Reid Laurence "Larry" LaLonde (born September 12, 1968), also known as Ler LaLonde, is an American musician best known as the guitarist for Primus, a position that he has served since 1989, where he is known for his experimental accompaniment to the bass playing of bandmate

Les Claypool Leslie Edward Claypool (born September 29, 1963) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, record producer, filmmaker, and author. He is best known as the founder, lead singer, bassist, primary songwriter, and only continuous member of the ro ...

. Previously, he played guitar for the groups

Possessed Possessed may refer to: Possession * Possession (disambiguation), having some degree of control over something else ** Spirit possession, whereby gods, demons, animas, or other disincarnate entities may temporarily take control of a human body *** ...

Blind Illusion Blind Illusion is an American progressive thrash metal band from Richmond, California. Formed in 1978 by lead guitarist and main songwriter Mark Biedermann, the band has had several lineup changes, with Biedermann being the only constant membe ...

, No Forcefield, and the

Frank Zappa Frank Vincent Zappa (December 21, 1940 – December 4, 1993) was an American musician, composer, and bandleader. His work is characterized by wikt:nonconformity, nonconformity, Free improvisation, free-form improvisation, sound experimen ...

tribute band "Caca". He also has collaborated more recently with artists such as

Serj Tankian Serj Tankian (born August 21, 1967) is an Armenian-American singer, musician, songwriter, political activist and entrepreneur. He is best known as the lead vocalist, primary lyricist, keyboardist, and occasional rhythm guitarist of heavy metal ...

and

Tom Waits Thomas Alan Waits (born December 7, 1949) is an American musician, composer, songwriter, and actor. His lyrics often focus on the underbelly of society and are delivered in his trademark deep, gravelly voice. He worked primarily in jazz during ...

Biography

Early career

LaLonde was born in

Oakland, California Oakland is the largest city and the county seat of Alameda County, California, United States. A major West Coast of the United States, West Coast port, Oakland is the largest city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, the third ...

. Originally inspired by guitarists such as

Snakefinger Philip Charles Lithman (17 June 1949 – 1 July 1987), who performed under the stage name Snakefinger, was an English musician, singer and songwriter. A multi-instrumentalist, he was best known for his guitar and violin work and his collab ...

East Bay Ray Raymond John Pepperell (born November 17, 1958), better known by his stage name East Bay Ray, is an American musician best known as the guitarist for the San Francisco Bay area-based punk band Dead Kennedys. His guitar work was heavily influence ...

Jerry Garcia Jerome John Garcia (August 1, 1942 – August 9, 1995) was an American musician best known for being the principal songwriter, lead guitarist, and a vocalist with the rock band Grateful Dead, which he co-founded and which came to prominence ...

Jimi Hendrix James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix (born Johnny Allen Hendrix; November 27, 1942September 18, 1970) was an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. Although his mainstream career spanned only four years, he is widely regarded as one of the most ...

, and his teacher

Joe Satriani Joseph Satriani (born July 15, 1956)Prato, Greg"Joe Satriani – Music Biography, Credits and Discography". ''AllMusic''. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved May 28, 2014. is an American guitarist, composer, songwriter, and guitar teacher. Early in his ...

, LaLonde eventually became interested in early

thrash metal Thrash metal (or simply thrash) is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music characterized by its overall aggression and often fast tempo.Kahn-Harris, Keith, ''Extreme Metal: Music and Culture on the Edge'', pp. 2–3, 9. Oxford: Berg, 2007, . ...

bands such as

Metallica Metallica is an American heavy metal band. The band was formed in 1981 in Los Angeles by vocalist/guitarist James Hetfield and drummer Lars Ulrich, and has been based in San Francisco for most of its career. The band's fast tempos, instrume ...

and

Slayer Slayer was an American thrash metal band from Huntington Park, California. The band was formed in 1981 by guitarists Kerry King and Jeff Hanneman, drummer Dave Lombardo and bassist/vocalist Tom Araya. Slayer's fast and aggressive musical style ...

. LaLonde formed his first band in high school, a

speed metal Speed metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music that originated in the late 1970s from new wave of British heavy metal (NWOBHM) roots.K. Kahn-Harris, ''Extreme Metal: Music and Culture on the Edge'' (Berg Publishers, 2007), , p. 31. It ...

band called Blizzard. LaLonde left the band later on to join the first generation

death metal Death metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music. It typically employs heavily distorted and low-tuned guitars, played with techniques such as palm muting and tremolo picking; deep growling vocals; aggressive, powerful drumming, feat ...

band

. Possessed's landmark first album, '' ''Seven Churches'''', was released in 1985 when LaLonde was just 17 years old. After Seven Churches, Possessed released the '' Beyond the Gates'' album and ''

The Eyes of Horror ''The Eyes of Horror'' is an EP by American death metal band Possessed. It was released on May 31, 1987. It was produced by guitarist Joe Satriani. Track listing Personnel *Jeff Becerra - bass, vocals *Larry Lalonde - lead guitar *Mike To ...

