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Primus ( ) is an American
rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wale ...
band formed in El Sobrante, California in 1984. As of March 2025, the band is composed of bassist/vocalist
Les Claypool Leslie Edward Claypool (born September 29, 1963) is an American rock music, rock musician. He is the founder, lead singer, bassist, and primary songwriter of the band Primus (band), Primus. Listed as one of the greatest bassists of all time by ...
, guitarist Larry "Ler" LaLonde, and drummer John Hoffman. Primus originally formed in 1984 with Claypool and guitarist
Todd Huth Todd Richard Huth (born March 13, 1963) is an American guitarist, best known as an original member of the band Primus, along with bassist/lyricist Les Claypool. Huth and Claypool began playing together, along with a drum machine, in or around ...
, later joined by drummer
Jay Lane Jay Lane (born December 5, 1964) is an American musician. He is a founding member of Bob Weir's RatDog, with Weir and Rob Wasserman, Wolf Bros, Furthur, Golden Gate Wingmen, Dead & Company and Alphabet Soup. He was the 5th and then later the 8 ...
, though the latter two had departed by the beginning of the band's recording career in 1989, replaced by LaLonde and Tim "Herb" Alexander respectively. The "classic" lineup of Claypool, LaLonde and Alexander debuted with the live album ''
Suck on This ''Suck on This'' is a live album by the American rock band Primus, released in 1989. At the time of recording, the featured lineup of bassist/vocalist Les Claypool, guitarist Larry LaLonde and drummer Tim Alexander had only been playing togethe ...
'', which was self-released in 1989 on Claypool's label
Prawn Song Prawn Song Records is an independent record label owned by Les Claypool of Primus. The name and logo are a parody of Led Zeppelin's label Swan Song Records. Prawn Song is based in San Francisco, California, and distribution is handled by The Or ...
and reissued a year later by
Caroline Records Caroline Records is a record label that was founded in 1973. Founded in the United Kingdom to showcase British progressive rock groups, the label ceased releasing titles in 1976 and then re-emerged in the United States in 1986. The label rel ...
. Caroline also released Primus' debut studio album ''
Frizzle Fry ''Frizzle Fry'' is the debut studio album by American rock band Primus. It was released on February 7, 1990, by Caroline Records. Produced by the band and Matt Winegar, the album was recorded at Different Fur Studios in San Francisco in Decemb ...
'' (1990), which was critically well received, and its underground success led to interest from major record labels. Their second studio album and major-label debut ''
Sailing the Seas of Cheese ''Sailing the Seas of Cheese'' is the second studio album and major label debut by the American rock band Primus. It was released on May 14, 1991, through Interscope Records. It spawned three singles: "Jerry Was a Race Car Driver", " Tommy the ...
'' (1991), released through
Interscope Records Interscope Records is an American record label based in Santa Monica, California, owned by Universal Music Group through its Interscope Geffen A&M imprint. Founded in late 1990 by Jimmy Iovine and Ted Field as a $20 million joint venture ...
, launched the band into mainstream exposure, supported by their first charting single "
Jerry Was a Race Car Driver "Jerry Was a Race Car Driver" is a song by American rock band Primus. It was released as the first single from their second album, '' Sailing the Seas of Cheese'', and reached number 23 on the U.S. Alternative Songs chart. The song tells the st ...
" and receiving
platinum certification Music recording certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped, sold, or streamed a certain number of units. The threshold quantity varies by type (such as album, single, music video) and by nation or territory (see ...
within a decade after its release. Primus repeated its success with their next two albums, ''
Pork Soda ''Pork Soda'' is the third studio album by the American rock band Primus. It was released on April 20, 1993, by Interscope Records and Prawn Song Records. The album was certified gold in September 1993 and platinum in May 1997. The 2005 re-is ...
'' (1993) and ''
Tales from the Punchbowl ''Tales from the Punchbowl'' is the fourth studio album by the American rock band Primus, released on June 6, 1995. It was the band's last album with Tim Alexander before he rejoined Primus seven years later, and again in September 2013. It was ...
'' (1995), both charting in the top ten on the ''Billboard'' 200, and being certified platinum and gold respectively by the
RIAA The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...
. ''Pork Soda'' featured the band's top ten hit on the ''Billboard'' rock chart, "
My Name Is Mud "My Name Is Mud" is a song by American rock band Primus. It was released in 1993 as the first single from their third studio album ''Pork Soda''. In 2010, Primus released a new version of the track sung entirely in Spanish under the title "Me Ll ...
", while ''Tales from the Punchbowl''s lead single "
Wynona's Big Brown Beaver "Wynona's Big Brown Beaver" is a song by the American rock band Primus. It was released as the first single from their 1995 album ''Tales from the Punchbowl.'' It was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance in 1996. Of the ...
" holds the distinction of being the band's only song to chart anywhere outside of North America. Alexander left the band in 1996 and was replaced by
Bryan "Brain" Mantia Bryan Kei Mantia (born February 4, 1963), known professionally as Brain, is an American rock drummer. He has played with bands such as Primus, Guns N' Roses, Praxis, and Godflesh, and with other performers such as Tom Waits, Serj Tankian, Bill L ...
, with whom Primus recorded two more studio albums – ''
Brown Album ''Brown Album'' is the fifth studio album by American rock band Primus. It was released on July 8, 1997, by Prawn Song and Interscope Records. It was the band's first album with new drummer Brain, who replaced former drummer Tim Alexander. ...
'' (1997) and ''
Antipop ''Antipop'' is the sixth studio album by American rock band Primus. It was released on October 19, 1999, through Prawn Song Records and Interscope Records. Produced by the band, Tom Morello, Stewart Copeland, Tom Waits, Matt Stone, and Fred Durs ...
'' (1999) – as well as the covers EP ''
Rhinoplasty Rhinoplasty (, nose + , to shape), commonly called nose job, medically called nasal reconstruction, is a plastic surgery procedure for altering and reconstructing the human nose, nose. There are two types of plastic surgery used – plastic sur ...
'' (1998) and the original theme song for the TV show ''
South Park ''South Park'' is an American animated sitcom created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone, and developed by Brian Graden for Comedy Central. The series revolves around four boysStan Marsh, Kyle Broflovski, Eric Cartman, and Kenny McCormickand the ...
''. The band went on hiatus in 2000 but resumed activity in 2003, reuniting with Alexander for the EP/DVD ''
Animals Should Not Try to Act Like People ''Animals Should Not Try to Act Like People'' is a career-spanning retrospective DVD plus bonus EP by American band Primus, released on October 7, 2003. The title was inspired by a crayon-made story book written by guitarist Larry LaLonde's son ...
'' and touring sporadically throughout the 2000s before Alexander left a second time in 2010. Lane rejoined the band and appeared on their seventh studio album – and first in twelve years – '' Green Naugahyde'' (2011). Following Lane's departure in 2013, Alexander returned to the band once again and Primus would record two more albums with him – '' Primus & the Chocolate Factory with the Fungi Ensemble'' (2014) and ''
The Desaturating Seven ''The Desaturating Seven'' is the ninth studio album by United States, American rock music, rock group Primus (band), Primus, released on September 29, 2017. It is the band's first album of original material since 2011's ''Green Naugahyde'', and ...
'' (2017) – as well as the EP '' Conspiranoid'' (2022). Alexander announced his third departure from the band in October 2024, and was replaced four months later by John Hoffman. Primus is characterized by its irreverent, quirky approach to music distinguished by Claypool's bass-centric songwriting and eccentric lyrical themes. The band's musical style, which draws influences from
progressive rock Progressive rock (shortened as prog rock or simply prog) is a broad genre of rock music that primarily developed in the United Kingdom through the mid- to late 1960s, peaking in the early-to-mid-1970s. Initially termed " progressive pop", the ...
,
metal A metal () is a material that, when polished or fractured, shows a lustrous appearance, and conducts electrical resistivity and conductivity, electricity and thermal conductivity, heat relatively well. These properties are all associated wit ...
,
funk Funk is a music genre that originated in African-American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African-Americans in the ...
, and
psychedelic music Psychedelic music (sometimes called psychedelia) is a wide range of popular music styles and genres influenced by 1960s psychedelia, a subculture of people who used psychedelic drugs such as Dmt, DMT, Lysergic acid diethylamide, LSD, mescaline, ...
, has been noted as difficult to categorize and is most frequently described by critics as
funk metal Funk metal (also known as thrash-funk or punk-funk) is a subgenre of funk rock and alternative metal that infuses heavy metal music (often thrash metal) with elements of funk and punk rock. Funk metal was part of the alternative metal movement, ...
, a label the band has rejected. In 1993,
Robert Christgau Robert Thomas Christgau ( ; born April 18, 1942) is an American music journalist and essayist. Among the most influential music critics, he began his career in the late 1960s as one of the earliest professional rock critics and later became a ...
remarked: " rimus isquite possibly the strangest top-10 band ever, and good for them."


History


The early years, ''Suck on This'' and ''Frizzle Fry'' (1984–1990)

