Colonel Les Claypool's Fearless Flying Frog Brigade (also known as The Les Claypool Frog Brigade) is a musical project with rotating personnel, led by American singer/bassist Les Claypool. The Frog Brigade was formed during a hiatus from Claypool's main group Primus.
The original band was formed in summer 2000 and consisted of Claypool, Todd Huth (guitars, vocals), Jay Lane (drums), Jeff Chimenti (keyboards), Skerik (saxophone), and Eenor Wildeboar (guitars, cümbüş). Les Claypool has described their sound as, "It's kind of a King Crimson meets Pink Floyd meets Frank Zappa type thing."
The band released two live recordings in 2001, Live Frogs Set 1 and Live Frogs Set 2. Set 1 is a mix of covers and originals, including "Thela Hun Ginjeet" (King Crimson) and "Shine On You Crazy Diamond" (Pink Floyd). Set 2 is a live cover of the entire Pink Floyd album Animals. A studio album, titled Purple Onion, was also released in 2002.
All three albums were released on Les Claypool's Prawn Song Records.
History
Claypool formed the band to play the Mountain Aire Festival, a jam band festival that takes place in Northern California on Memorial Day weekends each year. Its initial lineup featured MIRV's Marc Haggard on guitar, Skerik on saxophone, and both Jack Irons (ex-Pearl Jam and Red Hot Chili Peppers) and Primus' Tim Alexander on drums. Les had planned on naming the band Les Claypool's Thunder Brigade, but was told by Mountain Aire organizers that the name might sound too heavy for the jam band crowd.
In August 2000, Claypool created a new line-up of the Frog Brigade and took it on a tour that fall. The band consisted of Jay Lane on drums and Todd Huth on guitar, who had worked with Claypool in Sausage (which in itself was a re-formation of the first line up of Primus), guitarist Eenor, who got a place in the band by winning a mail-order competition, Jeff Chimenti, the keyboardist from Ratdog (Jay Lane also has worked with Ratdog), and Skerik continuing on saxophone. This version of the band played a show consisting of two sets – the first filled with covers and songs from Claypool's previous bands, and a second set where the band would play all of the Pink Floyd album Animals.
Reviews noted that although Claypool was turning towards jam band, the cover selections were adventurous and the cross over brought together a unique combination of fans. At the shows it was noted "a peculiar convergence of poncho punks, old Deadheads, extravagant funk fans and year-round Halloween revelers supplied one of the least likely rock audiences in recent memory" including both deadhead 'noodle dancers' and a mosh pit.
After this tour, the Brigade released two live recordings, both taken from the Autumn 2000 concerts by the band in San Francisco. Live Frogs, Vol. 1 contained material from the first, free-form set, and Live Frogs, Vol. 2 was a recording of the band performing Animals.
On May 22, 2026, the reformed band released Return of the Live Frogs: Volume 1 to coincide with the start of the 2026 Claypool Gold tour.
Members
Current members
- Les Claypool – bass, vocals
- Sean Lennon – guitars
- Harry Waters – keyboards
- Paulo Baldi – drums
- Mike Dillon – percussion
- Skerik – saxophone
Former members
- Todd Huth – guitars, vocals
- Bryan Kehoe – guitars
- Marc Haggard – guitars
- Jay Lane – drums
- Jack Irons – drums
- Paul Svena – drums
- Tim Alexander – drums
- Jeff Chimenti – keyboards
- Eenor Wildeboar – guitars, cümbüş
Discography
- 2001: Live Frogs Set 1
- 2001: Live Frogs Set 2
- 2002: Purple Onion
- 2026: Return of the Live Frogs: Volume 1