Oysterhead
is a supergroup rock band featuring bassist Les Claypool of Primus, guitarist Trey Anastasio of Phish and drummer Stewart Copeland of The Police. The style and sound of the band is a collaborative eclectic mix of the bass-oriented funk metal music of Claypool, Anastasio's jam band music and the Lebanese-influenced beats of Copeland with a focus of not "anything preconceived". [1] The result is different than any of their previous independent works. [2]
In April 2000 Superfly Productions asked Claypool to assemble a band to perform during New Orleans Jazz Fest. Claypool contacted Anastasio and together they agreed on mutual hero, Copeland. [3] Oysterhead was originally intended to be a singular live performance at New Orleans Saenger Theatre [4] on May 4, 2000. The band compiled a set of almost entirely original material for the show, practicing at Muskegon's Frauenthal Theatre. Tickets were scalped for up to $2,000 each and in the audience were Francis Ford Coppola and Matt Groening.
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OYSTERHEAD TICKETS
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The Grand Pecking Order
In
2001, Oysterhead officially reformed to record and release an album entitled
The Grand Pecking Order
, which featured nine new tracks in addition to four songs originally debuted in New Orleans. The release of this album was supported by a brief tour of
North America, during which nearly every show was performed to a sold-out audience. The Oysterhead tour of fall 2001 also saw the debut of the Matterhorn, a bizarre-looking custom made guitar played by
Trey Anastasio. The guitar featured full-size
deer antlers that Trey manipulated to make sounds similar to that made by a
theremin. The Matterhorn was as much a theatrical piece as it was a musical instrument, which was perfectly in step with the whimsical nature of the band.
The band performed the song "Oz Is Ever Floating" on
Late Night with Conan O’Brien
. After the 2001 tour, which had schedule changes due to the
September 11 attacks, the trio went their separate ways.
Reformation at Bonnaroo
On
June 16 2006, Oysterhead reunited to perform a two-hour set at the
Bonnaroo Music Festival. The band performed music from
The Grand Pecking Order
during the set.
[5]
Discography
- The Grand Pecking Order
(2001)
References
- Jon Wiederhorn Three Oysterheads Are Better Than One ''mtv.com'', Oct 5 2001, Retrieved February 11, 2009
- David Holmberg Palladium comes alive with Oysterhead’s unique blend ''dailybruin.ucla.edu'', October 29, 2001, Retrieved February 11, 2009
- Neva Chonin out of its shell: Oysterhead unites three very different musical visions to create a unique sound ''sfgate.com'', October 24, 2001, Retrieved February 11, 2009
- Mike Powers Frogs & Oysters: A Les Claypool Interview ''jambase.com'', 1/26/01, Retrieved January 26, 2008
- http://www.phantasytour.com/phish/articles.cgi?newsID=887