In 1984, singer and bassist
Les Claypool Leslie Edward Claypool (born September 29, 1963) is an American rock music, rock musician. He is the founder, lead singer, bassist, and primary songwriter of the band Primus (band), Primus. Listed as one of the greatest bassists of all time by ...
and guitarist
Todd Huth Todd Richard Huth (born March 13, 1963) is an American guitarist, best known as an original member of the band Primus, along with bassist/lyricist Les Claypool. Huth and Claypool began playing together, along with a drum machine, in or around ...
began playing together in El Sobrante, California, under the name Primate. The duo were initially accompanied by a
LinnDrum The LinnDrum, often erroneously referred to as the LM-2, is a drum machine manufactured by Linn Electronics between 1982 and 1985. About 5,000 units were sold. Development The LinnDrum was designed by the American engineer Roger Linn. It was ...
drum machine as they had trouble finding a drummer, until Claypool's friend Vince "Perm" Parker returned home from a stint in the army. Claypool, Huth and Parker recorded the band's first
demo tape A demo (shortened from "demonstration") is a song or group of songs typically recorded for limited circulation or for reference use, rather than for general public release. A demo is a way for a musician to approximate their ideas in a fixed for ...
together, financed by Claypool selling his car. Primate then changed their name to Primus after "about a month" when they were contacted by the legal representative of 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 the first demo tape recorded under the name Primus. In the next few years Libby was then replaced by Robbie Bean, who was himself replaced by Tim "Curveball" Wright in 1986. By 1988, Primus had found success in the
Bay Area The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a region of California surrounding and including San Francisco Bay, and anchored by the cities of Oakland, San Francisco, and San Jose. The Association of Bay Area Governments ...
music scene; it was to the point where they were "getting pretty popular ..selling out at
Berkeley Square Berkeley Square is a garden square in the West End of London. It is one of the best known of the many squares in London, located in Mayfair in the City of Westminster. It was laid out in the mid 18th century by the architect William Kent, ...
", when they " otrid of" Wright. He was replaced by
Jay Lane Jay Lane (born December 5, 1964) is an American musician. He is a founding member of Bob Weir's RatDog, with Weir and Rob Wasserman, Wolf Bros, Furthur, Golden Gate Wingmen, Dead & Company and Alphabet Soup. He was the 5th and then later the 8 ...
, drummer with the
Freaky Executives The Freaky Executives were an American 1980s ska funk musical group, based in the Berkeley, California area. They were a winner of a " Bammie" (Bay Area Music Award, later known as the "California Music Award"). The band was founded by singer Pier ...
, who were "getting dicked around by their record company" at the time, as Claypool later described it. This lineup of Claypool, Huth and Lane recorded the demo tape ''Sausage'' (which later gave its name to the band
Sausage A sausage is a type of meat product usually made from ground meat—often pork, beef, or poultry—along with salt, spices and other flavourings. Other ingredients, such as grains or breadcrumbs, may be included as fillers or extenders. ...
), before "something good happened" with the Freaky Executives' record deal and Lane left the group.
Bryan "Brain" Mantia Bryan Kei Mantia (born February 4, 1963), known professionally as Brain, is an American rock drummer. He has played with bands such as Primus, Guns N' Roses, Praxis, and Godflesh, and with other performers such as Tom Waits, Serj Tankian, Bill L ...
briefly joined to play drums during this period after Lane's departure, until a broken foot forced him to leave. Huth soon also left in order to dedicate more time to his family, as he had recently had a son and was expecting another. At this time in 1988, Claypool had been "moonlighting" in his words, playing bass for his former band,
Blind Illusion Blind Illusion is an American progressive thrash metal band from Richmond, California. The band’s original line-up formed in 1978 by lead guitarist and songwriter Mark Biedermann. Since Blind Illusion’s inception the band has had several l ...
, which also featured guitarist Larry "Ler" LaLonde. LaLonde was a former member of the band
Possessed Possessed may refer to: Possession * Possession (disambiguation), having some degree of control over something else ** Spirit possession, whereby gods, demons, animas, or other disincarnate entities may temporarily take control of a human body *** ...
, a student of
Joe Satriani Joseph Satriani (born July 15, 1956)Prato, Greg"Joe Satriani – Music Biography, Credits and Discography". ''AllMusic''. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved May 28, 2014. is an American rock music, rock guitarist, composer, and songwriter. Early in hi ...
, and "one of laypool'sbest friends". This lineup of Blind Illusion recorded the album '' The Sane Asylum'' before Claypool and LaLonde left the band in late 1988 to reform Primus. In January 1989, Claypool and LaLonde were joined by Tim "Herb" Alexander, drummer from the
Arizona Arizona is a U.S. state, state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States, sharing the Four Corners region of the western United States with Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. It also borders Nevada to the nort ...
-based group Major Lingo. A month later, this lineup recorded the band's first album: ''
Suck on This ''Suck on This'' is a live album by the American rock band Primus, released in 1989. At the time of recording, the featured lineup of bassist/vocalist Les Claypool, guitarist Larry LaLonde and drummer Tim Alexander had only been playing togethe ...
'', a live recording culled from two of their Berkeley Square concerts. The initial pressing of 1,000 records was funded by a loan from Claypool's father,Illustrated Discography, ''
Animals Should Not Try to Act Like People ''Animals Should Not Try to Act Like People'' is a career-spanning retrospective DVD plus bonus EP by American band Primus, released on October 7, 2003. The title was inspired by a crayon-made story book written by guitarist Larry LaLonde's son ...
'' DVD, 2003.
and after repaying him, the band used the profits from selling these to fund further pressings, later signing a deal with
Rough Trade Records Rough Trade Records is an independent record label based in London, England. It was formed in 1976 by Geoff Travis, who had opened a record store off Ladbroke Grove. It is currently run by co-managing directors Travis and Jeannette Lee and ...
for nationwide distribution. The band also sent copies of the album to college radio stations across the United States, many of which gave it significant airplay, and it quickly gained traction. In December 1989, Primus recorded their first studio album: ''
Frizzle Fry ''Frizzle Fry'' is the debut studio album by American rock band Primus. It was released on February 7, 1990, by Caroline Records. Produced by the band and Matt Winegar, the album was recorded at Different Fur Studios in San Francisco in Decemb ...
'', which the band self-funded with the profits from sales of ''Suck on This''. In 1990, the band signed a one-album deal with
Caroline Records Caroline Records is a record label that was founded in 1973. Founded in the United Kingdom to showcase British progressive rock groups, the label ceased releasing titles in 1976 and then re-emerged in the United States in 1986. The label rel ...
to release ''Frizzle Fry'' on condition that Caroline also obtained the rights to reissue ''Suck on This''. The band then spent the year touring North America and Europe in support of bands such as
24-7 Spyz 24-7 Spyz (pronounced "twenty-four-seven spies") are an American rock band from the South Bronx, New York, formed in 1986, originally consisting of Jimi Hazel (born Wayne K. Richardson) (guitars), Rick Skatore (born Kenneth D. Lucas) (bass), ...
, the
Pixies Pixies may refer to: * Plural of Pixie * Pixies (band) The Pixies are an American alternative rock band from Boston, Boston, Massachusetts, formed in 1986 by Black Francis (vocals, rhythm guitar, songwriter), Joey Santiago (lead guitar), Kim ...
and
Jane's Addiction Jane's Addiction was an American Rock music, rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1985. The band's best known line-up consisted of lead vocalist Perry Farrell, bassist Eric Avery, drummer Stephen Perkins and guitarist Dave Navarro. Jane's Addicti ...
, and soon attracted attention from a number of major record labels. They signed to
Interscope Records Interscope Records is an American record label based in Santa Monica, California, owned by Universal Music Group through its Interscope Geffen A&M imprint. Founded in late 1990 by Jimmy Iovine and Ted Field as a $20 million joint venture ...
in 1991. It was during these early years that the band developed their iconic catchphrase "Primus sucks". According to Claypool, this began as fans of the band would compliment them, and Claypool would reply "Nah, we suck". The band then started introducing themselves on stage by saying "We're Primus, and we suck", and fans quickly adopted the phrase, shouting "Primus sucks" at the group as a sign of affection. Audiences also began chanting the phrase at the band's concerts, both before the start of the show and as a call for an
encore An encore is an additional performance given by performers at the conclusion of a show or concert, usually in response to extended applause from the audience.Lalange Cochrane, in ''Oxford Companion to Music'', Alison Latham, ed., Oxford Universi ...
. The band embraced it and began printing and selling t-shirts with "Primus sucks" written on them. Claypool, talking about the phrase, said "I think it's the greatest thing ..somebody can come right up to me and say, 'You guys really ''suck''.' And I would just take it as a compliment."


''Sailing the Seas of Cheese'', ''Pork Soda'', and ''Tales from the Punchbowl'' (1991–1996)

