Bass Nation

Sometime in the early 90s, a band called Primus came out of the San Francisco bay area into an overly crowded scene of emerging “alternative” rock. It was an easy scene for lesser bands to get lost in, but there was something about Primus that set them far apart. That something is Les Claypool’s ridiculous bass playing. His style is something of a hybrid between Tony Levin and Stanley Clarke which is not something you’d expect to hear in alt rock, and it’s his bass that is the front and center of their songs, another thing you don’t expect from alt rock. Sure, Red Hot Chili Peppers have Flea, but Les took it to an even higher level. Rumor has it that when Metallica were looking for a new bassist after Cliff Burton died, Les auditioned and they turned him down because he was too good. Here’s a very early video of Primus playing To Defy The Laws of Tradition in a college radio station.

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