Whether it’s solo or with mutant-funk legends Primus or jam supergroup Oysterhead, virtuoso Les Claypool’s trailblazing style and unique vision have built a home for bass-nerds the whole world over. An expert at popping slap bass, he didn’t get a job replacing Cliff Burton in Metallica because he was “too good,” but his playing is only the tip of the iceberg. He’s a composer, author, filmmaker, and fisherman, and his relentless creativity has pushed him into every underpopulated corner of avant-garde and popular music. It’s nearly impossible to corner Claypool’s style, but he himself calls it the somehow appropriate “psychedelic polka.”