Primus's major label debut was the album ''
Sailing the Seas of Cheese ''Sailing the Seas of Cheese'' is the second studio album and major label debut by the American rock band Primus. It was released on May 14, 1991, through Interscope Records. It spawned three singles: "Jerry Was a Race Car Driver", " Tommy the ...
''. The album was supported by the singles "
Jerry Was a Race Car Driver "Jerry Was a Race Car Driver" is a song by American rock band Primus. It was released as the first single from their second album, '' Sailing the Seas of Cheese'', and reached number 23 on the U.S. Alternative Songs chart. The song tells the st ...
" and "
Tommy the Cat "Tommy the Cat" is a song by the American rock band Primus, released on their second album, ''Sailing the Seas of Cheese''. Recording The song contains spoken word portions (as the voice of Tommy the Cat) interspersed with the singing of Les Cl ...
", both of which appeared on
MTV MTV (an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on ...
. A third single, " Those Damned Blue-Collar Tweekers", was also released but did not feature a video. "Tommy the Cat" appeared on the soundtrack of ''
Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey ''Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey'' is a 1991 American science fiction comedy film, and the feature directorial debut of Pete Hewitt. It is the second film in the ''Bill & Ted'' franchise, and a sequel to ''Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure'' (1989) ...
'' and the band made a cameo appearance in the film. Primus made a
Beavis and Butt-Head ''Beavis and Butt-Head'' is an American Adult animation, adult animated Animated sitcom, sitcom created by Mike Judge. The series follows Beavis and Butt-Head, both voiced by Judge, a pair of teenage slackers characterized by their apathy, Stupi ...
tribute song entitled "Poetry and Prose" which appeared on the tie-in album ''
The Beavis and Butt-Head Experience ''The Beavis and Butt-Head Experience'' is a compilation album released in 1993 by Geffen Records and related to the animated television series ''Beavis and Butt-Head''. The name is a reference to Jimi Hendrix's original band, the Jimi Hendrix Exp ...
.'' With a major label behind them, ''Sailing the Seas of Cheese'' went gold. The band then toured in support of Rush, U2,
Anthrax Anthrax is an infection caused by the bacterium '' Bacillus anthracis'' or ''Bacillus cereus'' biovar ''anthracis''. Infection typically occurs by contact with the skin, inhalation, or intestinal absorption. Symptom onset occurs between one ...
,
Public Enemy Public Enemy is an American Hip-hop, hip hop group formed in Roosevelt, New York, in 1985 by Chuck D and Flavor Flav. The group rose to prominence for their political messages including subjects such as Racism in the United States, American r ...
, and
Fishbone Fishbone is an American rock band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1979, the band plays a fusion of ska, punk, funk, metal, reggae, and soul. AllMusic has described the group as "one of the most distinctive and eclectic alternative ...
. After the release of ''Sailing the Seas of Cheese'', in 1992, Primus released a
cover song In popular music, a cover version, cover song, remake, revival, or simply cover is a new performance or recording by a musician other than the original performer or composer of the song. Originally, it referred to a version of a song released ...
EP ''
Miscellaneous Debris ''Miscellaneous Debris'' is an EP of five cover songs by Primus, released on March 12, 1992. The EP is the first release by the band to feature Les Claypool playing his now-famous fretless six-string Carl Thompson bass, nicknamed the "Rainbow ...
'', with their version of
XTC XTC were an English rock band formed in Swindon in 1972. Fronted by songwriters Andy Partridge (vocals, guitars) and Colin Moulding (vocals, bass), the band gained popularity during the rise of punk and new wave in the 1970s, later playing ...
's "Making Plans for Nigel" receiving enough airplay to reach No. 30 on
Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...
's Modern Rock Tracks chart. In 1993, Primus released ''
Pork Soda ''Pork Soda'' is the third studio album by the American rock band Primus. It was released on April 20, 1993, by Interscope Records and Prawn Song Records. The album was certified gold in September 1993 and platinum in May 1997. The 2005 re-is ...
'', which managed to debut at No. 7 on the ''Billboard'' 200. The album was darker than previous Primus efforts, dealing with murder, suicide, and alienation. The band has commented that prior to recording, they had been touring for nearly two solid years and were thus in a sombre mood. "
My Name Is Mud "My Name Is Mud" is a song by American rock band Primus. It was released in 1993 as the first single from their third studio album ''Pork Soda''. In 2010, Primus released a new version of the track sung entirely in Spanish under the title "Me Ll ...
" was the first single, reaching No. 9 on the U.S.
Alternative Songs Alternative Airplay (formerly known as Modern Rock Tracks between 1988 and 2009, and Alternative Songs between 2009 and 2020) is a music chart published in the American magazine ''Billboard'' since September 10, 1988. It ranks the 40 most-play ...
chart. " DMV" and " Mr. Krinkle" followed, the latter made into a video featuring Claypool in a pig suit and tuxedo playing upright bass in an abandoned warehouse as a carnival of oddities parades behind him, including Claypool's wife and her twin sister. Claypool said he put his "heart and soul" into the video, but it received next to no airtime on MTV. In an interview with ''
Guitar World ''Guitar World'' is a monthly music magazine for guitarists and fans of guitar-based music and trends. The magazine has been published since July 1980. ''Guitar World'', the best-selling guitar magazine in the United States, contains original a ...
'' magazine, Claypool disparaged the channel's unwillingness to air the video, saying "it got played like six times." ''Pork Soda'' was recorded at the band's rehearsal space in San Rafael. The band would subsequently record all of their albums at Claypool's home studio called Rancho Relaxo (a
Simpsons ''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening and developed by Groening, James L. Brooks and Sam Simon for the Fox Broadcasting Company. It is a satirical depiction of American life, epitomized by the Simpson ...
TV show reference). In 1993, Primus headlined the
alternative rock Alternative rock (also known as alternative music, alt-rock or simply alternative) is a category of rock music that evolved from the independent music underground of the 1970s. Alternative rock acts achieved mainstream success in the 1990s w ...
festival
Lollapalooza Lollapalooza () is an annual American four-day music festival held in Grant Park (Chicago), Grant Park in Chicago. It originally started as a touring event in 1991, with Chicago becoming its permanent location beginning in 2005. Music genres i ...
. They also made an appearance at the
Woodstock '94 Woodstock '94 was an American music festival held in 1994 to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the original Woodstock festival of 1969. It was promoted as "2 More Days of Peace and Music". The poster used to promote the first concert was r ...
Music Festival. They were pelted with mud while they performed "My Name Is Mud". About a minute into the song the band stopped playing, and Claypool said, "Well I opened a big-ass can of worms with that one, didn't I? The song is called 'My Name Is Mud', but keep the mud to yourselves you son-of-a-bitch." During a lull in 1994, the early Primus lineup of Claypool, Huth, and Lane reunited to record ''
Riddles Are Abound Tonight Sausage was a short-lived alternative rock, alternative/funk rock band featuring a reunion of the 1988 lineup of the San Francisco Bay Area band Primus (band), Primus. They released the album ''Riddles Are Abound Tonight'' in April 1994 through th ...
'' under the band name
Sausage A sausage is a type of meat product usually made from ground meat—often pork, beef, or poultry—along with salt, spices and other flavourings. Other ingredients, such as grains or breadcrumbs, may be included as fillers or extenders. ...
, named after the demo they had recorded together in 1988. Among the songs they recorded is an early version of "The Toys Go Winding Down", retitled "Toyz 1988". The video for the title track "Riddles Are Abound Tonight" featured the band in blue leotards performing on stationary bicycles. In 1995, Primus released their fourth album, ''
Tales from the Punchbowl ''Tales from the Punchbowl'' is the fourth studio album by the American rock band Primus, released on June 6, 1995. It was the band's last album with Tim Alexander before he rejoined Primus seven years later, and again in September 2013. It was ...
''. It contained Primus's most successful single to date, which is the Grammy-nominated "
Wynona's Big Brown Beaver "Wynona's Big Brown Beaver" is a song by the American rock band Primus. It was released as the first single from their 1995 album ''Tales from the Punchbowl.'' It was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance in 1996. Of the ...
". The song was accompanied by a video with the band members dressed up in cartoonish plastic cowboy costumes (similar to the suits worn in the then-current Duracell battery commercials). The band was invited to perform on the
Late Show with David Letterman ''Late Show with David Letterman'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by David Letterman on CBS, the first iteration of the ''Late Show'' franchise. The show debuted on August 30, 1993, and was produced by Letterman's production com ...
and
Late Night with Conan O'Brien ''Late Night with Conan O'Brien'' is an American television talk show broadcast by NBC. The show is the second installment of the ''Late Night (franchise), Late Night'' franchise originally established by David Letterman. Hosted by Conan O'Brie ...
. On the David Letterman show, Primus appeared dressed in penguin tuxedos, in reference to one of the band's earlier photo shoots; one of the show's producers voiced her disapproval about the outfits, and while the band was allowed to play, they were given the cold shoulder by the show crew and Claypool later called it one of the worst nights of his career. Two other less successful singles, " Mrs. Blaileen" and " Southbound Pachyderm" (the latter of which featured a claymation video that received only minimal airplay on MTV) were also released. In 1996, Claypool self-produced his first solo album entitled ''Les Claypool and the Holy Mackerel Presents
Highball with the Devil ''Highball with the Devil'' is a studio album by Les Claypool and the Holy Mackerel, released in 1996. "Les Claypool and the Holy Mackerel" is Claypool's first solo effort. In addition to his usual bass guitar and vocals, he also plays most ...
''. On this album many of the songs are done solely by Claypool himself. Claypool also employs the help of a number of other musicians. Experimental Bay Area guitarist
M.I.R.V. M.I.R.V. was a band based in the San Francisco, California, Bay Area. The band was founded in 1993. Its musical style includes elements of hard rock, heavy metal, funk, country, opera, experimental, electronica, and polka. History Founded in ...
joined Claypool and others. Performances include a spoken word piece from
Henry Rollins Henry Lawrence Garfield (born February 13, 1961), known professionally as Henry Rollins, is an American singer, writer, spoken word artist, actor, comedian, and presenter. After performing in the short-lived hardcore punk band State of Alert in 1 ...
on the song "Delicate Tendrils". This album was recorded at Rancho Relaxo.


Tim Alexander's departure, ''Brown Album'', ''Antipop'', and hiatus (1996–2002)

