The psychedelic torchbearers lock themselves in the studio, play all the instruments, and open a treasure chest of effects to form a band and make an album.
At first thought, pairing Les Claypool with Sean Lennon doesnāt make sense. Claypool is the mad genius behind Primus, a thumb-thumping bass god, and an idiosyncratic stylist. His aesthetic sensibilities were formed in a galaxy light years away from Lennonās song-centric, multi-layered, colorful universe. You wouldnāt think to put them together. But when you do ⦠wow. Like chocolate and peanut butter, coffee and cigarettes, or Bob Dylan and electricity, their disparate worlds merge in a Vulcan mind meld. Itās an obvious why-didnāt-I-think-of-that collaborationāorganic and natural.
And their musicāretro, ā60s-era psychedelia with a twistāflows with obvious synergy. Itās a fresh concoction and a unique blend, but doesnāt obscure the personalities of its coleaders. In part, thatās because Claypool and Lennon have a lot in common. āSean keeps talking about how weāre bonded by fashion ⦠or lack of,ā Claypool says. āWeāve become very good friends. I think a fundamental element of becoming good friends with somebody is the notion that you appreciate similar things.ā
The pair spent a few weeks last fall at Claypoolās home studio in Sonoma, California, to sample homemade wine and create Monolith of Phobos, their sprawling tripped-out new album. They collaborated on songwriting and production, played all the instruments, and handled all vocals. The album features many of their favorite tricks as well, like mind-numbing bass riffage, layered walls of feedback, and richly hued arrangements. But those arenāt gimmicks. They serve the songs, create a moody yet addictive atmosphere, and emphasize the duoās shared sense of humor.
Claypool and Lennon rely on a boatload of gear to produce their psychedelic sounds, though their fans wonāt find too many new devices. āI just remade my pedalboard,ā Lennon says. āBut it was more about the wiring than it was about the pedals I use. Itās pretty much the same stuff Iāve been using for a while.ā
āIāve got a plethora of things on the floor,ā Claypool adds. āFor me itās more about convenience than anything, in which convenience means that I know it.ā Theyāre using mostly the same guitars, basses, and amps theyāve been using for years as well, although Lennon recently started using BilT guitars. āI used to only play Fender Jazzmastersāold onesābut I really think the BilT guys make amazing guitars,ā he says.
We spoke with Lennon and Claypool and discussed their collaboration, songwriting, arranging, live shows, gear, and whyāfor the first time everāLennon is okay covering the Beatles.
What was the genesis of this project?Ā Lennon: My other band, the GOASTT [the Ghost of a Saber Tooth Tiger], had been touring for about two years. We wanted to finish touring because we needed a break, but then we got this call that Primus wanted us to come out. We were like, āMan, weāve got to go out for this.ā Even though it felt like we were done, we were such big Primus fans. We wound up hanging out with Les and his band and becoming friends. It was one of those tours where we became friends really quickly. I jammed on āSouthbound Pachydermā at one of their shows, and I think Les liked what I played, because we wound up writing songs together. The genesis was really on tour.
How did your songwriting collaboration work?Ā Lennon: We discussed topics before. Weād been texting each other links to articles and cool stuff that might be cool topical ideas, but we didnāt have a lot of pre-written stuff. I went out to Sonoma and every day we would see if we could come up with something. Weād have something fleshed out from the night beforeāone of us would come in with some chord changes or some lyricsāthen we would work it. We did a song every day or two for about two weeks and we were done. It happened really fast.
Claypool: He showed up and we started throwing ideas around. I think the first thing we worked on was a song called āCaptain Lariat,ā which I had roughed. I had the lyrics and together we fleshed the thing out. That was basically how we got up and running. He came in with something and I massaged it a bit and then I would come in with something. Usually, he would show up a little later in the day, so I would already be working in the studio.
What instruments did you play on the album?Ā Claypool: I played drums on one track, which is odd, because usually when I do one of these projects of mine Iām playing most of the percussion and the drums. But Sean had a certain feel that I thought lent itself to what we were going for, which was the more sort of throwback retro-psychedelic thing. I played some keys and he played some keys, but basically he played guitar and I did bass. We both did vocals and he played most of the drums.
What did Sean bring to the table? What are his strengths as a guitarist and collaborator?Ā Claypool: I think any strength in a musician in generalāwhether they are a guitar player or a ⦠flautistāis the notion that they have a signature. I do feel like Sean has a pretty strong signature. I noticed that as soon as we started having our little jams in the back of the bus. He would come up with things that were unique. They werenāt just these general responses to what I was doing. I found that very intriguing.
