“Tommy the Cat.” “John the Fisherman.” “Jerry Was A Race Car Driver.” “My Name is Mud.” “Wynona’s Big Brown Beaver.” Yessiree, Primus is responsible for some of the most cutting edge and original rock music of the 1990’s. And now, the definitive Primus line-up – singer/bassist Les Claypool, guitarist Larry LaLonde, and drummer Tim Alexander – is back together and planning on getting the worldwide masses bobbing up and down in unison once more.

Although originally formed in 1984, it was not until shortly before the end of the decade that the aforementioned classic line-up was solidified. With most hard rock/heavy metal acts at the time either neatly falling into either “thrash” or “glam” categories, Primus joined a variety of underground bands that refused to be pigeonholed (and by the early ’90s, had fully infiltrated the mainstream) – merging metal, funk, alternative, punk, country, roots rock, and experimental music, along with Claypool’s penchant for witty and often humorous storytelling lyrics.

Building a large and loyal following first in and around San Francisco (before eventually, going global), Primus kicked things off with a string of releases that are now considered classic alt-rock titles – 1989’s ‘Suck on This,’ 1990’s ‘Frizzle Fry,’ 1991’s ‘Sailing the Seas of Cheese,’ 1993’s ‘Pork Soda,’ and 1995’s ‘Tales from the Punchbowl.’ Along the way, Primus toured with some of rock’s biggest names (Jane’s Addiction, Public Enemy, Rush, U2, etc.), headlined the third-ever Lollapalooza Festival, and issued a variety of crafty music videos, which stood out in sharp contrast to the ultra-seriousness of most other video clips at the time.Alexander exited Primus in 1996, but returned in 2003, in time for an EP/DVD set, ‘Animals Should Not Try to Act Like People,’ and a sold out reunion tour, that lasted over the next few years, before the drummer departed once more. But as Claypool got to work on putting together a forthcoming book about the band’s history, Les began longing for the days of when Alexander’s unmistakable and powerful drumming provided the beat. A phone call was placed, a conversation ensued, and before you could say, “Here come the bastards,” the Claypool-LaLonde-Alexander line-up was back in business. Plans to tour the world over and offering up new music are already in place. Be forewarned…here they come!

Although originally formed in 1984, it was not until shortly before the end of the decade that the aforementioned classic line-up was solidified. With most hard rock/heavy metal acts at the time either neatly falling into either “thrash” or “glam” categories, Primus joined a variety of underground bands that refused to be pigeonholed (and by the early ’90s, had fully infiltrated the mainstream) – merging metal, funk, alternative, punk, country, roots rock, and experimental music, along with Claypool’s penchant for witty and often humorous storytelling lyrics.

Building a large and loyal following first in and around San Francisco (before eventually, going global), Primus kicked things off with a string of releases that are now considered classic alt-rock titles – 1989’s ‘Suck on This,’ 1990’s ‘Frizzle Fry,’ 1991’s ‘Sailing the Seas of Cheese,’ 1993’s ‘Pork Soda,’ and 1995’s ‘Tales from the Punchbowl.’ Along the way, Primus toured with some of rock’s biggest names (Jane’s Addiction, Public Enemy, Rush, U2, etc.), headlined the third-ever Lollapalooza Festival, and issued a variety of crafty music videos, which stood out in sharp contrast to the ultra-seriousness of most other video clips at the time.

Alexander exited Primus in 1996, but returned in 2003, in time for an EP/DVD set, ‘Animals Should Not Try to Act Like People,’ and a sold out reunion tour, that lasted over the next few years, before the drummer departed once more. But as Claypool got to work on putting together a forthcoming book about the band’s history, Les began longing for the days of when Alexander’s unmistakable and powerful drumming provided the beat. A phone call was placed, a conversation ensued, and before you could say, “Here come the bastards,” the Claypool-LaLonde-Alexander line-up was back in business. Plans to tour the world over and offering up new music are already in place. Be forewarned…here they come!

Black Mountain’s Stephen McBean turned 16 after Woodstock but before Varg started burning down Norwegian churches. And yet, until just two short years ago, McBean had lived his entire adolescence and adult life without a proper driver’s license, that first and most coveted ticket to personal independence. Black Mountain’s new album, Destroyer, is imbued with all that wild-ass freedom and newfound agency (and anxiety and fear) that comes with one’s first time behind the wheel.

Destroyer, named after the discontinued single-run 1985 Dodge Destroyer muscle car, is structured around the feeling of driving a hot rod. The album exists in the middle of the early-to-mid 80s Los Angeles war between punk and hair metal – it’s exhilarating, spirited, and dangerous. Throughout, youthful themes run rampant: “Boogie Lover” cruises down the Sunset Strip, “Horns Arising” is a fill-up at a desert gas station just in time to see a UFO hovering near a mesa, and “High Rise” rounds out a sense of teenage discovery.

To create Destroyer, McBean shacked himself up in his rehearsal space and invited over friends from the endless rock’n’roll highway, bringing to life 22 songs. While some were laid back into shallow graves to dig up once again at a later date, the others were left above ground and polished and given life, some transformed by longtime band member Jeremy Schmidt. This generation of Black Mountain also sees new members Rachel Fannan (Sleepy Sun) and Adam Bulgasem (Dommengang & Soft Kill) as well as familiar collaborators Kliph Scurlock (Flaming Lips), Kid Millions (Oneida) and John Congleton (St. Vincent, Swans).  Collectively, there’s a renewed vitality to Black Mountain on Destroyer — a seasoned, veteran of heady hard rock that’s found new, young muscles to flex and roads to explore.