Alexander left the band and was replaced by
Bryan "Brain" Mantia Bryan Kei Mantia (born February 4, 1963), known professionally as Brain, is an American rock drummer. He has played with bands such as Primus, Guns N' Roses, Praxis, and Godflesh, and with other performers such as Tom Waits, Serj Tankian, Bill L ...
of Limbomaniacs and
Praxis Praxis may refer to: Philosophy and religion *Praxis (process), the process by which a theory, lesson, or skill is enacted, practised, embodied, or realised * Praxis model, a way of doing theology * Praxis (Byzantine Rite), the practice of fai ...
. Claypool stated "Herb's departure was like a marriage that just slowly decayed to an end." With Mantia aboard, Primus were asked in 1996 to compose the theme song to ''
South Park ''South Park'' is an American animated sitcom created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone, and developed by Brian Graden for Comedy Central. The series revolves around four boysStan Marsh, Kyle Broflovski, Eric Cartman, and Kenny McCormickand the ...
''. Primus also later contributed to the ''
Chef Aid "Chef Aid" is the fourteenth episode of the second season of the American animated television series ''South Park''. The 27th episode of the series overall, it originally aired on Comedy Central in the United States on October 7, 1998. The epi ...
'' album with the song "Mephisto and Kevin". ''
Brown Album ''Brown Album'' is the fifth studio album by American rock band Primus. It was released on July 8, 1997, by Prawn Song and Interscope Records. It was the band's first album with new drummer Brain, who replaced former drummer Tim Alexander. ...
'' was released in 1997 and supported by the singles " Shake Hands with Beef" and "Over the Falls". In 1998, the band headlined the inaugural Sno-Core tour with
the Aquabats The Aquabats are an American Rock music, rock band formed in Huntington Beach, California, in 1994. Throughout many fluctuations in the group's line-up, singer Christian Jacobs, the MC Bat Commander and bassist Chad Larson, Crash McLarson have ...
,
Long Beach Dub Allstars The Long Beach Dub Allstars are an American dub/ ska/reggae rock band formed in 1997 and disbanded in 2002, but reformed 10 years later. History Initial career (1997–2001) Eric Wilson and Bud Gaugh met in childhood (in 1979) and later star ...
and
Blink-182 Blink-182 is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Poway, California, in 1992. Its current and best-known line-up consists of bassist and vocalist Mark Hoppus, guitarist and vocalist Tom DeLonge, and drummer Travis Barker. Though its so ...
. In late 1998, Primus released the ''
Rhinoplasty Rhinoplasty (, nose + , to shape), commonly called nose job, medically called nasal reconstruction, is a plastic surgery procedure for altering and reconstructing the human nose, nose. There are two types of plastic surgery used – plastic sur ...
'' EP, which has covers of acts like
XTC XTC were an English rock band formed in Swindon in 1972. Fronted by songwriters Andy Partridge (vocals, guitars) and Colin Moulding (vocals, bass), the band gained popularity during the rise of punk and new wave in the 1970s, later playing ...
,
the Police The Police were an English rock band formed in London in 1977. Within a few months of their first gig, the line-up settled as Sting (lead vocals, bass guitar, primary songwriter), Andy Summers (guitar) and Stewart Copeland (drums, percussi ...
and
Peter Gabriel Peter Brian Gabriel (born 13 February 1950) is an English singer, songwriter, musician, and human rights activist. He came to prominence as the original frontman of the rock band Genesis. He left the band in 1975 and launched a solo career wit ...
. The EP also includes two live recordings of Primus, as well as bonus content accessed through a
CD-ROM A CD-ROM (, compact disc read-only memory) is a type of read-only memory consisting of a pre-pressed optical compact disc that contains computer data storage, data computers can read, but not write or erase. Some CDs, called enhanced CDs, hold b ...
portion of the CD. It was shortly followed by the video release '' Videoplasty''. ''
Antipop ''Antipop'' is the sixth studio album by American rock band Primus. It was released on October 19, 1999, through Prawn Song Records and Interscope Records. Produced by the band, Tom Morello, Stewart Copeland, Tom Waits, Matt Stone, and Fred Durs ...
'' was released in 1999, and featured production and guest appearances from
James Hetfield James Alan Hetfield (born August 3, 1963) is an American musician. He is the lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist, co-founder, and a primary songwriter of heavy metal band Metallica. He is mainly known for his raspy voice and intricate rhythm playi ...
of
Metallica Metallica is an American heavy metal band. It was formed in Los Angeles in 1981 by vocalist and guitarist James Hetfield and drummer Lars Ulrich, and has been based in San Francisco for most of its career. The band's fast tempos, instrume ...
,
Tom Morello Thomas Baptist Morello (born May 30, 1964) is an American guitarist, singer, songwriter, and political activist. He is known for his tenure with the rock bands Rage Against the Machine and Audioslave. Between 2016 and 2019, Morello was a membe ...
of
Rage Against the Machine Rage Against the Machine (often abbreviated as RATM or shortened to Rage) was an American Rock music, rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1991. It consisted of vocalist Zack de la Rocha, bassist and backing vocalist Tim ...
,
Matt Stone Matthew Richard Stone (born May 26, 1971) is an American actor, animator, writer, producer, and musician. He is best known for co-creating ''South Park'' (since 1997) and ''The Book of Mormon (musical), The Book of Mormon'' (2011) with his cre ...
, one of the creators of ''South Park'',
Stewart Copeland Stewart Armstrong Copeland (born July 16, 1952) is an American musician and composer. He is best known for his work as the drummer of the British rock band the Police from 1977 to 1986, and again from 2007 to 2008. Before playing with the Polic ...
of The Police, Jim Martin of
Faith No More Faith No More is an American Rock music, rock band from San Francisco, California, formed in 1979. Before September 1983, the band performed under the names Sharp Young Men and later Faith No Man. Bassist Billy Gould, keyboardist/rhythm guitarist ...
, and
Fred Durst William Frederick Durst (born Frederick Allen Mayne III; August 20, 1970) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, actor, and director. He is the frontman and lyricist of the nu metal band Limp Bizkit, formed in 1994, with whom he has release ...
of
Limp Bizkit Limp Bizkit is an American nu metal band from Jacksonville, Florida. Its lineup consists of lead vocalist Fred Durst, drummer John Otto (drummer), John Otto, guitarist Wes Borland, turntablist DJ Lethal and bassist Sam Rivers (bassist), Sam ...
. While producing the song " Lacquer Head", Durst encouraged Primus to return to the more aggressive sound of their earlier albums for ''Antipop''. Some critics compared the album's murky downtuned guitars to
nu metal Nu metal (sometimes stylized as nü-metal, with a metal umlaut) is a subgenre of that combines elements of heavy metal music with elements of other music genres such as hip hop music, hip hop, funk, industrial music, industrial, and grunge. Nu ...
, which was popular during the time. The band toured in support of ''Antipop'' at
Ozzfest Ozzfest was an annual music festival tour of the United States and sometimes Europe and later Japan, featuring performances by many heavy metal music, heavy metal and hard rock musical groups. It was founded by Sharon Osbourne and her husband O ...
and on the
Family Values Tour The Family Values Tour was an annual rock and hip hop tour held by the American nu metal band Korn since 1998. The first tour took place in 1998 and the second tour in 1999, but the tour took a hiatus in 2000 due to heavy competition from the An ...
. The band released a music video for the album's only single, "Lacquer Head", which was banned from MTV because of references to and depictions of drug use, despite the song's anti-drug message. Tensions among the band rose considerably during this period, Claypool stated "there was some doubt at the label as to whether we knew what the hell we were doing anymore." In 2000, Primus performed a cover of
Black Sabbath Black Sabbath are an English rock band formed in Birmingham in 1968 by guitarist Tony Iommi, drummer Bill Ward (musician), Bill Ward, bassist Geezer Butler, and vocalist Ozzy Osbourne. After adopting the Black Sabbath name in 1969 (the band ...
s song "
N.I.B. "N.I.B." is a song released by English heavy metal band Black Sabbath. It first appeared as the fourth track on the band's self-titled debut album. The lyrics are in the first person from the point of view of Lucifer. Bassist Geezer Butler, w ...
" featuring vocals by
Ozzy Osbourne John Michael "Ozzy" Osbourne (born 3 December 1948) is an English singer, songwriter, and media personality. He rose to prominence during the 1970s as the lead singer of the heavy metal music, heavy metal band Black Sabbath, during which per ...
. The track originally appeared on the album '' Nativity in Black II: A Tribute to Black Sabbath''. The track was also released as part of Osbourne's 2005 ''Prince of Darkness'' box set. The band went on hiatus from 2000 to 2003, with Claypool later stating: During this hiatus, Alexander released two albums with the band Laundry and performed with
Blue Man Group Blue Man Group is an American performance art company formed in New York City in 1987. It is known for its stage productions that incorporate many kinds of music and art, both popular and obscure. Its performers, known as Blue Men, have their ...
,
A Perfect Circle A Perfect Circle is an American Rock music, rock Supergroup (music), supergroup formed in Los Angeles, California in 1999 by guitarist Billy Howerdel and Tool (band), Tool vocalist Maynard James Keenan. A Perfect Circle released three of their ...
, and Born Naked, among others. Claypool explored the jam band scene with
Oysterhead Oysterhead is an American rock supergroup featuring bassist Les Claypool of Primus, guitarist Trey Anastasio of Phish and drummer Stewart Copeland of The Police, with both Claypool and Anastasio providing vocals. The band's eclectic sound has ...
(featuring friend
Trey Anastasio Ernest Joseph "Trey" Anastasio III (born September 30, 1964) is an American guitarist, composer, and singer-songwriter best known as the lead guitarist of the rock band Phish, which he co-founded in 1983. He is credited by name as composer of 152 ...
of
Phish Phish is an American rock band formed in Burlington, Vermont, in 1983. The band consists of guitarist Trey Anastasio, bassist Mike Gordon, drummer Jon Fishman, and keyboardist Page McConnell, all of whom perform vocals, with Anastasio being the ...
and
Stewart Copeland Stewart Armstrong Copeland (born July 16, 1952) is an American musician and composer. He is best known for his work as the drummer of the British rock band the Police from 1977 to 1986, and again from 2007 to 2008. Before playing with the Polic ...
of
the Police The Police were an English rock band formed in London in 1977. Within a few months of their first gig, the line-up settled as Sting (lead vocals, bass guitar, primary songwriter), Andy Summers (guitar) and Stewart Copeland (drums, percussi ...
) and his own
Colonel Les Claypool's Fearless Flying Frog Brigade Colonel Les Claypool's Fearless Flying Frog Brigade (also known as The Les Claypool Frog Brigade) is a musical project with rotating personnel, led by American singer/bassist Les Claypool. The Frog Brigade was formed during a hiatus from Claypool ...
(featuring both Huth and Lane). He also collaborated with Brain,
Buckethead Brian Patrick Carroll (born May 13, 1969), known professionally as Buckethead, is an American guitarist. He has received critical acclaim for his innovative and virtuosic electric guitar playing. Buckethead's extensive solo discography currentl ...
and
Bernie Worrell George Bernard Worrell, Jr. (April 19, 1944 – June 24, 2016) was an American Keyboard instrument, keyboardist and record producer best known as a founding member of the Parliament-Funkadelic collective. In later years, he also worked with ...
in the group
Colonel Claypool's Bucket of Bernie Brains Colonel Claypool's Bucket of Bernie Brains (C2B3) was an experimental rock supergroup featuring bassist Les Claypool, guitarist Buckethead, keyboardist Bernie Worrell and drummer Brain. History Les Claypool, bassist of many bands, including ...
.


Reunion of "classic" lineup (2003–2009)

In late 2003, Primus reunited with Alexander on drums to record a five track EP. Released alongside a DVD containing the band's music videos and clips from live performances, the resulting package was titled ''
Animals Should Not Try to Act Like People ''Animals Should Not Try to Act Like People'' is a career-spanning retrospective DVD plus bonus EP by American band Primus, released on October 7, 2003. The title was inspired by a crayon-made story book written by guitarist Larry LaLonde's son ...
''. The band staged a two-month tour performing two sets per show, the second consisting of their 1991 release ''
Sailing the Seas of Cheese ''Sailing the Seas of Cheese'' is the second studio album and major label debut by the American rock band Primus. It was released on May 14, 1991, through Interscope Records. It spawned three singles: "Jerry Was a Race Car Driver", " Tommy the ...
'' in its entirety. 2004 saw them continue touring, this time performing their 1990 release ''Frizzle Fry'' in its entirety. For these two tours, the band sold recordings directly recorded from the sound-board online. The performance in Chicago was videotaped and released as a DVD titled '' Hallucino-Genetics: Live 2004''. They also performed a set at Bonnaroo in 2004, a late night set featuring a cover of "YYZ" by Rush and a guest appearance by
Adrian Belew Robert Steven "Adrian" Belew (born December 23, 1949) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer. A multi-instrumentalist primarily known as a guitarist and singer, he is noted for his unusual approach to the instrument, his ...
on "Thela Hun Ginjeet" a King Crimson cover. In 2005, the band performed at
Lollapalooza Lollapalooza () is an annual American four-day music festival held in Grant Park (Chicago), Grant Park in Chicago. It originally started as a touring event in 1991, with Chicago becoming its permanent location beginning in 2005. Music genres i ...
and
Vegoose Vegoose was an annual Halloween music and arts festival that took place in 2005, 2006, and 2007 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Unlike the Bonnaroo Music Festival — put on by the same organizers, Superfly Productions and AC Entertainment — Vegoose d ...
. Between Primus shows, Claypool created a new solo project called
Les Claypool's Fancy Band Les Claypool's Fancy Band was a lineup of musicians on tour with Les Claypool from 2005 to 2007. The band consisted of Claypool on bass, Skerik on tenor and baritone saxophone, Mike Dillon on vibraphone, marimba, tabla, cuíca and percussion, ...
which, like other projects, occasionally used Primus songs. A May 10, 2006 article on
IGN ''IGN'' is an American video gaming and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa district and is headed by its former e ...
revealed that Primus had signed on with
RedOctane RedOctane, Inc. was an American electronic entertainment company best known for producing the Guitar Hero, ''Guitar Hero'' series, beginning in November 2005. RedOctane became a wholly owned subsidiary of Activision in 2006. In February 2010, Act ...
to allow the
master recording Master recordings, or simply masters, are the original recordings—including post-recording mixes and production edits—of audio performances, from which all analog and digital copies of the audio are derived from. The term refers only to the r ...
of "
John the Fisherman "John the Fisherman" is the debut single by American rock band Primus. It was first released on December 30, 1989 on the live album ''Suck on This'', then re-released several months later on May 17, 1990, this time on their debut studio album ''Fr ...
" to be used in
Guitar Hero II ''Guitar Hero II'' is a 2006 rhythm game developed by Harmonix and published by RedOctane for the PlayStation 2 and Activision for the Xbox 360. It is the sequel to ''Guitar Hero (video game), Guitar Hero'' (2005) and the second installment in t ...
, a game for the
PlayStation 2 The PlayStation 2 (PS2) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Sony Interactive Entertainment, Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on 4 March 2000, in North America on 26 October, in Europe on 24 Novembe ...
and . Primus performed on July 29, 2006, at the first annual Hedgpeth Festival in Twin Lakes, Wisconsin. On October 17, 2006, Primus released both their first greatest hits CD '' They Can't All Be Zingers'', as well as their third DVD ''Blame It on the Fish: an Abstract Look at the 2003 Primus Tour de Fromage''. Containing live footage from the band's 2003 Tour de Fromage, interview segments and behind the scenes footage, the DVD includes a 70-minute feature film and 90 minutes of bonus material, including a 30-minute
mockumentary A mockumentary (a portmanteau of ''mock'' and ''documentary'') is a type of film or television show depicting fictional events, but presented as a Documentary film, documentary. Mockumentaries are often used to analyze or comment on current event ...
about the band in the year 2065. ''Blame it on the Fish'' was directed by Matthew J. Powers. ''They Can't All Be Zingers: The Best of Primus'' includes 16 digitally remastered songs that span the band's career. In November 2006, Primus commenced another tour which concluded the following month. They played at a few festivals in 2008, including the
Rothbury Festival Electric Forest is a multi-genre music festival produced by Madison House Presents and Insomniac Events, with a focus on electronic music and jam band genres. Originally named Rothbury Festival in 2008, it is held in Rothbury, Michigan at th ...
(in Michigan), the Ottawa Blues Fest, the
Quebec City Summer Festival Quebec is Canada's largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, New Brunswick to the southeast and a coastal border ...
, and the Outside Lands Festival (in San Francisco). On November 24, 2009, Prawn Song re-released the band's first studio album, ''Frizzle Fry'', on
vinyl record A phonograph record (also known as a gramophone record, especially in British English) or a vinyl record (for later varieties only) is an analog signal, analog sound Recording medium, storage medium in the form of a flat disc with an inscribed, ...
, along with some of Claypool's solo albums.