How does that affect the way you play?Ā Claypool: Any time you are making music with anybody it should be like a conversation. When you are having a conversation with an individual, whether you know them well or donāt know them well, whether theyāre a fisherman or a brain surgeon, those conversations are going to vary accordingly. Musically itās the same thing. Our musical conversations were unique unto themselves because of our fresh interaction.
Les is a very idiosyncratic and established player, did you find that liberating or limiting?Ā Lennon: Definitely liberating. It wasnāt necessarily because of his virtuosity, because that couldāve been hard to just keep up with. It wound up being really inspiring and fun and easy because we got along well and play together well. I canāt really explain why that is the case, but it just is. What I offer to the chemistry of the equation is more about my songwriting ability and maybe my sense for production or arrangement. So maybe he likes that enough to make it worthwhile. Itās a good combination. I definitely canāt go toe-to-toe with him in terms of technique or athletic ability, so I donāt try to do that. Itās more like a yin and yang as opposed to a yang and yang.
One thing I found interesting is the bass does a lot of what a rhythm guitar would normally do. The guitar parts are often more linear or sonic.Ā Lennon: I havenāt really thought much about that, but now that you mention it, I think it depends on the song. Some of the songs are super-chordal, like āBubbles Burstā or āBoomerang Baby.ā I wrote those on the guitar and then we fleshed them out like a regular band. I even wrote a chord chart for āBubbles Burst.ā āCaptain Lariat,ā āMr. Wright,ā āOxycontin Girl,ā and āBreath of a Salesmanā he pretty much wrote on bass. His bass playing is so unique and so melodic and rhythmical at the same time. He plays a melody while also holding down a kind of thumpy rhythm. I think that covers a lot of the area that maybe traditional rhythm guitar would cover. So when you have a song like that, the guitar parts, if there are any, are going to wind up being more ornamental, decorative, or textural. You donāt always need to fill in that space because itās already been done and done quite well. I try to syncopate with him a little bit or sculpt something that is custom-tailored to the shape of what heās doing.
Claypool: Iām going to go back to the conversation thing. When Iām playing with someone like Sean, I try to complement what heās doing. When something is coming from me, I assume heās trying to complement what Iām doing. Within that arrangement there are various bits and pieces that weāre bringing to the table, and so there are parts where weāre more supportive or more dominant than others.
As far as general songwriting and arrangement, the bass just happens to be the crayon I picked out of the box. I say that quite a lot. If I had played guitar or trombone or keyboards, I would be playing very similar things. I would just have a much different timbre. For me, the bass is the most direct conduit from what is going on in my brain to what happens on paper or, in this case, on tape. I donāt necessarily think so much in terms of, āIs this a bass part or a rhythm guitar part?ā Itās just, āWhat does the song need?ā For this record, I used a little different instrumentation as far as the basses I used, supporting some of Seanās parts and thinking back to the approach of some of these older psychedelic players. Itās a little different feeling than, say, a Primus record. But there are also very strong elements of what Iām known for.
While Sean Lennonās band the Ghost of a Saber Tooth Tiger opened a 2015 tour for Primus, he and Les Claypool bonded and the foundation for the Claypool Lennon Delirium was laid.
How did you approach the arrangements? Adding extra layers, colors, and instrumentation?Ā Lennon: Les really was adamant that he wanted it to be minimal. He was thinking about how we were going to play it live, which I never think about in the studio. Iām always following a fantasy musically that may not be recreate-able with a few people onstage. Itās always a puzzle for me to figure out how to represent what Iāve done in the studio. I tend to use the studio as a wizardās chemistry lab where anything can happen. I worry later about how it would work live. But Les is really smart in that he is like, āNo, itās all about the tour. Letās limit it.ā It was a new thing for me to not do 10 guitar tracks and 10 keyboard tracks. The parameters were fixed in a way that was helpful actually.
Claypool: I wouldnāt consider it an arrangement thing. Itās more of a production thing. I didnāt feel it necessary to layer in a bunch of guitars or a bunch of different instrumentation or what have you. It was a matter of where we found a balance and a compromise to get what we ended up getting, which is the Phobos record.
