Larry LaLonde

He also has collaborated more recently with artists such as Serj Tankian and Tom Waits.

LaLonde was born in Oakland, California. Originally inspired by guitarists such as Frank Zappa, Snakefinger, East Bay Ray, Jerry Garcia, Jimi Hendrix, and his teacher Joe Satriani, LaLonde eventually became interested in early thrash metal bands such as Metallica, Slayer and Exodus; his other influences or inspirations were Van Halen, Black Sabbath, AC/DC, Iron Maiden, Rush, Venom, Yngwie Malmsteen and Uli Jon Roth-era Scorpions. LaLonde formed his first band in high school, a speed metal band called Blizzard. He left the band later on to join the first generation death metal band Possessed. Possessed's landmark first album, Seven Churches, was released in 1985 when LaLonde was just 17 years old. According to LaLonde, he earned the nickname "Ler" at a young age because his friends were too lazy to say his middle name in its entirety. After Seven Churches, Possessed released the Beyond the Gates album and The Eyes of Horror EP before breaking up in 1987. LaLonde then joined experimental thrash metal band Blind Illusion, appearing on the 1988 album The Sane Asylum, through which he became friends with bassist Les Claypool. At around the same time, he was also a member of Corrupted Morals, with whom he recorded the album Cheese-It, released the following year. At the start of 1989, LaLonde left Blind Illusion and Corrupted Morals when Claypool invited him to reform the funk metal outfit Primus, which had been on hiatus since original guitarist Todd Huth left the previous year.

With LaLonde on board, together with drummer Tim Alexander, Primus released their first album, the live Suck on This, in 1989, followed by the studio album Frizzle Fry in 1990. In 1991, came their major label debut Sailing the Seas of Cheese. The band's next studio album, Pork Soda, arrived in 1993 and landed in the Billboard Top 10. Tales from the Punchbowl followed in 1995, featuring one of Primus's most well-known songs, the single "Wynona's Big Brown Beaver," which was nominated for the 1996 Grammy for "Best Hard Rock Performance." Alexander left Primus in 1996 to be replaced by Bryan Mantia, and the group released two more albums, Brown Album in 1997 and Antipop in 1999, before going on hiatus in 2000. In 2002, Primus returned from their hiatus with Claypool and LaLonde reuniting with Alexander, releasing the DVD/EP Animals Should Not Try to Act Like People in 2003 and the Hallucino-Genetics live DVD in 2004. On October 17, 2006, Primus released both their first greatest hits CD They Can't All Be Zingers and their third DVD Blame It on the Fish: An Abstract Look at the 2003 Primus Tour de Fromage. In 2010, early Primus drummer Jay Lane rejoined the group, and they released the free June 2010 Rehearsal digital EP. A new album, titled Green Naugahyde, was released on September 13, 2011. In 2014, Tim Alexander rejoined the group and they released their 8th studio album "Primus & the Chocolate Factory with the Fungi Ensemble", a re-imagining of the soundtrack for the 1971 film "Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory". In 2017, Primus released their 9th studio album "The Desaturating Seven", which would then be followed by an EP in 2022 titled "Conspiranoid".

Interviewed by Zorak, LaLonde guest-starred in the live-action/animated talk show Space Ghost Coast to Coast on Cartoon Network. During the Primus hiatus, LaLonde formed the experimental alternative band No Forcefield with Bryan Mantia, releasing two albums between 2000 and 2002. In 2007 and 2008, LaLonde toured with Serj Tankian and the F.C.C. in support of the album Elect the Dead. Two live tracks featuring LaLonde were later released on the digital EP Lie Lie Live. Throughout 2011, he recorded several tracks for the 2012 game Twisted Metal. In 2024 LaLonde recorded with John Heintz's funk-rock supergroup The Big Ol' Nasty Getdown. Ler appears on 'Ten Hits' on the band's 'RepurposE Purpose - Volume 1' album.

Known for his technical proficiency as a guitar player, LaLonde uses many advanced guitar techniques such as pinch harmonics, sweep picking, pick tapping, volume swells and tapping, as well as other extended techniques in his music. His early work with Primus was influenced by his roots in heavy metal, but by the time of Pork Soda (1993), LaLonde's guitar playing had evolved to a more unusual style and was earning comparisons to experimental jazz guitarists like Sonny Sharrock and Marc Ribot. His influences include funk, world music, heavy metal and film music. Melodically his playing makes heavy use of tritone intervals, the whole tone scale and the diminished scale, helping establish Primus’ hard, dissonant, dark sound.

In addition to being Primus' guitarist, LaLonde is also an avid skateboarder; he plays the skater who knocks the nachos out of Bob Cock's hand in the video for "Jerry Was a Race Car Driver". As of 2016, LaLonde lives in Los Angeles with his wife Shane Stirling, a model from the CBS show The Price Is Right, and their two children Sierra and Avery. In January 2025, their home was destroyed in the Palisades Fire.

1985: Seven Churches 1986: Beyond the Gates 1987: The Eyes of Horror

1988: The Sane Asylum

1989: Cheese-It

1989: Suck on This (live) 1990: Frizzle Fry 1991: Sailing the Seas of Cheese 1992: Miscellaneous Debris (EP) 1992: Cheesy Home Video (VHS) 1993: Pork Soda 1995: Tales from the Punchbowl 1997: Brown Album 1998: Rhinoplasty (EP) 1998: Videoplasty (VHS) 1999: Antipop 2003: Animals Should Not Try to Act Like People (DVD/EP) 2004: Hallucino-Genetics: Live 2004 (DVD) 2006: They Can't All Be Zingers (compilation) 2006: Blame It on the Fish: An Abstract Look at the 2003 Primus Tour de Fromage (DVD) 2010: June 2010 Rehearsal (EP) 2011: Green Naugahyde 2014: Primus & the Chocolate Factory with the Fungi Ensemble 2017: The Desaturating Seven 2022: Conspiranoid (EP)

1999: Mule Variations 1999: Jack Kerouac Reads On the Road 2006: Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers & Bastards

2000: Lee's Oriental Message 2001: God is an Excuse

2008: Lie Lie Live (EP)