Includes a Jaw Dropping 7-minute version of
Hendrix’s classic 'Machine Gun'.
“spliff-enlighted dublines coupled with
the crack cocaine adrenaline rush of funk-rock.” –The Music Forum
“Add Praxis to the short list of super
groups.” –Fears Magazine
“This is the glory of Bonnaroo.” –Jambase
Praxis is the name of an ever-changing Bill Laswell musical project. One of the best live and most
influential groups of the last 20 years, Praxis
defined a new genre in music by combining elements
of Funkadelic, Last Exit, jazz, hip-hop and
heavy metal into a highly improvised, extremely
challenging music. First appearing in 1993
with the critically acclaimed Transmutation
(Mutatis Mutandis), Buckethead, Bill Laswell,
Bernie Worrell and Brain have defined the direction
of the band over the last 14 years.
Among the 90,000 self-avowed hipsters and tripsters
who braved the heavy rains at Bonnaroo 2004
in Manchester, Tennessee, the chances are good
that only a few of them were truly prepared
for the sonic onslaught of Praxis. The band
hit their mark at around midnight on the first
day of what has become the jam circuit's top-selling
music festival, and from the outset, the core
trio of Buckethead (guitars), Brain (drums)
and Bill Laswell (bass)-with a special guest
appearance by P-Funk synth wizard Bernie Worrell-packed
a wallop. "Hardcore supergroup Praxis
bring the noise, but guitarist Buckethead is
freaking me out," was the reaction from
VH1's Scott Lapatine, and he wasn't alone;
other music critics and fans alike were equally
blown away by the "mind-twistingly manic"
and "almost unbelievable" sounds
emanating from the wall of amplifiers onstage.
Many in the crowd had already heard of Buckethead
through his much-publicized break with Axl
Rose and Guns 'N Roses, while Brain was equally
well-known for his stint with Les Claypool's
Primus and other groups on the Bay Area punk-funk
scene. Laswell, for his part, has enjoyed a
devout fan base simply for the sheer quantity
of albums he has produced, for artists ranging
from Herbie Hancock to Mick Jagger, Yoko Ono,
George Clinton and beyond. But any feeling
of familiarity at Bonnaroo was quickly dashed
by the group's futuristic blend of industrial
noise, avant-rock, dub, funk and hip-hop-all
of which taken together created, for most in
attendance that night, an entirely alien but
somehow weirdly compelling experience. Although
this is a live recording, the quality is sensational.
Producer/Engineer Oz Fritz (Tom Waits, Wanda
Jackson, Tabla Beat Science, Primus, The Apes)
may steal the show with his production work.
As Buckethead, with his customary aplomb, told
Guitar Player magazine, "Praxis is a big
binge loaf, like terror long dangler buddies
on a scoop rack. [To me], taking people away
in their imaginations is a lot more important
than freaking people out with the guitar."
And who are we to argue?