'' EP before breaking up in 1987. LaLonde then joined experimental thrash metal band

, appearing on the 1988 album ''

The Sane Asylum ''The Sane Asylum'' is the debut album by the American thrash metal band Blind Illusion. It was originally released in 1988 through Combat Records. The album features guitarist Larry LaLonde and bassist Les Claypool before they went on to work ...

'', through which he became friends with bassist

. At around the same time LaLonde was also a member of Corrupted Morals, with whom he recorded the album ''Cheese-It'', released the following year.Corrupted Morals discography
at

Discogs Discogs (short for discographies) is a database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. While the site was originally created with a goal of becoming the la ...

. At the start of 1989, LaLonde left Blind Illusion and Corrupted Morals when Claypool invited him to reform the

funk metal Funk metal (also known as thrash-funk or punk-funk) is a subgenre of funk rock and alternative metal that infuses heavy metal music (often thrash metal) with elements of funk and punk rock. Funk metal was part of the alternative metal movement, ...

outfit Primus, which had been on hiatus since original guitarist

Todd Huth Todd Richard Huth (born March 13, 1963) is an American guitarist, best known as an original member of the band Primus, along with bassist/lyricist Les Claypool. Huth and Claypool began playing together, along with a drum machine, in or around ...

left the previous year.

Primus

With LaLonde on board, together with drummer

Tim Alexander Timothy W. Alexander (born April 10, 1965), also credited as "Herb" Alexander, is an American musician best known as the drummer for the rock band Primus. Alexander has played on the majority of Primus's discography, including some of the band ...

, Primus released their first album, the live '' Suck on This'', in 1989, followed by the studio album ''

Frizzle Fry ''Frizzle Fry'' is the debut studio album by American rock band Primus. It was released on February 7, 1990, by Caroline Records. Produced by the band and Matt Winegar, the album was recorded at Different Fur Studios in San Francisco in December ...

'' in 1990. In 1991, came their major label debut ''

Sailing the Seas of Cheese ''Sailing the Seas of Cheese'' is the second studio album and major-label debut by the American rock music, rock band Primus (band), Primus, released on May 14, 1991. It spawned three singles: "Jerry Was a Race Car Driver", "Tommy the Cat", and "T ...

''. The band's next studio album, ''

Pork Soda ''Pork Soda'' is the third studio album by the American funk metal band Primus, released April 20, 1993, certified Gold in September 1993 and certified Platinum in May 1997. The 2005 re-issue comes in a digipak and contains a booklet with lyrics ...

'', arrived in 1993 and landed in the Billboard Top 10. ''

Tales from the Punchbowl ''Tales from the Punchbowl'' is the fourth studio album by the American rock band Primus, released on June 6, 1995. It was the band's last album with Tim Alexander before he rejoined Primus seven years later, and again in September 2013. It was ...

'' followed in 1995, featuring one of Primus's most well-known songs, the single " Wynona's Big Brown Beaver," which was nominated for the 1996

Grammy The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pre ...

for "Best Hard Rock Performance." Alexander left Primus in 1996 to be replaced by

Bryan Mantia Bryan Kei Mantia (born February 4, 1963), known professionally as Brain, is an American rock drummer. He has played with bands such as Primus, Guns N' Roses, Praxis, and Godflesh, and with other performers such as Tom Waits, Serj Tankian, Bill L ...

, and the group released two more albums, ''

Brown Album ''Brown Album'' is the fifth studio album by American rock band Primus. It was released on July 8, 1997, by Prawn Song and Interscope Records. It was the band's first album with new drummer Brain, who replaced former drummer Tim Alexander. ...

'' in 1997 and ''

Antipop ''Antipop'' is the sixth studio album by American rock band Primus. It was released on October 19, 1999, through Prawn Records and Interscope Records. Produced by the band, Tom Morello, Stewart Copeland, Tom Waits, Matt Stone, and Fred Durst, ...

'' in 1999, before going on hiatus in 2000. In 2002, Primus returned from their hiatus with Claypool and LaLonde reuniting with Alexander, releasing the DVD/EP ''

Animals Should Not Try to Act Like People ''Animals Should Not Try to Act Like People'' is a career-spanning retrospective DVD plus bonus EP by American band Primus, released on October 7, 2003. The title was inspired by a crayon-made story book written by guitarist Larry LaLonde's son ...

