Les Claypool @ Warehouse Live

Les Claypool and his Fancy Band made a stop at Warehouse Live on Friday, March 28. Cereal and Eggs were there to catch the action - check out the full review after the jump.

Cereal:
A funny thing happened on the way to the Les Claypool show: I'd opted to take the train to the Main Street Square station, then walk down Rusk St to Warehouse Live. Rusk runs right by Minute Maid Park, about two blocks away from it. Just as I was approaching Minute Maid, the colorful explosions of fireworks began to fill the air. I must admit that I didn't previously have any idea that the Astros were playing an exhibition game, but that didn't lessen my enjoyment of the show in the sky. I loved the sensation of simultaneously watching the fireworks and hearing the echoes bounce off the buildings on the other side of me, all set to the sounds of Toubab Krewe (courtesy of my not-an-iPod). Anyway, I managed to miss opener Tim Fite, but at least I got some purty pics of explosives, right?

I arrived at Warehouse about ten minutes before Les Claypool and his band took the stage. Of course, I didn't initially know that he would be performing so soon; thinking I had a little longer to wait, I grabbed a drink and positioned myself near what appeared to be the photo pit. When Claypool et al. made their entrance, I hurriedly gulped down my beverage, assembled my equipment, then approached a security guard. He looked at me warily, asked if my camera bag had been searched before I came in, consulted with a woman who also eyed me with suspicion, then denied me access, despite the fact that I had a photo wristband. Dammit. I'd already been warned by the door guy not to use flash because the tour manager was talking about "breaking cameras", so I decided to just let it go.

The audience, as I'd expected, was predominantly male (at one point I realized that of the 25 or so people surrounding me, only 3 were female), which meant that my short ass was going to have a great time trying to take pictures. Fortunately, Eggs arrived about four songs in - just after they played "David Makalaster" - and because he has a much better knowledge of Claypool's body of work, I'll let him take over the review from there. First, though, I'd like to run down a few of my personal highlights from the show:

1) Percussionist Mike Dillon's work on the marimba was incredible. Jebus. That's all I can say about that.
2) We ran into local musicians Mike Whitebread and Josh Matranga at the show. Every time Claypool ripped into a particularly funky bass groove, Matranga (bassist for Plump) got so into it that I couldn't help but smile. Later, he said, "You don't understand - this is the guy who made me want to play bass." Right on, yo. [Plug: Catch guitarist-singer Whitebread at Shoeshine Charley's Big Top Lounge (near the Continental Club) this Monday, March 31!]
3) Dillon and drummer Paulo Baldi broke into a nasty percussion jam somewhere near the middle of the set. I stood there in awe, unable to move.
4) One of Claypool's junior high classmates, one Kathy Johnson, was in attendance and had brought her 7th grade yearbook to the show. She apparently offered him a seat next to her when he'd just moved to a new school - he remembered and maintained a dialogue with her throughout the show.
5) When Claypool mentioned that he'd played in Dallas the night before, the whole crowd immediately started booing. Gotta love that city rivalry.

Eggs:
I walked into Warehouse Live to an energy-filled crowd awkwardly dancing around to the end of "David Makalaster". Standing at the bar, waiting for my first bitter beverage, I started belting out the lyrics:

Isn't it awfully nice
To live in a world
Where everything's exactly how it seems

We live in a world
Where all you have to do
Is sit around and dream

About the things that make ya happy
The things that make ya smile
Lay back, relax
Apathy's back in style

These lyrics, for some reason, have stayed with me since I started listening to Claypool's Fearless Flying Frog Brigade about 6 years ago. I always considered this quirky song one of my favorites. I am glad Cereal was there to capture the beginning of the song on video so I could actually see it.

After hearing that they had already torn through a cover of Pink Floyd's "Shine On You Crazy Diamond", I knew that I was in for a treat during the rest of the set. After getting even quirkier on "Vernon The Company Man" and "Precipitation" the latest incarnation of Claypool's Fancy Band launched into their fifties-era-surf-song-style "One Step Beyond" [edit: Madness cover] that featured a blistering saxaphone solo by Skerik. If you have never been introduced to Skerik before now, go and check him out. His playing is very similar to other jam-funk saxophonists like Ben Ellman of Galactic or Cheme Gastelum of Robert Walter's 20th Congress. All three of these horn players are known for distorting the sound of their instruments by using different electric devices which has been coined saxophonics.

The next ten minutes or so were devoted to the drummers. I feel that every show should have some point dedicated to the drummer. Ten minutes in the spotlight is all I am asking for, then you guitarists, bassists, keyboardists and vocalists can go back to showing off. Oooohhh, just because you can stand and play... Mike Dillon and Paulo Baldi played with so much intensity and passion during this drum session that there are not really words to describe it. Check it out here, and, while watching, also check out Dillon's use of "drumophonics" (I just made up a new word!):

The drum segment was followed by two songs off of Les Claypool's latest album Of Whales And Woe; The aptly named "Of Whales and Woe" and a slower, funkier version of the first single of that album, "One Better". "One Better" featured the tightest jam of the night before returning back to the song to finish out the lyrical part of it. Next was a dreary version of Black Sabbath's "Electric Funeral" which finished out the set. Check it out here:

For the encore, Claypool came out for the first time of the night without a mask and with a banjo. Upon first strum I soon realized that it was equipped with bass strings. Claypool played through "American Life", "Tommy The Cat" and the fitting banjo number "Iowan Gal" before the rest of the band returned for a show ending version of "Whamola", which gets its name from the specific bass Claypool plays during the song.

Les Claypool has and always will hold a special place in my heart. Since the first time I heard Primus' Brown Album up until seeing Les on Friday night, my need for getting slapped in the face with Claypool's bass has constantly been satisfied. I cannot wait for my first viewing experience of Primus (I stood and waited for Primus at Bonnaroo 2004 for 2 hours before deciding to go back to camp. I faintly heard them playing as I was sitting at camp.) at this years Rothbury Music Festival. I will just have to wait until then to get slapped again.

Eggs' Rating: 7.8/10 yolks, for getting funky while looking like a monkey.

Check out the rest of our photos and videos from this show!

-Cereal & Eggs