Alexander departs again and ''Green Naugahyde'' (2010–2013)

By early 2010, Tim "Herb" Alexander had left Primus for the second time. It was later revealed that Alexander lacked interest in continuing the band, despite enthusiasm from LaLonde and Claypool. Claypool hinted that they could have recorded with Alexander, but that "when we did readdress Primus in '03 and '06, it was more of a nostalgic thing. It was great at the time, but it just didn't have that creative spark as far as moving forward", and thus the reformation instead focused on touring. On March 18, 2010, it was announced by
Phil Lesh Philip Chapman Lesh (March 15, 1940 – October 25, 2024) was an American musician and a founding member of the Grateful Dead, with whom he developed a unique style of improvised six-string bass guitar. He was their bassist throughout their 30 ...
on his official message board that former Primus drummer Lane would be leaving his previous band Furthur to rejoin Primus. On May 3, 2010, Primus announced a new tour with
Gogol Bordello Gogol Bordello is an American punk rock band from the Lower East Side of Manhattan, formed in 1999 by musicians from all over the world and known for theatrical stage shows and persistent touring. Much of the band's sound is inspired by Roma ...
,
Wolfmother Wolfmother is an Australian hard rock band from Sydney. Formed in 2004, the group is centred around vocalist and guitarist Andrew Stockdale, who is the only constant member of the line-up. The band has been through many personnel changes since t ...
, and the Dead Kenny G's. The press release for the tour revealed that the band were looking to "refine their chops before heading into the studio to record their first album of brand new music since 1999's ''Antipop''." Correlating with this announcement, the Primus website was updated with an animation of an elevator with its twelfth floor featuring a stylized question mark, and a sign reading "Primus will be with you shortly", alluding to future plans. In 2011, Claypool elaborated on the band's decision to record an album, stating that "(Lane) coming back has just breathed life back into the project. We did some touring, and we decided, "Let's go make a record," because we were creating things on the road." On August 5, 2010, Primus released '' June 2010 Rehearsal'', a free four-track rehearsal EP available for download on their official website. The EP consists of new recordings of previously released Primus songs featuring Lane on drums. Primus began their second annual Oddity Faire tour on September 14, 2010, with opening acts
Portugal. The Man Portugal. The Man is an Alaskan rock band from Wasilla, Alaska and based in Portland, Oregon. The group consists of John Baldwin Gourley, Zach Carothers, Kyle O'Quin, Eric Howk and Zoe Manville. Gourley and Carothers met and began playing music t ...
,
Split Lip Rayfield Split Lip Rayfield is an American vocal and acoustic instrumental group from Wichita, Kansas, United States. Though they are sometimes classified as a bluegrass, alternative country, or cowpunk band, their music draws on a wide array of influe ...
,
Mariachi El Bronx Mariachi (, , ) is a genre of regional Mexican music dating back to at least the 18th century, evolving over time in the countryside of various regions of western Mexico. The usual mariachi group today consists of as many as eight violins, two ...
,
the New Orleans Bingo! Show The New Orleans Bingo! Show is an interactive theatrical cabaret and musical band from New Orleans, Louisiana.Mucca Pazza Mucca Pazza is an interdisciplinary instrumental music and performance ensemble based in Chicago, USA. Mucca Pazza consists of approximately thirty active members and performs instrumental music; their mode of performance is informed by physi ...
and
Gogol Bordello Gogol Bordello is an American punk rock band from the Lower East Side of Manhattan, formed in 1999 by musicians from all over the world and known for theatrical stage shows and persistent touring. Much of the band's sound is inspired by Roma ...
. The Squidling Brothers Circus Sideshow performers also entertained the crowd between bands on select dates. To promote this tour, Primus appeared on ''
Jimmy Kimmel Live! ''Jimmy Kimmel Live!'', sometimes shortened to ''JKL'', is an American late-night talk show, created and hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, and broadcast on ABC. The nightly hour-long show tapes and is based out of the Hollywood Masonic Temple in Hollywo ...
'' in September. The Oddity Faire tour did not include dates in Primus's hometown, the San Francisco Bay Area, because for promotional purposes it was too near to the planned New Year's dates December 30 and 31 in Oakland. Their song "
Jerry Was a Race Car Driver "Jerry Was a Race Car Driver" is a song by American rock band Primus. It was released as the first single from their second album, '' Sailing the Seas of Cheese'', and reached number 23 on the U.S. Alternative Songs chart. The song tells the st ...
" is included in the video game ''
Rock Band 3 ''Rock Band 3'' is a 2010 rhythm game developed by Harmonix. The game was initially published and distributed by MTV Games and Electronic Arts, respectively, on October 26, 2010. Mad Catz took over both roles and re-released the title on Novembe ...
'', which was released on October 26, 2010. In interviews conducted backstage at the Soundwave Festival in March 2011, Claypool said of the new Primus album "we've recorded it, we just need to polish it", and that the release date "should be around May or so". He also described the new material as being "very reminiscent of ''Frizzle Fry''". In May, it was revealed that the album was complete and had been named '' Green Naugahyde'', though the release date was pushed back to July to avoid the holidays. On June 6, a press release was issued announcing that the album would be released by
ATO Records ATO Records (or According to Our Records) is an American independent record label based in New York City. The label was established in 2000 by Dave Matthews and manager Coran Capshaw. ATO's roster includes My Morning Jacket, Brittany Howard, ...
and
Prawn Song Prawn Song Records is an independent record label owned by Les Claypool of Primus. The name and logo are a parody of Led Zeppelin's label Swan Song Records. Prawn Song is based in San Francisco, California, and distribution is handled by The Or ...
on September 13, 2011. A second press release was later issued announcing that the album would be released in Europe on September 12. On August 17, the track " Tragedy's a' Comin'" was made available to stream via the ''
Spin Spin or spinning most often refers to: * Spin (physics) or particle spin, a fundamental property of elementary particles * Spin quantum number, a number which defines the value of a particle's spin * Spinning (textiles), the creation of yarn or thr ...
'' magazine website, followed by "HOINFODAMAN" on September 1 via the ''
Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...
'' site. On September 8, the TV show ''
South Park ''South Park'' is an American animated sitcom created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone, and developed by Brian Graden for Comedy Central. The series revolves around four boysStan Marsh, Kyle Broflovski, Eric Cartman, and Kenny McCormickand the ...
'' made the entire album available for streaming to anybody who " likes" their
Facebook Facebook is a social media and social networking service owned by the American technology conglomerate Meta Platforms, Meta. Created in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with four other Harvard College students and roommates, Eduardo Saverin, Andre ...
page, including " Those Damned Blue-Collar Tweekers" as a bonus track. Primus continued to tour throughout 2011, playing a number of dates in North America in May and June, including the
Bonnaroo Music Festival Bonnaroo (or Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival) is an American annual four-day music festival developed and founded by Superfly Presents and AC Entertainment. Bonnaroo has taken place at what is now Great Stage Park, a 700-acre (280 ha) fa ...
, followed by a tour of Europe from late June to mid July. They then returned to the U.S.A. to play a few more music festivals leading into early August, including a show at the
Red Rocks Amphitheatre Red Rocks Amphitheatre (also known colloquially as simply Red Rocks) is an open-air amphitheater in the Western United States, western United States near Morrison, Colorado, approximately southwest of Denver. It is owned and operated by the c ...
in
Denver, Colorado Denver ( ) is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Consolidated city and county, consolidated city and county, the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Colorado, most populous city of the U.S. state of ...
with
the Flaming Lips The Flaming Lips are an American psychedelic rock band formed in 1983 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The band currently consists of Wayne Coyne (vocals, guitars, bass, keyboards), Steven Drozd (guitars, bass, keyboards, drums, vocals), Derek Brown ...
, before embarking on a "major fall tour" in support of the new album. In the fall of 2012, the band went on tour with the "first ever" 3D-enhanced live musical performance. Each show featured Quad Surround Sound and 3D visuals. During March 2013, the band played for the very first time in Mexico City.