You cover āTomorrow Never Knows.ā The studio was a big part of that song. How are you approaching that live?Ā Lennon: Itās funny, because I never really do Beatlesā songs, obviously, because itās too embarrassing or something [laughs]. But Les was like, āThis is a supergroup. Weāre going to do covers of your songs and my songs. Weāre going to blend our two worlds and we want to put on a good show. I think itās time that you do a Beatlesā song in your set, just to embrace it as opposed to trying to avoid it.ā And I thought, āYou know, I wouldnāt do this for anybody but you, man.ā Thatās what I said. I was like, āIf you really want to do it, I trust you.ā Because you know, there is something like, āWhat the fuck does Sean think heās doing? Why is he doing a Beatles song?ā
Les Claypoolās Gear
Basses
ā¢Ā Custom Pachyderm 4-string
⢠NS Design electric upright 5-string
⢠Michael Kelly Bayou 4-string Resonator Bass
⢠Vintage Eko Model 995 Violin Bass
Amps
⢠API 7600 the Channel Strip (multiple)
⢠Mesa/Boogie Subway D-800 heads (two)
⢠Subway 1x12 Ultra-Lite Bass Cabinets (four)
Effects
⢠Line 6 DM4 Distortion Modeler
⢠Line 6 DL4 Delay Modeler
⢠Boomerang III Phrase Sampler
⢠dbx 160A Compressor
⢠Korg AX3000B ToneWorks Bass Effects Processor
⢠MXR M108 Ten Band Graphic EQ
⢠MXR M80 Bass D.I.
⢠Access Virus TI Synthesizer with MIDI foot controller
Strings
⢠Dunlop sets
Sean Lennonās Gear
Guitar
⢠BilT Relevator
Amp
⢠Fender Hot Rod DeVille
Effects
⢠Seymour Duncan 805 Overdrive
⢠Electro-Harmonix MEL9 Tape Replay Machine
⢠Rockett Archer overdrive
⢠Catalinbread Merkin fuzz
⢠Dunlop Zakk Wylde Cry Baby Wah
⢠Electro-Harmonix Micro POG
⢠DOD Phasor 201
⢠Catalinbread Valcoder tremolo
⢠Electro-Harmonix Memory Boy analog delay
⢠Catalinbread Belle Epoch tape echo
ā¢Ā Death by Audio Reverberation Machine
⢠Electro-Harmonix Holy Grail reverb
Strings and Picks
⢠DāAddario and Ernie Ball .010ā.046 and .011ā.049 sets
⢠Dunlop Ultex 1 mm
The reactions Iāve seen so far have been super positive.Ā Lennon: Yeah. I was surprised, because I thought a lot of people would be like, āFuck him.ā But you know, I love the music and we went through a couple options, like which one might work. āTomorrow Never Knowsā was the one that I was comfortable with. I mean, sure, it is hard to recreateāweāre not trying to recreate it exactly. But itās certainly easier than playing āA Day in the Lifeā or something, because itās just one chord, pretty much.
Claypool: Iāve come to a few realizations from becoming good friends with Sean. Like most of the planet, I used to sit back and go, āOh the children of famous people or legendary people must have it made. All the doors open for them when they do this thing or the next thing.ā And really it is almost the opposite. Iāve learned that he has so much scrutinyāhe is under such a magnifying glassāwhenever he does anything musical. I know my own son, he was a bass player and he switched from bass to banjo because he got tired of people saying, āOh youāre Les Claypoolās son, hmmm ā¦ā And thatās on a very small scale compared to what Sean has to deal with. I sympathize with him on many of these things. But I also know from playing with him that he has a very strong voice of his own and a very strong signature. I think some of that is because he has elements of his fatherāand he also has elements of his abstract mother that shine throughābut, also, heās Sean. Heās an interesting fellow with an interesting perspective. Heās very intelligent. Heās extremely humble. I think more than anything Iām hoping that the planet gets to see that he does have his own voice beyond the expectations of his DNA.
What basses did you use on the album?Ā Claypool: I used my dobro bass quite a bit. I have an old Eko bass that I used quite a bit, too, and then my Pachyderm bass. Itās all 4-string stuff except for the uprightāa lot more pizzicato stuff, less thumping, but there is also some thumping and strumming on there.
Were you going direct or using an amp?Ā Claypool: I take a signal from an amp. I donāt mike it, but itās a direct signal from an amp. I havenāt miked a cabinet in many years.
Was any of it tracked live?Ā Claypool: Quite a bit. Sometimes Seanās on the drums and Iām on the bassāsometimes itās bass and guitar.
