07/15/06 Les Claypool & His Fancy Band @ Nokia Theatre, New York, NY

Rumble of the Diesel, Up on the Roof, Of Whales and Woe, Long in the Tooth, Vernon the Company Man, Mr. Krinkle tease > One Step Beyond, D's Diner, Drums, Buzzards of Green Hill, Cosmic Highway, One Better > Tommy the Cat tease > One Better
E: American Life1, Iowan Gal1, Lust Stings
1 Les solo on bass banjo
Les Claypool - Bass, Gabby LaLa - Sitar, Skerik - Saxaphone, Mike Dillon - Percussion, Paulo Baldi - Drums

After missing attempts in the prior several years to catch Les with the Frog Brigade, Bucket of Bernie Brains and Primus, I finally got to see him with his latest group and it did not disappoint.

I came for bass slapping wizardry and that is exactly what I got with Skerik saxaphonic weirdness taboot.

Les Claypool truly is one of a kind

05/21/05 Sex Mob/Skerik, Chris Wood & Johnny Vidacovich @ Tonic, New York, NY

I'm not sure if I was at this exact show, but I definitely saw both bands at Tonic at one time or another and this the date Google turns up.

I vaguely recall talking to Skerik in the crowd and he told me he was "putting the ass back in ascot."

That's about all I remember.

05/13/05 Hairy Apes BMX w/Skerik @ Tribeca Rock Club, New York, NY

I remember this night well because I couldn't find anyone to join me and I debated skipping the whole thing. It was a decision I had faced many times before and would face many times again, but I decided to grab a six-pack of Heineken Dark Lager and head to the show solo.

I got a sweet parking spot right in front of the club and smuggled in the brews as needed.

The show was a mix of experimental funk and dub featuring the percussive vibraphonic madness of Mike Dillon, who resembles a punk rock George W. Bush. Saxomaphonist Skerik amped the weirdness quotient up to 11.

I'm pretty sure I was teh only one in the audience who picked up on the left field cover of Slick Rick's "Adults Only" featuring the amended lyric, "Ain't no way to put it subtle - Skerik wants the butthole."

Good times and one of my earliest memories of solo city musical adventure at its finest.

02/15/05 Mike Clark's Prescription Trio/Oteil and the Peacemakers @ BB King's Blues Club, New York, NY

The club had some sort of special so tickets for this show were only a few dollars each.

I was in the process of moving to Queens and I was looking at apartments prior to the show.

The opening act featured the bass wizardry of Allman Brother Oteil Burbridge fronting his own group. That set also introduced me to the beautiful and talented bassist extraordinaire, Tal Wilkenfeld.

Mike Clark was a drummer in Herbie Hancock's legendary Headhunters group, notable for the blending of jazz and funk in new and intriguing ways.

The Prescription Trio featured a revolving cast of jam and jazz heavy hitters, but this particular ensemble was the best of the various incarnations.

Skerik is a Seattle saxophonist best known for his work with various Les Claypool projects and his eccentricity. Robert Walters is Hammond B3 organ whiz.

The three of them together served up a delectable danceable cocktail and were joined for a spell by yet another jazz funk luminary, Melvin Sparks.