acts. But for the group\u2019s current tour, Primus is adding an entire suite of music by Rush to its set list. On 2022 tour dates, the group will perform the Canadian progressive trio\u2019s 1977 album A Farewell to Kings<\/i> in its entirety.<\/p>\n
Claypool emphasizes that this isn\u2019t the first time he has performed other artists\u2019 albums start to finish. \u201cI did Pink Floyd\u2019s Animals<\/i> years ago with Frog Brigade,\u201d he notes. Claypool says that he and his Primus bandmates Larry LaLonde (guitar) and drummer Tim Alexander have long wanted to pay tribute to the influential group that folded in 2018. \u201cAnd Kings<\/i> seemed like the right one,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
In fact A Farewell to Kings<\/i> was the first Rush music Claypool ever heard. He has recounted the story countless times: at age 14 he attended Rush\u2019s concert at Cow Palace, with Pat Travers opening. \u201cI drank three warm L\u00f6wenbr\u00e4us and threw up in the parking lot,\u201d he says with a chuckle. \u201cThat was fun. I could probably do four<\/i> L\u00f6wenbr\u00e4us now.\u201d<\/p>\n
But he still enjoyed the concert. \u201cIt was a mind-blowing thing,\u201d Claypool says. \u201cIt set me on a path of Geddy [Lee] worship.\u201d It was right around that time that Claypool first picked up the bass guitar; today he\u2019s widely acknowledged as one of rock\u2019s premier bassists.<\/p>\n
And Claypool\u2019s admiration for the music of Rush has endured. \u201cI don’t think Neil [Peart] gets the due that he deserves. His lyrics were very kind of Dungeons and Dragons<\/i>-y, but there were a lot of interesting metaphors, and they were pretty prophetic and philosophic.\u201d Claypool laughs and acknowledges that when he was growing up, Rush fandom was \u201clike being a Trekkie: not a lot of people understood, but those who did were very<\/i> passionate about it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Primus is renowned both for its musical playfulness and its technical precision. That latter quality is required to play the demanding music of Rush as well. Claypool observes that when covering the music of some artists, there\u2019s plenty of room for interpretation. \u201cBut with the Rush stuff,\u201d he says, \u201cyou have to nail<\/i> it. You have to play it as close [to the original] as you can.\u201d<\/p>\n
When it comes to vocals, it\u2019s a different story. In 1979 Rolling Stone<\/i> memorably characterized Geddy Lee\u2019s voice as \u201ca cross between Donald Duck and Robert Plant.\u201d While Claypool doesn\u2019t endorse that particular description, he allows that singing like Lee is \u201cextraordinarily difficult.\u201d So he does it his own way.<\/p>\n
Even with a bit of instrumental stretching-out, A Farewell to Kings<\/i> runs less than 40 minutes. That leaves plenty of time in a Primus setlist for some of the band\u2019s beloved catalog material. And the hard work preparing for this tour also inspired the band to create new music. \u201cWe rehearsed this Rush album more than anything I think we’ve ever done,\u201d Claypool says. \u201cAnd it kind of got the creative juices flowing.\u201d<\/p>\n
Perhaps inspired by the album\u2019s two extended set pieces \u201cXanadu\u201d and \u201cCygnus X-1 Book I: The Voyage,\u201d Claypool wrote a new epic-length tune of his own. Released in April, \u201cConspiranoia\u201d clocks in at a lengthy 11:39, charting a twisting, progressive path all along the way. \u201cThe notion of a long format tune was something I’d wanted to do for a long time,\u201d Claypool says, noting that he felt that \u201csubjecting people to a bunch of new material when we\u2019re already doing the Rush material\u201d might be a bridge too far. So one new long tune \u2013 instead of an album \u2013 is Primus\u2019 chosen path at this moment.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe’re at that point in our career where no matter how many new things we put out, people say, \u2018We want some new stuff!\u201d Claypool says. \u201cBut when all is said and done, when they come to the show, they want to hear a lot of those old tunes.\u201d He understands that; he says he felt the same way when he went to a Rush concert: \u201cI want to hear \u2018Cygnus.\u2019 You know?\u201d And on the current Primus tour, fans get that and more.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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