What guitars did you use?Ā Lennon: Iāve been playing BilT guitars. One of them is called the Relevator. It has these knobs that are a built-in delay, a built-in fuzz, a mute knob, and a delay solo knob. On the song āOxycontin Girl,ā you can hear me using that guitar for the first time. You can play a note and then use the knob where you can change the delay timeābecause it is built ināand it changes the pitch for a second. Itās been hard to get used to. Using those knobs and buttons in the studio is one thing, but then when youāre onstage it can get confusing. Iām getting better at that now. I really think the BilT guys make amazing guitars. I donāt really like most new guitars, but their guitars feel really good. I feel very comfortable playing them and the tone is great.
I brought my pedalboard and two guitars. I brought one amp, which I didnāt use very much. I used Lesā little Mesa/Boogieāwhatever was thereāit was his Mesa/Boogie Mark II, those little ones that have the switch and the two channels.
Do you get your distortion from the amp or from pedals?Ā Lennon: It depends. I feel I have amp distortion just as my basic setting. I like the sound where itās up to my dynamics as to how distorted it sounds. Hopefully, it is clean enough that if I play light, I can do a ballad-y moment, but if I dig in it will give you a little bit of that drive. Thatās the ideal state for me. But I do like the boost, too. The amp is driven anyway, so when I turn on the fuzz pedal it is driving the amp from the pedalboard really hard, which I like.
What amp are you touring with?Ā Lennon: Iām touring with a Fender [Hot Rod] DeVille. I know itās not supposed to be the greatest amp, but thatās what Iāve been touring with since I was in my 20s. I always try to move to something more whateverābigger or betterābut I donāt feel comfortable.
Thatās not what I use in my studio, though. I have a ton of amps in the studio: these weird old thingsājust collectable weirdāHawaiian amps from the ā50s and a really good Fender Deluxe with the distortion I use for most solos. But on tour, in terms of an amp I can rent, that I can replace right away, thatās always going to be in every city in the world if I need itāthe DeVille is the one Iām most comfortable with. I can get the sound that I like from it. I donāt know, Iām not an amp expert, maybe, but a lot of guitarists are like, āThatās not a great amp.ā But I like it.
Thereās no shame in using a DeVille.Ā Lennon: There is huge shame. I hang my head⦠No, Iām kidding [laughs]. I just mean in terms of a guitar magazine worthy comment, I know itās not that interesting.
Will there be any more exciting or interesting covers to look forward to as the tour rolls on? Claypool: Oh yeah. We are pulling out covers every now and again. You just have to wait and see what happens.
YouTube It
Check out the Claypool Lennon Deliriumās entire June 11, 2016, set from Manchester, Tennesseeās Bonnaroo festival.
We are excited to share that ModĀ® Electronics is launching a new line of Vintage Amplifier DIY kits,beginning with five models.
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J Mascis is well known for his legendary feats of volume.
J Mascis is well known for his legendary feats of volume. Just check out a photo of his rig to see an intimidating wall of amps pointed directly at the Dinosaur Jr. leaderās head. And though his loudness permeates all that he does and has helped cement his reputation, thereās a lot more to his playing.
On this episode of 100 Guitarists, weāre looking at each phase of the trioās long career. How many pedals does J use to get his sound? Whatās his best documented use of a flanger? How does his version of āMaggot Brainā (recorded with bassist Mike Watt) compare to Eddie Hazelās? And were you as surprised as we were when Fender released a J Mascis signature Tele?
Columnist Janek Gwizdala with heroes Dennis Chambers (left) and Mike Stern (right).
Keeping your gigging commitments can be tough, especially when faced with a call from a hero. But itās always the right choice.
Saying āyes!ā to everything early on has put me in a place now where I can say no to almost everything and still be okay. That wasnāt without its challenges. Iād like to share a story about a āyesā that would haunt me for years.
As bass players, we can, if we choose, quite easily find ourselves in a wide variety of situations without having to change much about our sound or our playing. If your time is good and youāre able to help those around you feel good and sound better, the telephone will pretty much always ring.
Playing jazz as an electric-bass player living in New York City from 2000 to 2010 was somewhat of a foolās errand in terms of getting work. No one wanted electric bass, and bandleaders would go to the bottom of a list of 100 upright players before they would even think about calling you. Not only that, but I wasnāt even at the top of the electric list when I first moved there. Not even close. Anthony Jackson, Richard Bona, Will Lee, Tim Lefebvre, James Genus, Lincoln Goines, Mike Pope, John Benitez, Matthew Garrisonāthatās a whoās who of the instrument when I first moved to town, and I was very much a freshman with almost no experience. Almostā¦
Iād been lucky enough to play extensively with Kenwood Dennard (Jacoās drummer), and a little with Hiram Bullock (Jacoās guitarist) before moving to NYC which helped create a little momentum, but only a VERY little.