Classic lineup reunites again, ''The Chocolate Factory'' and ''The Desaturating Seven'' (2013–2019)

In September 2013, Claypool revealed that Lane had departed Primus to focus on
RatDog RatDog is an American rock band. The group began in 1995 as a side project for Grateful Dead guitarist and singer Bob Weir. After the Dead disbanded later that year, RatDog became Weir's primary band. They performed some Grateful Dead songs, a mi ...
with
Bob Weir Robert Hall Weir ( ; né Parber, born October 16, 1947) is an American musician and songwriter best known as a founding member of the Grateful Dead. After the group disbanded in 1995, Weir performed with the Other Ones, later known as the Dead ...
. Previous drummer Alexander rejoined the band in his place. Claypool also revealed that the band were "talking about going into the studio in November. But it's all a little premature – we'll see what happens". In December, Alexander revealed that the band had been "in Les's studio working on stuff for the new year's show but I don't know if there are any plans for releasing that." When asked about performing new material during the 2014 Australia tour, he said "looking at he band's touring schedule it doesn't look like there's going to be any time to write anything new." The first official Primus show with Alexander back on drums was New Year's Eve 2013 at the Fox Theater in Oakland. The band performed their first set in front of the iconic ''Suck On This'' backdrop seen in the "
Too Many Puppies "Too Many Puppies" is a song by the American rock band Primus, released as the second single from their debut studio album ''Frizzle Fry'' (1990). It was the first Primus song bassist and lead singer Les Claypool ever composed. A reworked version ...
" music video. For their second set, Primus were joined by "the Frog Brigade Ensemble", consisting of saxophonist
Skerik Skerik (born November 19, 1964) is an American saxophonist from Seattle, Washington. Performing on the tenor and baritone saxophone, often with electronics and loops, he is a pioneer in a playing style that has been called saxophonics. He is a f ...
and percussionist Mike Dillon, as they performed the soundtrack from the 1971 film ''
Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory ''Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory'' is a 1971 American musical film, musical fantasy film directed by Mel Stuart from a screenplay by Roald Dahl, based on his 1964 novel ''Charlie and the Chocolate Factory''. It stars Gene Wilder as chocol ...
'' in its entirety. The band later announced that a studio recording of the soundtrack, titled '' Primus & the Chocolate Factory with the Fungi Ensemble'', would be released on October 21, 2014. On September 16, 2014, a biography of the band was released via
Akashic Books Akashic Books is a Brooklyn-based independent publisher, formed in 1997. It was started by Johnny Temple (bassist), Johnny Temple, bassist of Girls Against Boys and mid-'80s Dischord band Soulside, with the mission "to make literature more part ...
titled ''Primus, Over the Electric Grapevine: Insight into Primus and the World of Les Claypool'', written by music journalist and author Greg Prato in affiliation with Primus. The book chronicles the band's career alongside Claypool's other projects and features interviews with band members past and present, as well as
Geddy Lee Geddy Lee Weinrib (; born Gary Lee Weinrib, July 29, 1953) is a Canadian musician, best known as the lead vocalist, bassist, and keyboardist for the Rock music, rock band Rush (band), Rush. Lee joined the band in September 1968 at the request o ...
,
Tom Waits Thomas Alan Waits (born December 7, 1949) is an American musician, composer, songwriter, and actor. His lyrics often focus on society's underworld and are delivered in his trademark deep, gravelly voice. He began in the American folk music, fo ...
,
Tom Morello Thomas Baptist Morello (born May 30, 1964) is an American guitarist, singer, songwriter, and political activist. He is known for his tenure with the rock bands Rage Against the Machine and Audioslave. Between 2016 and 2019, Morello was a membe ...
,
Kirk Hammett Kirk Lee Hammett (born November 18, 1962) is an American musician who has been the lead guitarist of heavy metal band Metallica since 1983. Prior to joining Metallica, he co-formed the thrash metal band Exodus in 1979. In 2023, Hammett, along ...
,
Stewart Copeland Stewart Armstrong Copeland (born July 16, 1952) is an American musician and composer. He is best known for his work as the drummer of the British rock band the Police from 1977 to 1986, and again from 2007 to 2008. Before playing with the Polic ...
,
Trey Anastasio Ernest Joseph "Trey" Anastasio III (born September 30, 1964) is an American guitarist, composer, and singer-songwriter best known as the lead guitarist of the rock band Phish, which he co-founded in 1983. He is credited by name as composer of 152 ...
, and
Matt Stone Matthew Richard Stone (born May 26, 1971) is an American actor, animator, writer, producer, and musician. He is best known for co-creating ''South Park'' (since 1997) and ''The Book of Mormon (musical), The Book of Mormon'' (2011) with his cre ...
, among others. In late October 2015, the band released the first music video from their ''Primus & the Chocolate Factory with the Fungi Ensemble'' album, for the track "Candyman". In mid-October 2016, the band performed at the fifth annual Desert Daze music festival in Joshua Tree, California. On July 31, 2017, Primus announced their ninth studio album ''
The Desaturating Seven ''The Desaturating Seven'' is the ninth studio album by United States, American rock music, rock group Primus (band), Primus, released on September 29, 2017. It is the band's first album of original material since 2011's ''Green Naugahyde'', and ...
'' and a US tour. On that same day, the album's first single "The Seven" was also released. The album is inspired by the children's book ''The Rainbow Goblins'', written by Italian author Ul de Rico, which lead singer and bassist Claypool used to read to his children. It was released on September 29, 2017. During their co-headlining tour with
Mastodon A mastodon, from Ancient Greek μαστός (''mastós''), meaning "breast", and ὀδούς (''odoús'') "tooth", is a member of the genus ''Mammut'' (German for 'mammoth'), which was endemic to North America and lived from the late Miocene to ...
in 2018, the band played the album in its entirety. Primus – alongside Ministry and Philip H. Anselmo & The Illegals – also opened for
Slayer Slayer is an American thrash metal band from Huntington Park, California, formed in 1981 by guitarists Jeff Hanneman and Kerry King, drummer Dave Lombardo and bassist/vocalist Tom Araya. Slayer's fast and aggressive musical style made them ...
on the final North American leg of their
farewell tour A concert tour (or simply tour) is a series of concerts by an artist or group of artists in different cities, countries or locations. Often, concert tours are named to differentiate different tours by the same artist and to associate a specific ...
in November 2019.


"A Tribute to Kings" Tour and ''Conspiranoid'' (2020–2024)

At the beginning of 2020, the band announced that they would be doing a tour in which every night they would cover Rush's 1977 album ''
A Farewell to Kings ''A Farewell to Kings'' is the fifth studio album by Canadian rock band Rush, released on Anthem Records on August 29, 1977. The album reached No. 11 in Canada and marked a growth in the band's international fanbase, becoming their first Top 4 ...
'' in its entirety. The tour was postponed twice. Once due to the fact that Primus joined Slayer on their retirement tour and again due to the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
. In November 2020, they announced a livestream entitled "Alive From Pachyderm Station" that would air on December 11 at Primuslive.com if audience bought a ticket. The concert was filmed at Claypool's winery, "Claypool Cellars". The event marked the first time in 20 years that songs from ''Antipop'' were performed live, including the first official performance of the song (other than being played at soundcheck in Milwaukee in 1999) "Eclectic Electric". The "Tribute to Kings" tour commenced in August 2021 and originally wrapped up in October, followed by an encore extension beginning April 2022. In an August 2021 interview with ''
The Spokesman-Review ''The Spokesman-Review'' is a daily broadsheet newspaper based in Spokane, Washington, the city's sole remaining daily publication. It has the third-highest readership among daily newspapers in the state, with most of its readership base in ...
'', Claypool confirmed that a new Primus album was in the works: "Some ideas are being thrown around, but we're not there yet. We will have a new album at some point. We're focusing on this tour and ''Farewell to Kings''. That's enough for us for now." In March 2022, Claypool revealed that the band was planning to release a new
twelve-inch single The twelve-inch single (often written as 12-inch or 12) is a type of vinyl (polyvinyl chloride or PVC) gramophone record that has wider groove spacing and shorter playing time with a "single" or a few related sound tracks on each surface, compar ...
featuring a 13-minute track called "Conspiranoia" and two songs as its b-sides. The '' Conspiranoid'' EP was released on April 22, 2022. In May 2023, Claypool stated that there had been talk of another Primus album, but added that "it ouldn'tbe anytime soon" because of his commitments to various projects. On August 9 and 10, 2022, Primus played the ''
South Park ''South Park'' is an American animated sitcom created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone, and developed by Brian Graden for Comedy Central. The series revolves around four boysStan Marsh, Kyle Broflovski, Eric Cartman, and Kenny McCormickand the ...
'' 25th Anniversary Concert alongside Ween and ''South Park'' creators
Matt Stone Matthew Richard Stone (born May 26, 1971) is an American actor, animator, writer, producer, and musician. He is best known for co-creating ''South Park'' (since 1997) and ''The Book of Mormon (musical), The Book of Mormon'' (2011) with his cre ...
and
Trey Parker Randolph Severn "Trey" Parker III (born October 19, 1969) is an American actor, animator, writer, producer, director, and musician. He is best known for co-creating ''South Park'' (1997) and '' The Book of Mormon'' (2011) with his creative part ...
. It was broadcast on
Comedy Central Comedy Central is an American Cable television in the United States, cable television channel, channel owned by Paramount Global through its Paramount Media Networks, network division's Paramount Media Networks#MTV Entertainment Group, MTV Ente ...
on August 13 and on
Paramount+ Paramount+ (formerly known as CBS All Access in the United States and 10 All Access in Australia) is an American Video on demand#Subscription models, subscription video on-demand Over-the-top media service, over-the-top Streaming media, stream ...
on August 14. Primus contributed to the song "Pablo's Hippos" on ''Sessanta E.P.P.P.'', a split EP with
Puscifer Puscifer () is an American rock group formed in Los Angeles by Maynard James Keenan, known as the lead singer of the bands Tool and A Perfect Circle. Initially, Keenan was the only permanent member, and as such he considered the project to be h ...
and
A Perfect Circle A Perfect Circle is an American Rock music, rock Supergroup (music), supergroup formed in Los Angeles, California in 1999 by guitarist Billy Howerdel and Tool (band), Tool vocalist Maynard James Keenan. A Perfect Circle released three of their ...
, released in March 2024 to coincide with the Sessanta tour featuring all three of the aforementioned bands. On a tour stop at the Sick New World festival, the band's gear got delayed due to a
snow storm A winter storm (also known as snow storm) is an event in which wind coincides with varieties of precipitation that only occur at freezing temperatures, such as snow, mixed snow and rain, or freezing rain. In temperate continental and subarct ...
; rather than cancelling the show, Claypool and Lalonde simply went to a local
Guitar Center Guitar Center, Inc. is an American musical instrument retailer chain headquartered in Westlake Village, California. It operates 304 locations and is the largest company of its kind in the United States. The company oversees several subsidia ...
and bought a pair of matching Fender guitar and bass, and performed the show with that; Claypool's bass still had the
label A label (as distinct from signage) is a piece of paper, plastic film, cloth, metal, or other material affixed to a container or product. Labels are most often affixed to packaging and containers using an adhesive, or sewing when affix ...
hanging off the
headstock A headstock or peghead is part of a guitar or similar stringed instruments such as a lute, mandolin, banjo, ukulele and others of the lute lineage. The main function of a headstock is to house the tuning pegs or other mechanism that holds the s ...
during the show. They would later announce they would
auction An auction is usually a process of Trade, buying and selling Good (economics), goods or Service (economics), services by offering them up for Bidding, bids, taking bids, and then selling the item to the highest bidder or buying the item from th ...
off the two instruments to the benefit to
St. Jude Children's Research Hospital St. Jude Children's Research Hospital is a pediatric treatment and research hospital headquartered in Memphis, Tennessee. Founded by entertainer Danny Thomas in 1962, it is a 501(c)(3) designated nonprofit medical corporation which focuses on chi ...
.


