Les Claypool's Sausage Opens For Helmet & Rollins Band In 1994

Les Claypool recently announced his annual New Year’s Eve concert in the Bay Area and the huge surprise was the return of Sausage. The trio of Claypool, drummer Jay Lane and guitarist Todd Huth was actually an iteration of Primus that dissolved before Les, guitarist Larry “Ler” LaLonde and drummer Tim “Herb” Alexander released the live album Suck On This in 1989 and the studio album Frizzle Fry in 1990. Claypool, Lane and Huth reunited under the Sausage moniker in 1994 for a series of concerts and the album, Riddles Are Abound Tonight. In honor of Sausage’s first performance since 1994, here’s a look at the only live footage of the trio currently available on YouTube.

Sausage played a handful of shows in their native California in May of 1994 including an appearance at Laguna Seca Daze. Then, the trio embarked on a summer tour to open for Helmet and the Rollins Band. On August 17, 1994 the tour made a stop at The Metropol in Pittsburgh. That night, the lineup was different as Brian “Brain” Mantia was behind the kit instead of Lane.

Les, Todd and Brain kicked off their seven-song performance at The Metropol with the title track from Riddles Are Abound Tonight. The trio went on to play six more songs from what still stands as their lone LP. Songs like “Prelude To Fear,” “Temporary Phase” and “Girls For Single Men” have a groove and swagger that Claypool would explore more in the coming years with his Fearless Frog Brigade project. Brain did an admirable job filling in for Lane. The tour ended three nights later in New York City and Sausage played what currently stands as their last performance on October 15, 1994 at The Fillmore in San Francisco.

Watch fan-shot video of Sausage in action on August 17, 1994 shared by retsaot1: