Primus Still Offering Unpredictable, Oddball Rock

The weird quotient in contemporary music is regrettably low. Strange wasn’t so uncommon on the rock landscape a generation or so ago. Naked dancers, vasectomy footage and the various objects Gibby Haynes set on fire during Butthole Surfer concerts were a perfect complement to the Texas band’s avant sounds and inscrutable lyrics.

Dread Zeppelin combined Led Zeppelin and reggae. Who can forget Tiny Tim tiptoeing through the sonic landscape with his ukulele?

All of those acts are long gone, and what does the oddball nation of rock fans have left? Primus. When the term alternative described bands back when punk broke, it was often a misnomer. But alternative perfectly describes Primus’ amalgam of funk and metal and refreshingly bizarre approach to music. The band will perform Friday, July 17, at the Toyota Oakdale Theatre in Wallingford.

“It’s all due to our lack of being able to latch onto a trend,” vocalist-bassist Les Claypool cracked while calling from Montreal. “It’s not for a lack of trying. I’ve been trying to write pop songs for 25 years. They just come out a little sideways.”

Claypool is such a whack job that he auditioned for the Metallica bassist gig in 1986. How could Metallica’s James Hetfield, who rules with an iron fist, co-exist with the loose and goofy Claypool, who loves to experiment?

“[Metallica guitarist] Kirk [Hammett] was an old high school buddy of mine,” Claypool said. “I heard he was on tour in Europe and I had no idea things were so huge with Metallica. I was busy listening to old Peter Gabriel and Fishbone. I listened to their songs before the audition and realized how amazing Metallica was and I thought I could go in and noodle my way to the gig. But when I showed up, it was obvious that I was the square peg.”

Fortunately, Claypool never had the pleasure of being part of the Metallica brigade. The laid-back bassist met his musical soulmate, guitarist Larry “Ler” LaLonde, and formed Primus with drummer Tim “Herb” Alexander shortly after his ill-fated Metallica audition.

“When you have a connection or a conversation with people you have a strong history with, you know where things are going,” Claypool said. “We have that rapport.”

“Pork Soda,” “Frizzle Fry” and “Green Naugahyde” are some of Primus’ album titles, and the content is stranger than the moniker.

Primus, which might be the strangest successful band in rock history, is back with the quirky but satisfying “Primus and the Chocolate Factory with the Fungi Ensemble.”

Claypool caught the cult classic “Willie Wonka & the Chocolate Factory” when he was 7 years old in 1971 and was blown away.

The group’s performances include 14 songs from the “Wonka” soundtrack that were co-written by Leslie Bricusse and Anthony Newley. Primus, who dedicated their album to the star of the original “Willie Wonka,” Gene Wilder, darkens up the tunes with the help of the Fungi Ensemble, comprised of Frog Brigade percussionist Mike Dillon and cellist Sam Bass. Such already left of center cuts as “Oompa Veruca” and “Pure Imagination,” as well as the hit “Candy Man,” are perfect fodder for Primus.

The addition of Dillon and Bass help stretch Primus’ creative horizon.

“I asked these guys if they wanted to do it and combine elements,” Claypool said. “The project really needed it. I got to scratch the itch in working with Dillon, who is on the tour. Sam can’t make it for the tour but Teddy Parker is playing the cello to make this all work. It was fun stretching out like we did. There are some truly sinister elements to “Wonka.” It was so satisfying to make an album inspired by “Wonka.”

Fans can only imagine what Claypool and his bandmates will try next.

“I have no idea what we’ll do,” Claypool said. “There are a lot of ideas being kicked around regarding a new album. We’re finishing up this tour. We’re finishing up the “Wonka” thing in the states but nothing has quite stuck yet. We’ll do something and it probably will have nothing to do with whatever the current trend is.”

PRIMUS appears Friday, July 17, at the Toyota Oakdale Theatre, 95 South Turnpike Road, Wallingford. Tickets are $22 and $35. Show time is 7:30 p.m. 203-265-1501 and oakdale.com