Primus began as Primate in El Sobrante, California, in 1984 with singer and bassist Les Claypool, guitarist Todd Huth, and a LinnDrum drum machine. The duo initially had trouble finding a drummer, until Claypool's friend Vince "Perm" Parker returned home from a stint in the army, and together the three of them recorded their first demo, financed by Claypool selling his car. Primate changed their name to Primus after "about a month" when they were approached by a group called the Primates threatening legal action over the similarity of their names. Parker was soon replaced by the band's second drummer, Peter Libby, who played on their first demo as Primus. After 2–3 years with the band he was himself replaced by Robbie Bean, Tim "Curveball" Wright had the drum chair for 6 months in 1988. After rising to fame in the local music scene with their brand of funk metal fusion, reaching the point where they were "selling out Berkeley Square", Wright was fired from Primus in the summer of 1988 to be replaced by Jay Lane, drummer with the Freaky Executives, who were "getting dicked around by their record company", as Claypool later described it.