Alt-rock bassist, showman and all-around eccentric Les Claypool [ tickets ]--whose main band, Primus, hasn't released a new album since 1999--is set to kick off a solo tour.

Starting Friday (10/7) in Minneapolis, Claypool and his touring band (Jay Lane, Skerik, Mike Dillon and Gabby La La [ tickets ]--whose recent debut album "Be Careful What You Wish For" was produced by Claypool) will hit 13 cities, mainly in the Northeast U.S.

Claypool, who seems capable of spawning an infinite number of side projects, is also set to release a DVD entitled "5 Gallons of Diesel," a "comprehensive overview of Claypool's solo projects and collaborations including over 3.5 hours of live performances and video footage," according to a press release. The DVD will hit stores Nov. 15.

The DVD follows two Primus video packages released over the last couple of years, 2003's "Animals Should Not Try to Act Like People" and last year's "Hallucino-Genetics Live."

Primus (Claypool, Tim Alexander, and Larry LaLonde) will re-emerge later this month, taking the stage at Las Vegas's Vegoose Festival. Complete information can be found at the Vegoose website.

The band is currently working on a new album, set for release in early 2006, according to a press release.