Todd Huth
Todd Paclebar Huth is an
American guitarist from
Pinole,
California. He is best known as an original member of the
band Primus, along with
bassist/
lyricist Les Claypool, and
drummer Jay Lane. Huth and Claypool began been playing together, along with a drum machine, in or around
1984, originally calling themselves
Primate until about
1986 when they changed their band name to
Primus. With the lineup of Huth, Claypool, and Lane, Primus became an underground sensation in and around San Francisco, prompting them to record a demo tape, entitled
Sausage, to distribute at their shows. Around
1989, however, with he and his wife expecting a child, Huth decided to leave Primus to dedicate time to his family. Lane also soon departed, and Claypool temporarily re-joined the
thrash metal band
Blind Illusion. It was at this time that Claypool met guitarist
Larry LaLonde, with whom he would reinstate Primus, along with drummer
Tim "Herb" Alexander.
After Primus had enjoyed mainstream success with its de-facto lineup, Claypool, Huth, and Lane reunited to produce an album on Claypool's label,
Prawn Song Records. Unable to use their original band name, Primus, the trio instead adopted the title of one of their original demos,
Sausage (band).
Huth's guitar style is quite distinctive, combining creative use of
dissonance with heavy,
overdriven distortion. His style is clearly
blues-influenced, incorporating extensive use of bends, and the
blues scale.
Upon joining Primus,
Larry LaLonde, since Primus already had much concrete material, had to take over Huth's part in songs that were already written, and in a sound that was already established. However, in latter albums, he developed his own recognizable sound (under Todd`s influence) gaining reputation as an accomplished musician.
Huth later again reunited with Les Claypool and toured with Claypool's side-project,
Les Claypool's Fearless Flying Frog Brigade.
*
Primus Family Tree
