Oysterhead
Encyclopedia
Oysterhead is an alternative rock
supergroup
featuring bassist Les Claypool
of Primus
, guitarist Trey Anastasio
of Phish
and drummer Stewart Copeland
of The Police
, with all three providing vocals. The style and sound of the band is a collaborative eclectic mix of bass-oriented funk metal
.
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. Oysterhead was originally intended to be a singular live performance at New Orleans Saenger Theatre 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
.
, 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 guitar played by Trey Anastasio
featuring a full-size deer
antler that Trey manipulated to make sounds similar to those of a theremin
.
On November 5, 2001, 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.
. The band performed music from The Grand Pecking Order during the set.
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
supergroup
Supergroup (music)
In the late 1960s, the term supergroup was coined to describe "a rock music group whose performers are already famous from having performed individually or in other groups"....
featuring bassist Les Claypool
Les Claypool
Leslie Edward "Les" Claypool is an American musician and writer, best known as the lead vocalist and bassist in the band Primus. Claypool's playing style on the electric bass mixes tapping, flamenco-like strumming, whammy bar bends and slapping.Claypool has also self produced and engineered his...
of Primus
Primus (band)
Primus is an American rock band based in San Francisco, California, currently composed of bassist/vocalist Les Claypool, guitarist Larry "Ler" LaLonde and drummer Jay Lane. Primus originally formed in 1984 with Claypool and guitarist Todd Huth, later joined by Lane, though the latter two departed...
, guitarist Trey Anastasio
Trey Anastasio
Trey Anastasio is an American guitarist, composer, and vocalist most noted for his work with the rock band Phish...
of Phish
Phish
Phish is an American rock band noted for its musical improvisation, extended jams, and exploration of music across genres. Formed at the University of Vermont in 1983 , the band's four members – Trey Anastasio , Mike Gordon , Jon Fishman , and Page McConnell Phish is an American rock band...
and drummer Stewart Copeland
Stewart Copeland
Stewart Armstrong Copeland is an American musician, best known as the drummer for the band The Police. During the group's extended hiatus from the mid-1980s to 2007, he played in other bands and composed soundtracks...
of The Police
The Police
The Police were an English rock band formed in London in 1977. For the vast majority of their history, the band consisted of Sting , Andy Summers and Stewart Copeland...
, with all three providing vocals. The style and sound of the band is a collaborative eclectic mix of bass-oriented funk metal
Funk metal
Funk metal is a subgenre of funk rock that fuses elements of heavy metal and funk. Allmusic has claimed that "funk metal evolved in the mid-'80s when alternative bands like the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Faith No More, Infectious Grooves, Mordred and Fishbone began playing the hybrid with a stronger...
.
In April 2000 Superfly Productions asked Claypool to assemble a band to perform during New Orleans Jazz Fest
New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival
The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, often known as Jazz Fest, is an annual celebration of the music and culture of New Orleans and Louisiana...
. Claypool contacted Anastasio and together they agreed on mutual hero, Copeland. Oysterhead was originally intended to be a singular live performance at New Orleans Saenger Theatre 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
Francis Ford Coppola
Francis Ford Coppola is an American film director, producer and screenwriter. He is widely acclaimed as one of Hollywood's most innovative and influential film directors...
and Matt Groening
Matt Groening
Matthew Abram "Matt" Groening is an American cartoonist, screenwriter, and producer. He is the creator of the comic strip Life in Hell as well as two successful television series, The Simpsons and Futurama....
.
The Grand Pecking Order
In 2001, Oysterhead officially reformed to record and release an album entitled The Grand Pecking OrderThe Grand Pecking Order
-Personnel:*Trey Anastasio - guitar, vocals*Les Claypool - bass, vocals*Stewart Copeland - drums, vocals-Credits:*Mixed by Toby Wright*Recorded by Oz Fritz *Cover Painting and Illustrations: Tim Slowinski...
, 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
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
, 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 guitar played by Trey Anastasio
Trey Anastasio
Trey Anastasio is an American guitarist, composer, and vocalist most noted for his work with the rock band Phish...
featuring a full-size deer
Deer
Deer are the ruminant mammals forming the family Cervidae. Species in the Cervidae family include white-tailed deer, elk, moose, red deer, reindeer, fallow deer, roe deer and chital. Male deer of all species and female reindeer grow and shed new antlers each year...
antler that Trey manipulated to make sounds similar to those of a theremin
Theremin
The theremin , originally known as the aetherphone/etherophone, thereminophone or termenvox/thereminvox is an early electronic musical instrument controlled without discernible physical contact from the player. It is named after its Russian inventor, Professor Léon Theremin, who patented the device...
.
On November 5, 2001, 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 FestivalBonnaroo Music Festival
The Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival is an annual four day music festival created and produced by Superfly Productions and AC Entertainment, held at Great Stage Park on a 700-acre farm in Manchester, Tennessee. It hosted its tenth annual event June 9–12, 2011...
. The band performed music from The Grand Pecking Order during the set.