Klaus Flouride

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Geoffrey Lyall (born in 1949 in Detroit, Michigan), better known as Klaus Flouride, is best known as the bassist for the San Francisco, California, punk rock band Dead Kennedys from the group's inception in June 1978 until the band's breakup in March 1986, although he also produced four solo albums during the 1980s and 1990s.

Flouride began working on a solo album following the release of Dead Kennedys' second album, 1982's Plastic Surgery Disasters, coming out with Shortning Bread in 1982 and Cha Cha Cha With Mr. Flouride in 1985.

After the breakup, Flouride returned to his solo career, releasing Because I Say So in 1988 and The Light Is Flickering in 1991, the latter album including the song "Dancing with Shauna Grant".

Flouride also works in the studio as a producer and mixer and has done projects with the Hi-Five, Ape, and Bad Posture. He and his former band-mates also became embroiled in a protracted lawsuit with former frontman Jello Biafra over reimbursement for band income and band material, which was settled in 2000 in the favor of East Bay Ray, Flouride, and D. H. Peligro.

In 2001, Flouride reunited with Ray and Peligro under the Dead Kennedys name, taking on Dr. Know vocalist Brandon Cruz as a replacement for Biafra. Jeff Penalty replaced Cruz in 2003.

Flouride wrote one song for the Dead Kennedys, "Dog Bite", which appears on the EP In God We Trust, Inc..

Klaus Flouride's bass style is very easy to recognize, as it integrates not only typical punk-rock bass playing [heavy use of a pick, most of the time downstroke, fast tempo and bass notes stuck to the root notes of the guitar chords] but it also contains elements from jazz music or exotic types of music. Songs such as Forest Fire, Moral Majority, Cesspools of Eden, Riot and We've Got A Bigger Problem Now [which was played with fingers live during live shows] can show how much Klaus Flouride's bass playing is versatile, with the use of light and melodic bass lines contrasting with East Bay Ray's furious guitar, variations in harmonies, and a great sense of improvisation [Night Of The Living Rednecks from the Give Me Convenience or Give Me Death album].

Main Klaus Flouride bass gear includes a beautiful Sherwood Green matching-headstock Fender Jazz Bass from 1966 that he has been using throughout the Dead Kennedys early years and still owns and uses today on stage. The bass is covered with stickers, the biggest being the "DK" signs that stands for Denmark, and the pickguard is stained with blood. Other basses such as a black Fender Precision Bass and a blue Fender Bass VI have also been used. Little is known on Klaus' amplification during the 80's, even if he probably used Ampeg SVT heads and matching 8*10 or less cabs, but recent pictures show a Gallien Krueger stack made of a 2*10 and a 1*15 cabinets, powered by a Gallien Krueger 1001 RB II head. According to the man himself, Klaus used "an acoustic amplifier with stock speakers" on Fresh fruit for rotting vegetables. Also, a Boss pedal can be seen in recent pictures.

Dead Kennedys

Ted | East Bay Ray | Klaus Flouride | D.H. Peligro

Former members: Jello Biafra | 6025 | Brandon Cruz | Jeff Penalty

Discography