Larry "Ler" LaLonde - Primus (06/01/2013)
Larry “Ler” LaLonde is a counter culture musical legend, and a spectacularly friendly dude to boot. Chatting from sunny Venice, California just before the 2014 New Year, the technically infallible lead guitarist of Primus cheerily talks to The 59th Sound about Big Day Out 2014, Willy Wonka theme parties, and semi-reuniting with original Primus drummer Tim “Herb” Alexander.
“Tim had left the band in 2008, or something like that, so when we got back together (in 2010) he wasn’t available. Jay Lane had been in the band ages ago for a little bit, and he wanted to be back in the band so he was for a couple of years. Then there was talk we were going be doing Soundwave, and he just wasn’t going to be a be to do it for whatever reasons. So he left the band, and Tim is back! It’s hard to say (if the split with Lane was amicable), it was maybe his scheduling, but we like to think that Primus is people’s priority sometimes (laughs). But we love having Tim back, he’s awesome and a great guy.”
Larry is chipper when elaborating on how reuniting with and original member can be an exciting and nostalgic affair, and the question of new material paints a broader picture of what Primus get up to when they’re not touring, or in the studio.
“Oh for sure, it’s exciting! Especially for a lot of people because if you look at pictures of the band, y’know, he’s the guy that’s in all the pictures! It looks like the actual band (laughs).”
“We’ve been talking about trying to work on some new stuff, maybe put something together, but every year we do a New Year’s show in San Francisco. There’s always some kind of theme to it, so this year the theme is Willy Wonka And The Chocolate Factory. We’re learning all the music from the movie, and kind of making it in to the Primus version for our New Year show, so that’s mostly what we’ve been doing for the last while.”
“Absolutely only the Gene Wilder one! We’re going to pretend like the other one never happened (laughs).”
Following the release of the band’s most recent album Green Naugahyde in 2011, Primus toured Australia that very year. Their Soundwave shows were universally revered as some of the finest people had ever seen at the festival, and a forthcoming sold out BDO sideshow at Sydney Metro proves that Primus still have a legion of fans at the ready to see them perform down under; even after thirty years in the business. Larry freely discusses what to expect at their upcoming shows.
“Every band I talk to just LOVES Australia, and loves going there. It’s one of those things you don’t get to do that much, so when you do it’s always exciting. We don’t’ really know what’s going to happen at the shows! The Willy Wonka thing has just kind of grown and morphed more and more, and now we have friends playing on it. After we do this New Year show we’ll see whether we keep going in to that or not. Back in the states we’ll do a tour, and we’ll do two sets. Who knows what it’ll be! It’ll probably be a bunch of Primus songs, but we’ll see how the Willy Wonka thing goes, hopefully it’ll be all good!”
“It’s always different (organizing a live show), especially at a festival because you never know how much time you get. It’s usually we just try and incorporate as many songs from each album as we can. We’ve got to the point where we try to open up the solo parts a bit more, too. More jamming to make shows different and unique.”
“That’s usually what happens, but sometimes there’ll be something that’ll just turn in to something weird, who knows thing (laughs). You never know, it could go anywhere to be honest!”
If having the original drummer back in the band requires some cobweb shaking from the trio as far as engineering a show goes, Larry, rather characteristically, isn’t at all phased.
“There’s definitely a thing with Tim that makes you play a certain way. His got his own style, I mean, I was calling him the octopus the other day because he’s just… he can play, like, five different drum parts at once! He amazing, and that’s the thing; if you haven’t played for a while then get back together you suddenly remember just how amazing the guy is.”
Although Primus fans are ensured a ball-tearing live show, Larry is enthusiastic in expressing what he likes to get from Primus gigs as well.
“For me, I always kind of revert back to when I used to go to concerts. Especially when I was younger and went and saw bands I loved. It seems like now it’s harder and harder to see classic bands, but usually when you’re on tour and you’re playing, like, sixty shows, you got to remember people out there haven’t seen sixty shows! You need to be really stoked that people are so excited to hear the music, see the music.”
“Especially after this long there’s a lot of bands we started out with that aren’t around anymore, and so it’s really awesome we get to get there and see people that are so excited to be at the show. I’m happy as long as everybody’s having fun!”
After thirty years of being ceaselessly influential, Larry seems pleasantly happy about the added pressure that can arise from performing on a bill with bands who may hold Primus as their biggest influence as musicians. Sharing a stage with a few old – and new - favourites at BDO seems a welcomed prospect as well.
“Definitely (there’s pressure)! Especially when you’re playing with these other bands and you look up and see some of the other bands watching you, and you’re like “Oh, man! I gotta be careful, I can’t mess up”! It’s so funny because we’ve been classified in every genre of music over time, so we’ve been on tour with so many bands and every kind of music. At this point I don’t even know anymore, probably half the bands haven’t even heard of us (laughs).”
“The line up is so crazy! I haven’t seen Pearl Jam since ninety-something! It’s so funny because just a couple of hours ago I was going through some old boxes of gear and found all these back stage passes. I had one from the last time I’d seen Pearl Jam, and it was Red Hot Chili Peppers, Pearl Jam, and Nirvana was opening, in like ’92 I think. I was like “Geez! That’s how long it’s been since I’ve seen Pearl Jam!””
