Primus is on the hunt for a new drummer following the sudden departure of Tim “Herb” Alexander, and bluegrass whizkid Billy Strings has thrown his trucker hat in the ring. Primus is taking open submissions for drummers, and on Friday bandleader Les Claypool leaked Billy’s audition tape.
“Okay here’s my audition to play for Primus,” Strings says as he sits down at the kit before wailing away with a tenacity that one commenter described as, “Simultaneously looks like he has been playing drums for years, and just picked up sticks for the first time.” After a frenetic series of rolls, snare slams, and cymbal crashes, Strings paradoxically counts off to end the video. In the caption, Claypool remarks, “We may have found our guy…”
Billy Strings playing with Primus isn’t too far-fetched (okay, maybe on drums it is). Earlier this year, Strings made a surprise appearance with Les, Larry “Ler” LaLonde, and Herb in Nashville on the Sessanta Tour with Puscifer and A Perfect Circle in celebration of Maynard James Keenan‘s 60th birthday. Strings joined Primus for “Wynona’s Big Brown Beaver”, though his history with Claypool dates back well before that onstage encounter.
Billy and Les first linked up onstage as guests of Bob Weir during an intimate benefit show at Sweetwater Music Hall in March 2022. They all must have hit it off, as Les and Bobby both showed up three months later at Billy’s Ryman Auditorium run in Nashville. Billy was so kind as to return the favor to Les, sitting in with Primus at the same venue the next night. Since then, Les and Bobby (and Trey Anastasio) played at Billy’s wedding—which Les also officiated—and Claypool has continued to tease a collaborative album between him and Billy. However, as Les has lamented, whenever they get together to record, they just end up fishing, instead.
Watch Billy Strings audition for Primus below.
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While Strings’ try-out for the position may have been in jest, Primus’ need for a new drummer is quite real. In October, longtime on-again-off-again drummer Tim “Herb” Alexander shocked fans and even his bandmates when he suddenly tendered his resignation via email. According to a statement from Primus, “On Thursday, October 17th, we received an email from Tim ‘Herb’ Alexander expressing that effective immediately he would no longer be involved with Primus. It came as a complete shock to all of us here in the Primus camp.”
“On the heels of a wonderful Spring & Summer of touring and some fabulous plans ahead, it has been a bit bewildering for us that Herb would so abruptly opt out,” the band continued. “After several attempts to communicate with Herb, his only response was another email stating that he has ‘lost his passion for playing.’”
Herb’s sudden exodus has left Primus looking for ringers to fill in on several high-profile gigs. For the band’s two-night New Year’s Eve run in Oakland, CA billed as The NYE Fisherman’s Chronicles Costume Ball, Primus will call up support from Claypool’s Holy Mackerel and Fearless Flying Frog Brigade bandmates. As the note from the band explained, “this will be an exciting special, one-time event.” In March, Primus will head to the Dominican Republic for the inaugural Tool Live in the Sand destination event, where Tool’s own Danny Carey will fill in on drums, just as he did on a string of shows in 2014 after Herb suffered his first heart attack.