Club Bastardo • MUSIC • Les Claypool's Fearless Flying Frog Brigade - Purple Onion LP

The track list:

Purple Onion
David Makalaster
Buzzards of Green Hill (featuring Warren Haynes)
Long In The Tooth Whamola (with Fish Fisher of Fishbone)
Ding Dang
Barrington Hall
D's Diner (with Fish and Norwood Fisher, Lonnie Marshall)
Lights In The Sky
Up On The Roof
David Makalaster II
Cosmic Highway

The album's songs are sometimes light, sometimes dark, lyrically thought provoking, and rhythmically compelling. While the Brigade regulars are consistent on much of the record (eenor, Skerik, and new percussionist Mike "Tree Frog" Dillon), many special guests grace the album as well. "D's Diner" features sitar player Gabby Lang in addition to the triple-bass onslaught of Claypool, Norwood Fisher (Fishbone) and Lonnie Marshall (Weapon of Choice). Warren Haynes (Allman Brothers, Gov¹t Mule, Phil Lesh) handles guitar on the psychedelic hillbilly stomp of "Buzzards of Green Hill" and Fish Fisher (Fishbone drummer) guests on "Whamola," a live show staple named after the unique instrument Les employs -- a one-string bass played with a drumstick. Those in the know will recognize the references in "Barrington Hall," named after a Berkeley dorm and series of parties immortalized on Primus' "Frizzle Fry," which was reissued earlier this year. Original Frog drummer Jay Lane (Ratdog, Sausage) appears on four songs, while Bay Area monster Dean Johnson also makes an appearance.