“Hey Tame Impala is from down there, right? That’s one of those bands who are getting big, and it’s so rare now a band gets big and they’re actually good, too! Usually they’ll get big from something other than having great music, because the look the right way or whatever. It’s so good seeing a lot of people getting in to band because their music is actually good, and that sounds so weird to say… but people like them because they sound cool, it’s awesome!”
Todd Gingell
“Tim had left the band in 2008, or something like that, so when we got back together (in 2010) he wasn’t available. Jay Lane had been in the band ages ago for a little bit, and he wanted to be back in the band so he was for a couple of years. Then there was talk we were going be doing Soundwave, and he just wasn’t going to be a be to do it for whatever reasons. So he left the band, and Tim is back! It’s hard to say (if the split with Lane was amicable), it was maybe his scheduling, but we like to think that Primus is people’s priority sometimes (laughs). But we love having Tim back, he’s awesome and a great guy.”
Larry is chipper when elaborating on how reuniting with and original member can be an exciting and nostalgic affair, and the question of new material paints a broader picture of what Primus get up to when they’re not touring, or in the studio.
“Oh for sure, it’s exciting! Especially for a lot of people because if you look at pictures of the band, y’know, he’s the guy that’s in all the pictures! It looks like the actual band (laughs).”
“We’ve been talking about trying to work on some new stuff, maybe put something together, but every year we do a New Year’s show in San Francisco. There’s always some kind of theme to it, so this year the theme is Willy Wonka And The Chocolate Factory. We’re learning all the music from the movie, and kind of making it in to the Primus version for our New Year show, so that’s mostly what we’ve been doing for the last while.”
“Absolutely only the Gene Wilder one! We’re going to pretend like the other one never happened (laughs).”
Following the release of the band’s most recent album Green Naugahyde in 2011, Primus toured Australia that very year. Their Soundwave shows were universally revered as some of the finest people had ever seen at the festival, and a forthcoming sold out BDO sideshow at Sydney Metro proves that Primus still have a legion of fans at the ready to see them perform down under; even after thirty years in the business. Larry freely discusses what to expect at their upcoming shows.
“Every band I talk to just LOVES Australia, and loves going there. It’s one of those things you don’t get to do that much, so when you do it’s always exciting. We don’t’ really know what’s going to happen at the shows! The Willy Wonka thing has just kind of grown and morphed more and more, and now we have friends playing on it. After we do this New Year show we’ll see whether we keep going in to that or not. Back in the states we’ll do a tour, and we’ll do two sets. Who knows what it’ll be! It’ll probably be a bunch of Primus songs, but we’ll see how the Willy Wonka thing goes, hopefully it’ll be all good!”
“It’s always different (organizing a live show), especially at a festival because you never know how much time you get. It’s usually we just try and incorporate as many songs from each album as we can. We’ve got to the point where we try to open up the solo parts a bit more, too. More jamming to make shows different and unique.”
“That’s usually what happens, but sometimes there’ll be something that’ll just turn in to something weird, who knows thing (laughs). You never know, it could go anywhere to be honest!”
If having the original drummer back in the band requires some cobweb shaking from the trio as far as engineering a show goes, Larry, rather characteristically, isn’t at all phased.
“There’s definitely a thing with Tim that makes you play a certain way. His got his own style, I mean, I was calling him the octopus the other day because he’s just… he can play, like, five different drum parts at once! He amazing, and that’s the thing; if you haven’t played for a while then get back together you suddenly remember just how amazing the guy is.”
Although Primus fans are ensured a ball-tearing live show, Larry is enthusiastic in expressing what he likes to get from Primus gigs as well.
“For me, I always kind of revert back to when I used to go to concerts. Especially when I was younger and went and saw bands I loved. It seems like now it’s harder and harder to see classic bands, but usually when you’re on tour and you’re playing, like, sixty shows, you got to remember people out there haven’t seen sixty shows! You need to be really stoked that people are so excited to hear the music, see the music.”
“Especially after this long there’s a lot of bands we started out with that aren’t around anymore, and so it’s really awesome we get to get there and see people that are so excited to be at the show. I’m happy as long as everybody’s having fun!”
After thirty years of being ceaselessly influential, Larry seems pleasantly happy about the added pressure that can arise from performing on a bill with bands who may hold Primus as their biggest influence as musicians. Sharing a stage with a few old – and new - favourites at BDO seems a welcomed prospect as well.
“Definitely (there’s pressure)! Especially when you’re playing with these other bands and you look up and see some of the other bands watching you, and you’re like “Oh, man! I gotta be careful, I can’t mess up”! It’s so funny because we’ve been classified in every genre of music over time, so we’ve been on tour with so many bands and every kind of music. At this point I don’t even know anymore, probably half the bands haven’t even heard of us (laughs).”
“The line up is so crazy! I haven’t seen Pearl Jam since ninety-something! It’s so funny because just a couple of hours ago I was going through some old boxes of gear and found all these back stage passes. I had one from the last time I’d seen Pearl Jam, and it was Red Hot Chili Peppers, Pearl Jam, and Nirvana was opening, in like ’92 I think. I was like “Geez! That’s how long it’s been since I’ve seen Pearl Jam!””
“Hey Tame Impala is from down there, right? That’s one of those bands who are getting big, and it’s so rare now a band gets big and they’re actually good, too! Usually they’ll get big from something other than having great music, because the look the right way or whatever. It’s so good seeing a lot of people getting in to band because their music is actually good, and that sounds so weird to say… but people like them because they sound cool, it’s awesome!”
Todd Gingell