This is where the story begins:
Iād sent Mike Stern a demo back in late ā97. Heād not only taken the time to listen to it but had called my parentsā house right after I moved to the U.S. to tell me he loved it and wanted to hang. I missed the call but eventually met him at a clinic he gave at Berklee.
Of course, I was buzzing about all of this. It helped me stay laser-focused on practice and on moving to NYC as soon as possible. I got the typical ālook me up when you get to townā invitation from Stern and basically counted the seconds through the three semesters I stayed at Berklee until I could split town.
I arrived with a ton of confidence but zero gigs. And nothing happened overnight. It really took saying yes to literally everything I was offered just to keep a roof over my head. Through that process, I felt like I was getting further away from playing with my jazz heroes.
The early gigs were far from glamorousālong hours, terrible pay, and sometimes, after travel expenses, they cost me money to play.
āWhenever I have a single moment of doubt, I think about the time I had to say no to my heroesāthe reasons I moved to America, the reason I do what I do.ā
When Stern finally called, a few years into living in NYC, things started to move pretty quickly. I began playing a lot of gigs at the 55 Bar with him, and short road trips became a thingāa four-night stint at Arturo Sandovalās new club in Miami, gigs in Chicago, Cleveland, and upstate New York, and then some international work, including a tour of Mexico and a trip to Brazil, if I remember right.
But the hardest phone call of my career came from Mike not long into my time touring with him. It went something like this:
āHey man, whatās your scene in April? Lincoln canāt make a trip to the West Coast. Itās just one gig. Trio⦠with DENNIS CHAMBERS.ā
Mike didnāt shout Dennisā name, but thatās how I heard it. My all-time hero. Someone Iād been dreaming about playing with for over 15 years. And hereās the kicker: I had to say no.
Iād just committed to six weeks with Jojo Mayerās band Nerve in Asia and Europe, and there was no way I could bail on him. And there was no way I could afford to ditch six weeks of work for a single gig with Mike. To say that haunted me for years is an understatement. I was destroyed that I had to turn it down.
The tour with Jojo was amazingāthe posters hang in my studio as a reminder of those times to this day. And thankfully, I was able to go on some years later and play dozens of shows with Mike and Dennis all over the worldātruly some of the highlights of my career.
I still think about that phone call, though. Whenever I have a single moment of doubt, I think about the time I had to say no to my heroesāthe reasons I moved to America, the reason I do what I do. I get emotional writing and thinking about it even now. But I've learned to never have regrets and understand you just have to believe in the process and maintain the willpower to continueāno matter what.
Grez Guitars has introduced the Grez GrandTour Bass, a short scale semi-hollow carve-top instrument available in 4-string format.
The Grez Grand Tour Bass, designed in collaboration with bass powerhouse Ian MartinAllison is, like all Grez instruments, a modern sleek interpretation of the classic instruments from the 50ās and 60ās.
The instruments feature a carved Spruce top, Honduran Mahogany body and neck. The 30" scale construction includes a Macassar ebony fretboard, 12ā radius with 21 jumbofrets. Each bass comes equipped with a Halon bridge, Grez string anchor and LaBellaDeep Talkinā long scale 45-105 flatwound strings. Electronics include Curtis Novak Bisonic/Darkstar pickups with coil tap.
The Grand Tour bass features a nitro finish and is available in a variety of colors(pictured here in custom Toasted Marshmallow).
Grez Grand Tour Bass with Ian Martin Allison
Barry Grzebik explains: āI love process of design instruments, marrying acoustical,electrical, visual and ergonomic engineering with industrial and artistic design. In this case creating something that artfully balances the desire for a robust acoustic voice with the need to hold up to professional touring and stadium stage volumes. One small notable detail is that although this is a short scale instrument, because of the after-length of string past the bridge, it uses standard long scale strings which dramatically increases sting options and availability.ā
Ian Marin Allison shares, āIām inspired by the unique character of vintage hollow andsemi-hollow basses, but they donāt always live up to our modern expectation of stability, playability, versatility and QUALITY. Iām proud to have helped create something that doesā.
The Grez Grand Tour Bass, is available now from Grez Guitars and their dealers with astreet price starting at $5,999. Light customization is welcome with delivery times aslittle as 8 weeks.