'' in 2003 and the ''

Hallucino-Genetics ''Hallucino-Genetics: Live 2004'' is the first concert DVD from Primus, released in October 2004. The show was filmed on June 26, 2004 at the Aragon Ballroom in Chicago, Illinois, the band's last show of their 2004 tour. The performance features ...

'' live DVD in 2004. On October 17, 2006, Primus released both their first greatest hits CD '' They Can't All Be Zingers'' and their third DVD ''

Blame It on the Fish ''Blame It on the Fish: An Abstract Look at the 2003 Primus Tour de Fromage'' is a DVD by Primus that was released on October 17, 2006. It was directed by Matthew J. Powers and produced by Powers Philms and Frizzle Fry Inc. This DVD contains 70 ...

: An Abstract Look at the 2003 Primus Tour de Fromage.'' In 2010, early Primus drummer

Jay Lane Jay Lane (born December 5, 1964) is an American drummer. He is a founding member of Bob Weir's RatDog, with Weir and Rob Wasserman, Wolf Bros, Furthur, Golden Gate Wingmen and Alphabet Soup. He was the 7th drummer to play in Primus, playing ...

rejoined the group, and they released the free ''

June 2010 Rehearsal ''June 2010 Rehearsal'' is an extended play by the American rock band Primus released on August 5, 2010 worldwide. The EP has been released digitally from Primus' official website for free. It is the first Primus release to feature original drumm ...

'' digital EP. A new album, titled ''

Green Naugahyde ''Green Naugahyde'' is the seventh studio album by rock group Primus, released by ATO Records and Prawn Song on September 12, 2011 in Europe, and on September 13, 2011 in the United States. It is the band's first album since 1999's '' Antipop'' ...

'', was released on September 13, 2011.

Other projects

Interviewed by

Zorak This is a list of characters on the Cartoon Network animated television series, ''Space Ghost Coast to Coast'', which later moved to Adult Swim from 2001 to 2004, and then to Gametap from 2006 to 2008. Main characters Space Ghost Voiced by Ge ...

, LaLonde guest-starred in the live-action/animated talk show ''

Space Ghost Coast to Coast ''Space Ghost Coast to Coast'' is an American adult animation, adult animated comedy talk show created by Mike Lazzo for Cartoon Network and hosted by a re-imagined version of the 1960s Hanna-Barbera cartoon character Space Ghost. In contrast t ...

'' on

Cartoon Network Cartoon Network (often abbreviated as CN) is an American cable television channel owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. It is a part of The Cartoon Network, Inc., a division that also has the broadcasting and production activities of Boomerang, Car ...

. During the Primus hiatus, LaLonde formed the experimental alternative band No Forcefield with Bryan Mantia, releasing two albums between 2000 and 2002. In 2007 and 2008, LaLonde toured with

and the F.C.C. in support of the album ''

Elect the Dead ''Elect the Dead'' is the debut album by rock musician Serj Tankian, lead singer and founding member of Armenian-American metal band System of a Down. It was released on October 22, 2007. Alongside Tankian appears Armenian-American coloratura A ...

''. Two live tracks featuring LaLonde were later released on the digital EP '' Lie Lie Live''. Throughout 2011, he recorded several tracks for the 2012 game

Twisted Metal ''Twisted Metal'' is a series of vehicular combat video games published by Sony Computer Entertainment, and developed by various companies. The series has appeared on the PlayStation, PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable and PlayStation 3. As o ...

Playing style

Known for his technical proficiency as a guitar player, LaLonde uses many advanced guitar techniques such as

pinch harmonics Playing a string harmonic (a flageolet) is a string instrument technique that uses the nodes of natural harmonics of a musical string to isolate overtones. Playing string harmonics produces high pitched tones, often compared in timbre to a whi ...

sweep picking Sweep picking is a guitar playing technique. When sweep picking, the guitarist plays single notes on consecutive strings with a 'sweeping' motion of the pick, while using the fretting hand to produce a specific series of notes that are fast a ...

pick tapping Pick tapping (or pick trilling) is a legato playing technique for the guitar, in which the edge of the pick is used to sharply trill notes on the instrument's fretboard at fast speeds. Whilst trilling can be performed with the fingers of either t ...

volume swells A volume swell is a musical crescendo commonly associated with the electric guitar. It is achieved by cutting the initial attack of the note, either with the volume potentiometer on the guitar or with a volume pedal. Principle Roughly speaking ...

and

tapping Tapping is a playing technique that can be used on any stringed instrument, but which is most commonly used on guitar. The technique involves a string being fretted and set into vibration as part of a single motion. This is in contrast to stand ...

