Electric Apricot: Quest for Festeroo
Available on Philo
From legendary Primus bassist Les Claypool comes Electric Apricot: Quest For Festeroo, a spoof about jam bands told in the style of This Is Spinal Tap and A Mighty Wind. In the spring of 2005, a filmmaker set forth to make a documentary reflecting an element of contemporary music culture which had yet to be fully examined. The notion was to capture something raw and original. He searched for something unpretentious and genuine and he yearned to make a film that would stand out from other music documentaries. Who he found was Electric Apricot and what he achieved was enlightenment. Unexpectedly, while searching for enlightenment the duality of existence was unveiled. Claypool takes aim at the jam band culture and its wool-cap-and-Birkenstock New Age flower children. The result is what fans have come to expect from the musician known for his funky bass licks and eccentric sense of humor. Claypool also stars as Lapland "Lapdog" Miclovich, drummer for the film's fictional four-piece band, Electric Apricot. The quartet is rounded out by keyboard player Herschel Tambor Brilstein (Jonathan Korty), an Iraqi-American Hawaiian Jew with anger-management issues that defy his burning sage; lead guitarist Steve "Gordo" Gordon (Bryan Kehoe), a horticulturist enamored of the late Jerry Garcia; and lead vocalist Steve "Aiwass" Trouzdale (Adam Gates), who lives harmoniously with the earth in a tree fort behind his parent's mansion. Shot in classic VH1 "Behind the Music" style, the film follows the reheated hippies' quest to land a slot on the coveted Festeroo bill, a take on the annual Bonnaroo festival in Tennessee. Bob Weir of the Grateful Dead, Mike Gordon of Phish and members of Gov't Mule are seen as they muse at the blatant idiocy of Electric Apricot's wayward members.
Starring Les Claypool as himself, Jonathan Korty, Brian Kehoe
Director Les Claypool as himself