Jay Lane

Jay Lane

Lane performing with Primus at the 2011 Soundwave festival in Brisbane, Australia.
Background information
Birth name Milan[1]
Born December 5, 1964
San Francisco, California, USA
Genres Alternative rock, funk rock, jazz, hip hop
Occupation(s) Musician
Instruments Drums, vocals
Years active 1982–present
Labels Prawn Song, Blue Note, Grateful Dead Records
Associated acts RatDog, Primus, Les Claypool's Frog Brigade, Charlie Hunter Trio, Sausage, Freaky Executives, The Uptones, Furthur, Christión
Website JayLane.net (archived)

Jay Lane (born December 5, 1964) is an American drummer from the San Francisco Bay Area. He is a founding member of the Golden Gate Wingmen with John Kadlecik, Jeff Chimenti, and Reed Mathis. He also plays with Bob Weir's RatDog, Scaring the Children with Weir and Rob Wasserman, and the hip hop/jazz fusion group Alphabet Soup, as well as Jay's Happy Sunshine Burger Joint. Jay Lane was a founding member of Primus as well as Furthur.

In 2002, Lane was named "drummer of the year" by the California Music Awards. He currently lives in the Bay Area.[2]

Biography

Lane began learning to play the drums at age nine, and continued to take lessons for 2 years.[2] At sixteen, he took a summer job at a music camp in Cazadero, where he met saxophonist/drummer Dave Ellis and future Spearhead guitarist Dave Shul.[2]

1980s

In 1982,[3] Lane played with Dave Shul in the band Ice Age.[4] In 1983, he joined Bay Area ska punk band The Uptones when their saxophonist left, prompting drummer Dave Ellis to switch instruments.[2][4] They released an album, K.U.S.A.,[3] before Lane left in 1985 to join the Freaky Executives.[4] After four years of gigging the Executives landed a record deal with Warner Bros. Records.[4] It was during this time that Lane met Primus bassist Les Claypool in the bands' shared rehearsal space,[4] and the two became friends as Claypool volunteered to act as a roadie for the Freaky Executives.[5]

In 1988, Lane had become so frustrated with Warner's handling of the Executives' contract that when Claypool asked him to recommend a replacement for Primus' recently departed drummer Tim "Curveball" Wright, Lane accepted the position himself.[5] Claypool, Lane, and guitarist Todd Huth played together as Primus for about eight months, and recorded a demo tape named Sausage.[4][6] At the end of 1988, the Freaky Executives' deal looked to be taking a turn for the better,[5] and as Claypool was ready for Primus to start touring,[4] Lane decided he no longer had time for both projects and chose to leave Primus, and also left the Freaky Executives after their record deal was shelved.[4]

1990s

In the early '90s, Lane began playing in a trio with double bass player Rob Wasserman and Grateful Dead guitarist Bob Weir,[4] who had previously been playing as a duo for "six or eight years" before inviting Lane to join them.[7] In 1992,[3] Lane was reunited with Dave Ellis when he joined jazz combo the Charlie Hunter Trio,[4][6] and co-founded the hip hop/jazz fusion group Alphabet Soup.[4][6] The Charlie Hunter Trio released their debut album, Charlie Hunter Trio, in 1993.[8]

Lane later reunited with Claypool and Huth as the band Sausage,[6] named in recognition of the Primus demo they recorded together six years prior.[5] They recorded a single album, 1994's Riddles Are Abound Tonight,[9] followed by a short tour in support of Helmet and Rollins Band.[4][6] In 1995, Lane released his last album with the Charlie Hunter Trio, Bing, Bing, Bing!,[10] as well as Alphabet Soup's debut, Layin' Low in the Cut,[11] and following the death of Jerry Garcia, the trio of Lane, Weir and Wasserman became the basis for the band RatDog.[4] In 1996, Alphabet Soup released their second album, Strivin',[4] and Lane guested on Claypool's debut solo album Highball with the Devil.[12] In 1997, Lane guested on Christión's debut album, Ghetto Cyrano, playing keyboards.[13]

2000s

Lane and Weir performing with RatDog in April 2009.

Throughout the 2000s, Lane continued to tour with RatDog, playing hometown shows with Alphabet Soup whenever they had a break in the schedule.[4] In 2000, RatDog released their own debut album, Evening Moods,[14] followed by Live at Roseland in 2001.[15] Also in 2001, Lane appeared once more alongside Claypool and Huth, plus others, on the Colonel Les Claypool's Fearless Flying Frog Brigade albums Live Frogs Set 1[16] and Live Frogs Set 2,[3] the latter of which is a complete performance of Pink Floyd's Animals.[17] In 2002, Lane guested on the Frog Brigade's studio album, Purple Onion,[18] and was named "drummer of the year" by the California Music Awards.[4]

