Earlier this month, Primus crowned Dirtfoot’s John Hoffman as the successor for former drummer Tim “Herb” Alexander. The auditions leading up to Hoffman’s selection saw a wide array of well-known drummers fly out to L.A. for a shot at the gig, and Primus is looking back on the process with a new video series chronicling the Interstellar Drum Derby. First up in the series is fan-favorite lespecial drummer Rory Dolan, who received overwhelming online support from fans calling for him to become Primus’ new drummer.
Dolan was the first drummer to audition, with the humbled Connecticut native remarking in the video, “If you had told 14-year-old me that this would be a reality, at age 35, I wouldn’t have believed you.” After picking up the drums at age 7, Dolan discovered Primus at age 13 when he heard Suck On This playing at a local record store. For the past 22 years, Les Claypool and Larry “Ler” LaLonde, plus a rotating cast of drummers, have left an indelible mark on Dolan’s artistic style and voice—particularly with his band lespecial which he’s been in for almost 20 years with childhood best friends Luke Bemand and Jonathan Grusauskas.
lespecial’s affinity for Primus is well-documented, giving Les the impression that Dolan’s group was a Primus cover band. At the end of the audition, Claypool remarked (seemingly in good faith), “I was a little concerned. You know, a Primus cover band guy. Cause that’s what you’re in right?” Without the slightest offense, Dolan corrected Claypool, noting that, while lespecial has covered a lot of Primus songs, “we’re not a Primus cover band. We have our own music.”
Though lespecial has a steadily growing discography of unique prog-tronic compositions, Dolan’s Primus chops are a big part of what got him in the door of the auditions. Playing through classics like “Those Damned Blue-Collar Tweekers”, “Tommy the Cat”, and “Groundhog’s Day” plus the Dolan-requested “Last Salmon Man” from 2011’s Green Naugahyde (“If I can remember it,” Claypool obliged), Rory exhibited a deep knowledge of the band’s intricacies—expertise that could only come from decades of devoted study. In a post-audition interview, Ler was surprised how well Dolan knew many of the little live variations Primus plays onstage as opposed to how the songs sound on tape.
“I’d been hearing about Rory for a while … and there was a lot of people who wanted him to audition because he had such a strong Primus background,” Claypool remarked. “I thought he was good, he was surprisingly good. He was better than I was expecting.”
Watch Rory Dolan audition for Primus below and stay tuned for more videos from the Interstellar Drum Derby. Primus is set to perform at Tool: Live in the Sand next month in the Dominican Republic with Tool’s Danny Carey filling in on drums. After that, Primus will join up with Tool vocalist Maynard James Keenan‘s side projects Puscifer and A Perfect Circle for another round of the Sessanta Tour. Find Primus tickets and tour dates here.
Despite not getting the Primus gig, Rory Dolan is staying plenty busy on the road with lespecial. The band is due to mount a run of shows in the Northeast in April ahead of an appearance at Daze Between New Orleans festival in New Orleans, LA (4/30, 4/31) with special guest Skerik (Les Claypool’s Fearless Flying Frog Brigade).
Primus Interstellar Drum Derby | Ep. 01 – Rory Dolan | Thank You, Brothers