, as well as other

extended techniques In music, extended technique is unconventional, unorthodox, or non-traditional methods of singing or of playing musical instruments employed to obtain unusual sounds or timbres.Burtner, Matthew (2005).Making Noise: Extended Techniques after Expe ...

in his music. His influences include

funk Funk is a music genre that originated in African American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African Americans in the m ...

, world music, heavy metal and

film music A film score is original music written specifically to accompany a film. The score comprises a number of orchestral, instrumental, or choral pieces called cues, which are timed to begin and end at specific points during the film in order to e ...

. Melodically his playing makes heavy use of tritone intervals, the whole tone scale and the diminished scale, helping establish Primus’ hard, dissonant, dark sound.

Personal life

In addition to being Primus' guitar player, LaLonde is also an avid

skateboarder Skateboarding is an action sport originating in the United States that involves riding and performing tricks using a skateboard, as well as a recreational activity, an art form, an entertainment industry job, and a method of transportation. S ...

. He was the skater who knocked the nachos out of

Bob Cock Adam Gates is a graphic designer and musician from Orinda, California Orinda is a city in Contra Costa County, California, United States. The city's population as of the 2020 census is estimated at 19,514 residents. History Orinda is locat ...

's hand in the music video for "

Jerry Was a Race Car Driver "Jerry Was a Race Car Driver" is a song by the American funk metal band Primus (band), Primus. It was released as the first single from their 1991 album ''Sailing the Seas of Cheese'' and reached number 23 on the U.S. Alternative Songs chart. The ...

Discography

Possessed

*1985: '' Seven Churches'' *1986: '' Beyond the Gates'' *1987: ''

Blind Illusion

*1988: ''

Corrupted Morals

*1989: ''Cheese-It''

Primus

*1989: '' Suck on This'' (live) *1990: ''

'' *1991: ''

'' *1992: ''

Miscellaneous Debris ''Miscellaneous Debris'' is an EP of five cover songs by Primus, released on March 12, 1992. The EP is the first release by the band to feature Les Claypool playing his now-famous fretless six-string Carl Thompson bass, nicknamed the "Rainbow ...

'' (EP) *1992: '' Cheesy Home Video'' (VHS) *1993: ''

'' *1995: ''

'' *1997: ''

'' *1998: ''

Rhinoplasty Rhinoplasty ( grc, ῥίς, rhī́s, nose + grc, πλάσσειν, plássein, to shape), commonly called nose job, medically called nasal reconstruction is a plastic surgery procedure for altering and reconstructing the nose. There are two typ ...

'' (EP) *1998: ''

Videoplasty ''Videoplasty'' is the third home video by Primus, following 1993's '' Cheesy Home Video'' and the fan club exclusive ''Horrible Swill''. ''Videoplasty'' was released at the end of 1998 to complement the band's recent covers EP ''Rhinoplasty'', ...

'' (VHS) *1999: ''

'' *2003: ''

'' (DVD/EP) *2004: ''

: Live 2004'' (DVD) *2006: '' They Can't All Be Zingers'' (compilation) *2006: ''

: An Abstract Look at the 2003 Primus Tour de Fromage'' (DVD) *2010: ''

'' (EP) *2011: ''

'' *2014: '' Primus & the Chocolate Factory with the Fungi Ensemble'' *2017: ''

The Desaturating Seven ''The Desaturating Seven'' is the ninth studio album by American rock group Primus, released on September 29, 2017. It is the band's first album of original material since 2011's ''Green Naugahyde'', and is the first LP featuring original mater ...

'' *2022: '' Conspiranoid'' (EP)

with Tom Waits

*1999: ''

Mule Variations ''Mule Variations'' is the thirteenth studio album by American musician Tom Waits, released on April 16, 1999, on the ANTI- label. It was Waits' first studio album in six years, following ''The Black Rider'' (1993). The album was backed by an ext ...

'' *1999: ''

Jack Kerouac Reads On the Road ''Jack Kerouac Reads On the Road'' is a compilation album by American novelist and poet Jack Kerouac, released posthumously on September 14, 1999. The centrepiece of the record is a 28-minute recitation by Kerouac from his book ''On the Road'' that ...

'' *2006: '' Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers & Bastards''

No Forcefield

*2000: ''Lee's Oriental Message'' *2001: ''God is an Excuse''

with Serj Tankian

*2008: '' Lie Lie Live'' (EP)

References

External links

*
Lalonde's 1998 Primus Guitar Rig
GuitarGeek.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Lalonde, Larry 1968 births Living people American heavy metal guitarists Musicians from Oakland, California Primus (band) members Lead guitarists Guitarists from California Possessed (band) members Blind Illusion members 20th-century American guitarists 21st-century American guitarists