Les Claypool’s Duo de Twang Performed at The Kent Stage
Les Claypool and Duo de Twang played to a sold out crowd at The Kent Stage Thursday, March 6, 2014 in support of their new album “Four Foot Shack”. Claypool is the lead guitarist of the band Primus and writes music for South Park.
March 6, 2014
tside of The Kent Stage just before 7 p.m. Thursday night to see Duo de Twang.
The country music duo, featuring guitarists Claypool from the band Primus, the band that composed and performed the “South Park” theme song, and Bryan Kehoe from M.I.R.V. got together in 2012 and are currently on tour promoting their album “Four Foot Shack.”
“You think you’re ready for this?” Les Claypool said as he took his seat on stage. The crowd of about 300 people erupted in applause and cheers.
Many of the audience members said they had previously seen Les Claypool perform during his solo tours. Zachary Oliver, Stow resident, said he is no stranger to Claypool’s live shows.
“I first saw Les Claypool open for Anthrax and Public Enemy in 1991,” Oliver said. “This is probably the 12th or 15th time I’ve seen him live.”
Paul Neil of Akron had also seen Claypool previously but said he was looking forward to a different feel at Thursday’s night’s show.
“It’s a whole different thing to see him in an acoustic setting,” Neil said. “It’s really exciting. Especially for him to be in a really small venue like the Kent Stage, it’s fantastic.”
The country and folk feel of the music kept many crowd members dancing throughout the show. Sean Davis of Ravenna said he enjoyed Les Claypool’s distinctive music style.
“The unique musicality, there’s nothing like it,” Davis said. “He created a whole genre of music that nobody can reproduce or even come close to.”
The show attracted a diverse audience, with many members of all ages and some families.
Danielle Jaboni, 22, of Cleveland said that though she does not know a lot about Les Claypool, she was happy to see a live production.
“It’s nice to see actual instruments playing live music,” Jaboni laughed. “I’m in a generation where everything is produced from a computer. Anytime I get to see an actual instrument playing music is sweet.”
The duo performed hits such as “Jerry was a Racecar Driver” and “Red State Girl.” Each song was upbeat with intricate guitar chords.
During some breaks in his songs, Les Claypool belted out a loud “yee-haw,” and the audience answered back with hoots and cheers. The crowd stayed engaged, remaining on their feet and singing and dancing throughout the whole show.
“Good musicians making good music, it’s that simple,” Oliver said.
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