 Artist of the Month, May 1996
Primus
Life's a riot, ain't it? One day you're doing woodwork
to pay the rent and by night you're woodshedding on your accordion
because you've got these little songs you've gotta get outta yer
system. And it's not like they're verse-chorus-verse I-will-always-love-you
air freshener variety songs, but songs about working blokes, redneck
goons, race car drivers, and visits to the DMV. And all these wonderful
ditties are pushed out in skewered time changes that could only
be danced to if you have a master's degree in calculus. Fans love
you. You can tell they're sincere by the deafening cries of "You
Suck!"
Primus, the
Bay Area based trio of mutant musical proficiency with a smile as
wide as your soul have returned with Tales From The Punch Bowl,
their fifth album of sonic calisthenics served with a surreal sense
of humor paying homage to beavers, parrots, elephants, and the occasional
inedible sandwich. Les Claypool, Tim Alexander, and Larry Lalonde
are pegging down the nation's highway, smiling so much they're in
danger of getting bugs in their teeth. But what did you expect after
five albums, a Louie Prima tribute record? "Punch Bowl is the
all-encompassing zone from which we all dwell," muses Claypool.
"It seems like a nice set of parameters to be in, the big 'ol
punch bowl."
Primus' 1989 live debut record caught the ear of Caroline
Records, who signed the band and released their 1990 debut studio
album Frizzle Fry. Interscope Records' Tom Whalley signed the band
after seeing a San Francisco audience practically raze the theater
they were playing in, and the result was the 1991 release of the
gold-selling The Seas of Cheese. The follow up to Cheese was Pork
Soda, an even bigger hit. Now you get Tales From the Punch Bowl.
These boys are recognized by music mags and musicians for
their playing and for their creative spirit, and H.E.A.R. is proud to
salute them as our April Artist of the Month. If you haven't yet tasted
the Primus brew, it's time you do. The punch bowl awaits. Drink up.
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