Apricot Jam Session

Who says rock stars don't have a sense of humor? The redoubtable Les Claypool deserves a tip of the stovepipe hat for setting himself up as a one-man piss-taker of pompous rockers everywhere. His sweetly endearing Electric Apricot: Quest for Festreroo follows a loopy, loony Northern California jam band from early club gigs to rock-festival debut. The mockumentary takes affectionate swipes at the Grateful Dead, Phish, and the plethora of bands and fans under the influence of their flow-with-the-music mantra. (Bob Weir and Mike Gordon drop by to lend a touch of verisimilitude.) Most of the film plays out in the studio, where the Apricot overcomes internal dissension to record its stomping debut disc. Brian Kehoe as the mountainesque guitarist Gordo, Adam Gates as the bass player who lives in a tree fort in his parents’ backyard, and Jonathan Korty as the neo-zen organist contribute many moments of comic obtuseness. But Claypool, who wrote and directed Electric Apricot and gives a rambunctious performance as the gregarious lead vocalist and drummer Lapdog, is the movie's motor(mouth). Blessedly, he never lets up. After tonight's 7:15 p.m. screening, Claypool and the rest of the band sit down for a Q&A.
Jan. 4-8, 2008