Alexander's third departure and the arrival of John Hoffman (2024–present)

On October 17, 2024, Alexander unexpectedly announced to his bandmates that he would be leaving the band, effective immediately. Alexander stated that he had "lost his passion for playing", with no further elaboration. Primus officially confirmed his departure on October 29, 2024; the band also announced that they were planning to search for "the greatest drummer on Earth", with further details to follow. Alexander would later explain in an interview with ''
Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...
'' in November that health concerns also had an effect on the decision to leave the band. At least 6,200 drummers were auditioned before Claypool announced Dirtfoot drummer John Hoffman as Alexander's replacement on February 7, 2025. Primus played its first show since Alexander's third departure at the
Fox Oakland Theatre The Fox Oakland Theatre is a 2,800-seat concert hall, a former movie theater, located at 1807 Telegraph Avenue in Downtown Oakland. It originally opened in 1928, running films until 1970. Designed by Weeks and Day, the theatre is listed on th ...
on December 30, 2024, where three different sets were performed, including songs from Claypool's 1996 solo debut album ''
Highball with the Devil ''Highball with the Devil'' is a studio album by Les Claypool and the Holy Mackerel, released in 1996. "Les Claypool and the Holy Mackerel" is Claypool's first solo effort. In addition to his usual bass guitar and vocals, he also plays most ...
'' as "The Holy Mackerel", a semi-reunion of the Frog Brigade (with LaLonde on guitar), and Primus performing with drummer
Brain The brain is an organ (biology), organ that serves as the center of the nervous system in all vertebrate and most invertebrate animals. It consists of nervous tissue and is typically located in the head (cephalization), usually near organs for ...
for the first time in 24 years. Hoffman made his live debut with Primus at the Tool in the Sand festival in March 2025 in
Punta Cana Punta Cana is a resort town in the easternmost region of the Dominican Republic. It was politically incorporated as the "Verón–Punta Cana township" in 2006, and it is subject to the municipality of Higüey (La Altagracia Province). According ...
, Dominican Republic, alongside
Tool A tool is an Physical object, object that can extend an individual's ability to modify features of the surrounding environment or help them accomplish a particular task. Although many Tool use by animals, animals use simple tools, only human bei ...
drummer
Danny Carey Daniel Edwin Carey (born May 10, 1961) is an American musician who is the drummer for the progressive metal band Tool. He has also contributed to albums by artists such as Zaum, Green Jellö, Pigface, Skinny Puppy, Adrian Belew, Carole Kin ...
. Hoffman's first tour with Primus was the Sessanta V2.0 Tour with
A Perfect Circle A Perfect Circle is an American Rock music, rock Supergroup (music), supergroup formed in Los Angeles, California in 1999 by guitarist Billy Howerdel and Tool (band), Tool vocalist Maynard James Keenan. A Perfect Circle released three of their ...
and
Puscifer Puscifer () is an American rock group formed in Los Angeles by Maynard James Keenan, known as the lead singer of the bands Tool and A Perfect Circle. Initially, Keenan was the only permanent member, and as such he considered the project to be h ...
, which took place from April to June 2025. The new lineup released their first recorded song, "Little Lord Fentanyl", featuring
Maynard James Keenan Maynard James Keenan (born James Herbert Keenan; April 17, 1964) is an American singer, songwriter, philanthropist, record producer, and winemaker. He is best known as the singer and primary lyricist of the rock bands Tool (band), Tool, A Perfe ...
, on May 1, 2025.


Musical style and influences

Primus emerged from a
metal A metal () is a material that, when polished or fractured, shows a lustrous appearance, and conducts electrical resistivity and conductivity, electricity and thermal conductivity, heat relatively well. These properties are all associated wit ...
background, with
Les Claypool Leslie Edward Claypool (born September 29, 1963) is an American rock music, rock musician. He is the founder, lead singer, bassist, and primary songwriter of the band Primus (band), Primus. Listed as one of the greatest bassists of all time by ...
and
Larry LaLonde Reid Laurence "Larry" LaLonde (born September 12, 1968), also known as Ler LaLonde, is an American musician. He has been the guitarist for the rock band Primus since 1989, where he is known for his experimental accompaniment to the bass playing ...
previously having been part of the 1980s Californian
thrash metal Thrash metal (or simply thrash) is an Extreme metal, extreme subgenre of heavy metal music characterized by its overall aggression and fast tempo.Kahn-Harris, Keith, ''Extreme Metal: Music and Culture on the Edge'', pp. 2–3, 9. Oxford: Berg, ...
underground.
Kirk Hammett Kirk Lee Hammett (born November 18, 1962) is an American musician who has been the lead guitarist of heavy metal band Metallica since 1983. Prior to joining Metallica, he co-formed the thrash metal band Exodus in 1979. In 2023, Hammett, along ...
, guitarist of Bay Area band
Metallica Metallica is an American heavy metal band. It was formed in Los Angeles in 1981 by vocalist and guitarist James Hetfield and drummer Lars Ulrich, and has been based in San Francisco for most of its career. The band's fast tempos, instrume ...
, remarked in a 1991 interview that Primus are "unique, they're a square peg in a round hole". The music of Primus has been described as "thrash-
funk Funk is a music genre that originated in African-American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African-Americans in the ...
meets
Don Knotts Jesse Donald Knotts (July 21, 1924February 24, 2006) was an American actor and comedian. He is widely known for his role as Deputy Sheriff Barney Fife on the 1960s sitcom ''The Andy Griffith Show'', for which he earned five Emmy Awards. He als ...
, Jr." and "''the
Freak Brothers ''The Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers'' is an Underground comix, underground comic about a fictional trio of Cannabis culture, stoner characters, created by the American artist Gilbert Shelton. The Freak Brothers first appeared in ''The Rag'', an ...
'' set to music". The ''Daily Freeman'' described the band's style as "a blend of
funk metal Funk metal (also known as thrash-funk or punk-funk) is a subgenre of funk rock and alternative metal that infuses heavy metal music (often thrash metal) with elements of funk and punk rock. Funk metal was part of the alternative metal movement, ...
and
experimental rock Experimental rock, also called avant-rock, is a subgenre of rock music that pushes the boundaries of common composition and performance technique or which experiments with the basic elements of the genre. Artists aim to liberate and innovate, wit ...
". ''
The A.V. Club ''The A.V. Club'' is an online newspaper and entertainment website featuring reviews, interviews, and other articles that examine films, music, television, books, games, and other elements of pop-culture media. ''The A.V. Club'' was created in ...
'' described the band's music as " absurdist
funk-rock Funk rock is a fusion genre that mixes elements of funk and rock. James Brown and others declared that Little Richard and his mid-1950s road band, the Upsetters, were the first to put the funk in the rock and roll beat, with a biographer stati ...
". Primus have also been described as "
prog rock Progressive rock (shortened as prog rock or simply prog) is a broad genre of rock music that primarily developed in the United Kingdom through the mid- to late 1960s, peaking in the early-to-mid-1970s. Initially termed "progressive pop", the ...
" or " prog metal". ''
AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...
'' places Primus within the first wave of
alternative metal Alternative metal (also known as alt-metal) is a genre of heavy metal music that combines heavy metal with influences from alternative rock and other genres not normally associated with metal. Alternative metal bands are often characterized by ...
bands, saying that they fused heavy metal music with progressive rock. ''
Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American online magazine, digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, ...
'' classified the band's performance as "prog-rock self-indulgence".
Stephen Thomas Erlewine Stephen Thomas Erlewine (; born June 18, 1973) is an American music critic and former senior editor for the online music database AllMusic. He is the author of multiple artist biographies and record reviews for AllMusic, as well as a freelance ...
suggests that Primus is "a
post-punk Post-punk (originally called new musick) is a broad genre of music that emerged in late 1977 in the wake of punk rock. Post-punk musicians departed from punk's fundamental elements and raw simplicity, instead adopting a broader, more experiment ...
Rush spiked with the sensibility and humor of
Frank Zappa Frank Vincent Zappa (December 21, 1940 – December 4, 1993) was an American guitarist, composer, and bandleader. In a career spanning more than 30 years, Zappa composed Rock music, rock, Pop music, pop, jazz, jazz fusion, orchestra ...
". Appeared earlier in the book ''All Music Guide'' o
page 290
in 2001 and o
page 888
in 2002.
''Guitar Player'' said that Primus "plays
rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wale ...
the way
Dr. Seuss Theodor Seuss Geisel ( ;"Seuss"
'' art-funk, instrumental flash tangos cheek-to-cheek with self-mocking humor". ''
Spin Spin or spinning most often refers to: * Spin (physics) or particle spin, a fundamental property of elementary particles * Spin quantum number, a number which defines the value of a particle's spin * Spinning (textiles), the creation of yarn or thr ...
'' have labelled Primus as "pranksters" and, in 1995, as an "unlikely gold-selling
white trash White trash is a derogatory term in American English for poor white people, especially in the rural areas of the southern United States. The label signifies a social class within the white population, especially those perceived to have a ...
purveyor of hard-ass pinballing funk metal". Regarding the band's genre, Claypool stated in 1991, "We've been lumped in with the funk metal thing just about everywhere. I guess people just have to categorize you". Claypool dislikes the term "thrash-funk", while admitting that "it's more accurate than calling us a funk band, since I'm the only one in the group with any sort of funk background". Claypool himself once classified Primus's music as "
psychedelic Psychedelics are a subclass of hallucinogenic drugs whose primary effect is to trigger non-ordinary mental states (known as psychedelic experiences or "trips") and a perceived "expansion of consciousness". Also referred to as classic halluci ...
polka Polka is a dance style and genre of dance music in originating in nineteenth-century Bohemia, now part of the Czech Republic. Though generally associated with Czech and Central European culture, polka is popular throughout Europe and the ...
." Primus is the only band with its own
ID3 ID3 is a metadata container most often used in conjunction with the MP3 audio file format. It allows information such as the title, artist, album, track number, and other information about the file to be stored in the file itself. ID3 is a '' ...
genre tag, 'Primus', as introduced by
Winamp Winamp is a media player (software), media player for Microsoft Windows originally developed by Justin Frankel and Dmitry Boldyrev by their company Nullsoft, which they later sold to AOL in 1999 for $80 million. It was then acquired by Rad ...
. Primus's primary influence is
the Residents The Residents are an American art collective and art rock band best known for their avant-garde music and multimedia works. Since their first official release, ''Meet the Residents'' (1974), they have released over 60 albums, numerous music vid ...
, an avant-garde band that are well known for their anonymity and surreal music. Claypool has said he is often accused of being a member of the Residents due to their similar musical style. Other influences include
King Crimson King Crimson were an English progressive rock band formed in London in 1968 by Robert Fripp, Michael Giles, Greg Lake, Ian McDonald (musician), Ian McDonald and Peter Sinfield. Guitarist Fripp remained the only constant member throughout the ...
, Rush,
Pink Floyd Pink Floyd are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1965. Gaining an early following as one of the first British psychedelic music, psychedelic groups, they were distinguished by their extended compositions, sonic experiments ...
and
Hillel Slovak Hillel Slovak (; April 13, 1962 – June 25, 1988) was an Israeli-American musician, best known as the founding guitarist of the Los Angeles rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers, with whom he recorded two albums. His guitar work was rooted in fun ...
-era
Red Hot Chili Peppers The Red Hot Chili Peppers are an American rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1982, consisting of Anthony Kiedis (vocals), Flea (musician), Flea (bass), John Frusciante (guitar), and Chad Smith (drums). Their music incorporates elements of a ...
. Despite the seemingly upbeat, quirky music, Primus lyrics have often dealt with darker subject matter such as
war War is an armed conflict between the armed forces of states, or between governmental forces and armed groups that are organized under a certain command structure and have the capacity to sustain military operations, or between such organi ...
("Too Many Puppies"),
murder Murder is the unlawful killing of another human without justification (jurisprudence), justification or valid excuse (legal), excuse committed with the necessary Intention (criminal law), intention as defined by the law in a specific jurisd ...
("My Name is Mud", "Mrs. Blaileen"), accidental
death Death is the end of life; the irreversible cessation of all biological functions that sustain a living organism. Death eventually and inevitably occurs in all organisms. The remains of a former organism normally begin to decompose sh ...
("John The Fisherman", "Jerry Was A Race Car Driver"),
drug addiction Addiction is a neuropsychological disorder characterized by a persistent and intense urge to use a drug or engage in a behavior that produces natural reward, despite substantial harm and other negative consequences. Repetitive drug use can ...
("Jilly's on Smack", "Lacquer Head") and
suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Risk factors for suicide include mental disorders, physical disorders, and substance abuse. Some suicides are impulsive acts driven by stress (such as from financial or ac ...
("Bob", "Coattails of a Dead Man"), along with seemingly mundane
observational comedy Observational comedy is a form of humor based on the commonplace aspects of everyday life. It is one of the main types of humor in stand-up comedy. In an observational comedy act, the comedian makes an observation about something which is common eno ...
("DMV"). Claypool himself has said, "The thing is, a lot of these songs, with Primus, there’s an amazing amount of tragic tales, but it’s under the guise of this lighthearted perspective, and the music a lot of the times is lighthearted" and "I love the contrast of it. From
Tommy the Cat "Tommy the Cat" is a song by the American rock band Primus, released on their second album, ''Sailing the Seas of Cheese''. Recording The song contains spoken word portions (as the voice of Tommy the Cat) interspersed with the singing of Les Cl ...
to
Wynona's Big Brown Beaver "Wynona's Big Brown Beaver" is a song by the American rock band Primus. It was released as the first single from their 1995 album ''Tales from the Punchbowl.'' It was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance in 1996. Of the ...
, there's a lot of tragic figures in my music and Primus' music. It's just the way I exercise my demons, through these kinds of people"; he likened the writing to films by the
Coen brothers Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, together known as the Coen brothers (), are an American filmmaking duo. Their films span many genres and styles, which they frequently subvert or parody. Among their most acclaimed works are '' Blood Simple'' (198 ...
. Many of the songs are about fictional characters; Claypool prefers to think of himself as the narrator of their stories rather than the protagonist, saying, "It was easier for me to step into a character as if I'm in a play and be
Mel Blanc Melvin Jerome Blanc (born Blank ; May 30, 1908 – July 10, 1989) was an American voice actor and radio personality whose career spanned over 60 years. During the Golden Age of Radio, he provided character voices and vocal sound effects for come ...
, than it was for me to try and be
Peter Gabriel Peter Brian Gabriel (born 13 February 1950) is an English singer, songwriter, musician, and human rights activist. He came to prominence as the original frontman of the rock band Genesis. He left the band in 1975 and launched a solo career wit ...
".


