Monkeying Around In The Music Business

Who are the members of Primate 5? Brian, guitar, vocals Dave, bass Jim, keyboards Alan, drums

The members of Primate 5 don't really need to use their last names for identification, because they wear latex and plastic monkey masks while performing, and no one can tell who they are anyway.

"The idea came to me in a dream," explains Dave, who often adopts a baboon persona onstage. "It was very detailed and involved, featuring lots of references to `Planet of the Apes.' When I woke up, I knew forming a band made up of guys who wore monkey masks was our mission."

This was two years ago. The band played its first gig Dec. 9, 1994, at the Lake Union Pub - only a week after it formed.

"Then, there were actually only three members," says Brian. "Now there's just the four. But there have been a total of five different members in the band since the beginning, so that's why we're Primate 5."

For musicians sweating beneath rubber chimp masks, Primate 5 can rock. The band's sound is surf-rock, heavy on twangy, scratchy guitar and light on meaningful vocals and ponderous melodies. It's the perfect soundtrack for cocktails in the lounge with Doctor Zaus on Planet of the Apes, and happily enough, it sounds pretty fabulous in a loud, smoky human bar, too.

"Our first requirement for the music was that it was easy," says Brian. "Most of our songs were instrumental when we started because we didn't have lyrics for them. Then we kind of switched from surf, because everyone was playing it and it got embarrassing. We play covers sometimes, too, but usually only a part of a song because we don't normally learn more than the first verse."

"We've been called the best of all the monkey mask-wearing bands out there by Maximum Rock N' Roll magazine," says Dave. "There's some other band out there from Sweden that wears monkey masks, too, but apparently we have it over them."

With an honor like that, it would seem that there's no stopping Primate 5. It has a few singles and a tape out on Estrus Records, and is working on its first vinyl album to be released next month on French label Dig! Records. With that, and an upcoming West Coast tour in January and February, it's all tall trees and ripe bananas for Seattle's only monkey-mask band.

Where to catch Primate 5: Primate 5 is hoping to play over the New Year's weekend, but the band's music is available at Fallout Records on Capitol Hill and Tower Records on Queen Anne.

Are you in a local band? If you'd like to be considered for Sound Check, send a cover letter telling us about your band and your upcoming gigs, the name and daytime phone number of your manager or contact person, a tape and a photo to Sound Check, c/o Marisa Lencioni, Seattle Times, PO Box 70, Seattle WA 98111.

Hearing test For a sound check of Primate 5 call the Seattle Times InfoLine at 464-2000 from a touch-tone phone and then enter category BAND (2263). This is a free call within the local Seattle calling area.