In 2005, Claypool released his retrospective DVD 5 Gallons of Diesel, featuring many projects that included Lane,[3] and Lane toured with him as part of his Fancy Band.[4] In 2006, many members of Alphabet Soup branched out to form the hip hop/reggae fusion group Band of Brotherz, and Lane joined shortly after.[4] They released their debut album Deadbeats and Murderous Melodys in 2009,[3] featuring covers of Grateful Dead songs,[2] supported by a tour of the East Coast of the United States and a number of dates nationwide with special guests,[4] including the trio of Lane, Weir and Wasserman reunited under the name Scaring the Children.[19] At the end of 2009, Weir put RatDog on hiatus in order to dedicate his time to forming the supergroup Furthur with Phil Lesh, and Lane joined them as a charter member.[4]

2010s

In 2010,[3] Lane left both Furthur and Band of Brotherz to rejoin Primus with Claypool and long-standing guitarist Larry LaLonde, and they released the free June 2010 Rehearsal digital EP, followed in 2011 by a new album, titled Green Naugahyde.[20] As of 2012, Lane's official site still credited him as an active member of RatDog despite the hiatus,[3] as well as Alphabet Soup,[3] and Scaring the Children.[7] In September 2013, it was revealed that Lane had left Primus to rejoin RatDog, who were ending their hiatus.[21]

Discography

1984 – The Uptones – K.U.S.A.
1988 – Primus – Sausage (demo)
1993 – Charlie Hunter Trio – Charlie Hunter Trio
1994 – Sausage – Riddles Are Abound Tonight
1995 – Charlie Hunter Trio – Bing, Bing, Bing!
1995 – Alphabet Soup – Layin' Low in the Cut
1996 – Alphabet Soup – Strivin'
1996 – Les Claypool and the Holy Mackerel – Highball with the Devil
1997 – Christión – Ghetto Cyrano
2000 – RatDog – Evening Moods
2001 – RatDog – Live at Roseland
2001 – Colonel Les Claypool's Fearless Flying Frog Brigade – Live Frogs Set 1
2001 – Colonel Les Claypool's Fearless Flying Frog Brigade – Live Frogs Set 2
2002 – The Les Claypool Frog Brigade – Purple Onion
2005 – Les Claypool – 5 Gallons of Diesel (DVD)
2009 – Band of Brotherz – Deadbeats and Murderous Melodys
2010 – Primus – June 2010 Rehearsal (EP)
2011 – Primus – Green Naugahyde

References

  1. ↑ "Milan, Dec 5 1964, Jay Lane, Adoptee". Adoption.com. May 26, 2004. Retrieved July 2, 2011.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 "Our Newest Tour Member Profile: Jay Lane". Rat-Dog.com. May 1, 2008. Retrieved July 2, 2011.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 3.8 "Credits". JayLane.net. Archived from the original on August 14, 2012. Retrieved September 16, 2013.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 4.7 4.8 4.9 4.10 4.11 4.12 4.13 4.14 4.15 4.16 4.17 4.18 4.19 "About Jay Lane". JayLane.net. Archived from the original on March 24, 2012. Retrieved September 16, 2013.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 Michael Goldberg. "Primus Through the Years: Les Claypool Reflects on His Past". Retrieved July 1, 2011.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 Sausage at AllMusic. Retrieved August 28, 2011.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 "Scaring the Children". JayLane.net. Archived from the original on March 24, 2012. Retrieved September 16, 2013.
  8. ↑ Charlie Hunter Trio – Charlie Hunter Trio at AllMusic. Retrieved August 28, 2011.
  9. ↑ Riddles Are Abound Tonight – Sausage at AllMusic. Retrieved August 28, 2011.
  10. ↑ Bing, Bing, Bing! – Charlie Hunter at AllMusic. Retrieved August 28, 2011.
  11. ↑ Layin' Low in the Cut – Alphabet Soup at AllMusic. Retrieved August 28, 2011.
  12. ↑ Highball with the Devil – Les Claypool and the Holy Mackerel at AllMusic. Retrieved August 28, 2011.
  13. ↑ Ghetto Cyrano – Christión at AllMusic. Retrieved August 28, 2011.
  14. ↑ Evening Moods – Bob Weir at AllMusic. Retrieved August 28, 2011.
  15. ↑ Live at Roseland – RatDog at AllMusic. Retrieved August 28, 2011.
  16. ↑ Live Frogs: Set 1 – Les Claypool at AllMusic. Retrieved August 28, 2011.
  17. ↑ Live Frogs: Set 2 – Les Claypool at AllMusic. Retrieved August 28, 2011.
  18. ↑ Purple Onion – Les Claypool at AllMusic. Retrieved August 28, 2011.
  19. ↑ "Weir/Wasserman/Lane are S.T.C. - Band of Brotherz". Rat-Dog.com. February 20, 2009. Retrieved July 10, 2011.
  20. ↑ Press release (June 6, 2011). "Primus to Release New Album in September". theprp.com. Retrieved June 8, 2011.
  21. ↑ "Primus Reuniting with Drummer Tim Alexander". Rolling Stone. Retrieved October 1, 2013.

External links