Editing Les Claypool (section)

==== The Frog Brigade ====
{{Main|Colonel Les Claypool's Fearless Flying Frog Brigade}}
In May 2000, Claypool formed [[Les Claypool's Fearless Flying Frog Brigade]], an experimental rock group. He was asked to put together a band for the Mountain Aire Festival in [[Angels Camp, California]]. The band "of the most incredible guys (he) could possibly find" debuted that Memorial Day weekend and played a number of other festivals including [[moe.#moe.down|moe.down]].<ref name="frogs&oysters" /> Originally he was going to call the band "Les Claypool's Thunder Brigade". Claypool said:

<blockquote>I originally was going to do the two drummer thing with [[Tim Alexander|Herb]] and [[Jack Irons]], so I was gonna call it the Les Claypool Thunder Brigade. Michael Bailey from [[Bill Graham Presents]] said to me that it may sound a bit too heavy for the Mountain Aire crowd and to perhaps try something a little different that had to do with the event itself. Since it was home of the Calaveras County Frog Jump... hence the Frog Brigade and then it evolved into Colonel Les Claypool's Fearless Flying Frog Brigade.<ref name="frogs&oysters" /></blockquote>

The Primus hiatus allowed him to return to his musical roots, playing songs by bands such as [[Pink Floyd]], [[King Crimson]], and [[the Beatles]]. Claypool has called the Frog Brigade his "[[mid-life crisis]] band". From a set of October shows recorded at [[Great American Music Hall]] in San Francisco, Claypool released two Frog Brigade live albums, one being a cover of [[Pink Floyd]]'s ''[[Animals (Pink Floyd album)|Animals]]''. The line-up included [[Todd Huth]], Eenor, [[Jeff Chimenti]], [[Jay Lane]], [[Skerik]] and Claypool.{{Citation needed|date=May 2011}}

The Frog Brigade is also noted for Claypool's being accepted into the [[jam band]] scene.<ref>''Jambands'', Dean Budnick, Backbeat Books, 2003, pp 248–9</ref> ''[[Live Frogs Set 1]]'' won "Best Live Album" at the second annual [[Jammys]]. Jay Lane and Jeff Chimenti are both members of [[Bob Weir]]'s bands [[Ratdog]] and [[Wolf Bros]]. Claypool performed with the Rat Brigade when opening for Ratdog once in 2000 and again in 2007.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.toasterland.com/setlists/browse.php?band=100|title=Toasterland|website=Toasterland.com|access-date=December 25, 2017}}</ref> The Rat Brigade includes Claypool, drummer Lane and keyboardist Chimenti, with guest appearances by saxophonist Kenny Brooks and Bob Weir.
Claypool also guested on the Ratdog sets in 2000, 2006 and 2009.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://ratdog.org/stuff/guests|title=Bob Weir & RatDog Guest Musicians, Stats, and Other Stuff|website=Ratdog.org|access-date=December 25, 2017}}</ref>

In 2002, Claypool released a studio album of the Frog Brigade, ''[[Purple Onion (album)|Purple Onion]]''. Musicians on multiple tracks for ''Purple Onion'' include Warren Haynes (Gov't Mule) Eenor, [[Mike Dillon (musician)|Mike Dillon]], [[Skerik]], Jay Lane, Ben Barnes, and Sam Bass (Dillon and Skerik were both from [[Critters Buggin]]; Barnes and Sam Bass were from [[Deadweight (U.S. band)|Deadweight]]). The album includes "Whamola" which later appeared as a remix for the theme of [[South Park]] [[List of South Park episodes#Season 10 (2006)|Season 10]].