Legacy

Primus have been credited as an influence to the
nu metal Nu metal (sometimes stylized as nü-metal, with a metal umlaut) is a subgenre of that combines elements of heavy metal music with elements of other music genres such as hip hop music, hip hop, funk, industrial music, industrial, and grunge. Nu ...
genre, being cited as an influence by such bands as
Limp Bizkit Limp Bizkit is an American nu metal band from Jacksonville, Florida. Its lineup consists of lead vocalist Fred Durst, drummer John Otto (drummer), John Otto, guitarist Wes Borland, turntablist DJ Lethal and bassist Sam Rivers (bassist), Sam ...
,
Deftones Deftones is an American alternative metal band formed in Sacramento, California in 1988. They were formed by frontman Chino Moreno, lead guitarist Stephen Carpenter and drummer Abe Cunningham, with bassist Chi Cheng and keyboardist and tu ...
,
Incubus An Incubus () is a demon, male demon in human form in folklore that seeks to have Sexuality in Christian demonology, sexual intercourse with sleeping women; the corresponding spirit in female form is called a succubus. Parallels exist in many c ...
, and
Korn Korn (stylized as KoЯn) is an American nu metal band from Bakersfield, California, originally formed in 1993 by James Shaffer, James "Munky" Shaffer, Reginald Arvizu, Reginald "Fieldy" Arvizu and David Silveria, who were members of the band ...
. Limp Bizkit's frontman
Fred Durst William Frederick Durst (born Frederick Allen Mayne III; August 20, 1970) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, actor, and director. He is the frontman and lyricist of the nu metal band Limp Bizkit, formed in 1994, with whom he has release ...
, who produced a song on the Primus album ''Antipop'', stated in 1999 "I fucking love Primus. Spawned by pure rhythms, Primus has and always will be the most innovative and original source of groove to influence me in this decade. If you listen you will learn."'' Lacquer Head'' liner notes.
Interscope Records Interscope Records is an American record label based in Santa Monica, California, owned by Universal Music Group through its Interscope Geffen A&M imprint. Founded in late 1990 by Jimmy Iovine and Ted Field as a $20 million joint venture ...
(2000)
Incubus An Incubus () is a demon, male demon in human form in folklore that seeks to have Sexuality in Christian demonology, sexual intercourse with sleeping women; the corresponding spirit in female form is called a succubus. Parallels exist in many c ...
vocalist
Brandon Boyd Brandon Charles Boyd (born February 15, 1976) is an American musician, best known as the lead vocalist of the rock band Incubus, with whom he has recorded eight studio albums. In addition to his work with Incubus, Boyd has released two solo alb ...
said "Primus was one of those bands that myself,
José José is a predominantly Spanish and Portuguese form of the given name Joseph. While spelled alike, this name is pronounced very differently in each of the two languages: Spanish ; Portuguese (or ). In French, the name ''José'', pronounced ...
from our band,
Mikey Mikey is a masculine given name, often a diminutive form (hypocorism) of Michael. It may also refer to: People * Mikey Ambrose (born 1993), American Major League Soccer player * Mikey Anderson (born 1999), American ice hockey player * Mikey Arroyo ...
from our band, the three of us fully bonded over them. We would just crank their music in the car, outdoors."


Band members

Current members *
Les Claypool Leslie Edward Claypool (born September 29, 1963) is an American rock music, rock musician. He is the founder, lead singer, bassist, and primary songwriter of the band Primus (band), Primus. Listed as one of the greatest bassists of all time by ...
 – lead vocals, bass, double bass (1984–2000, 2003–present) * Larry "Ler" LaLonde – guitars, backing vocals (1989–2000, 2003–present) * John "Hoffer" Hoffman – drums (2025–present) Former members *
Todd Huth Todd Richard Huth (born March 13, 1963) is an American guitarist, best known as an original member of the band Primus, along with bassist/lyricist Les Claypool. Huth and Claypool began playing together, along with a drum machine, in or around ...
 – guitars, backing vocals (1984–1989) * Vince "Perm" Parker – drums (1984) * Mark Edgar - drums (1984) * Peter Libby – drums (1984–1986) * Robbie Bean – drums (1986) * Tim "Curveball" Wright – drums (1986–1988) * Jay "Jayski" Lane – drums, backing vocals (1988–1989, 2010–2013) *
Bryan "Brain" Mantia Bryan Kei Mantia (born February 4, 1963), known professionally as Brain, is an American rock drummer. He has played with bands such as Primus, Guns N' Roses, Praxis, and Godflesh, and with other performers such as Tom Waits, Serj Tankian, Bill L ...
 – drums (1989, 1996–2000; live 2024) * Tim "Herb" Alexander – drums, backing vocals (1989–1996, 2003–2010, 2013–2024) Former live members *
DJ Disk DJ Disk is a turntablist from the San Francisco Bay Area. He is of Panamanian, Colombian, and Nicaraguan descent. Born Luis Quintanilla on October 7, 1970, in San Francisco, Disk began scratching and mixing vinyl at a young age. In 1992, he joine ...
 – turntables (1998–1999) *
Buckethead Brian Patrick Carroll (born May 13, 1969), known professionally as Buckethead, is an American guitarist. He has received critical acclaim for his innovative and virtuosic electric guitar playing. Buckethead's extensive solo discography currentl ...
 – guitars (1999) *
Danny Carey Daniel Edwin Carey (born May 10, 1961) is an American musician who is the drummer for the progressive metal band Tool. He has also contributed to albums by artists such as Zaum, Green Jellö, Pigface, Skinny Puppy, Adrian Belew, Carole Kin ...
 – drums (2014, 2025)


Timeline


Discography

*''
Frizzle Fry ''Frizzle Fry'' is the debut studio album by American rock band Primus. It was released on February 7, 1990, by Caroline Records. Produced by the band and Matt Winegar, the album was recorded at Different Fur Studios in San Francisco in Decemb ...
'' (1990) *''
Sailing the Seas of Cheese ''Sailing the Seas of Cheese'' is the second studio album and major label debut by the American rock band Primus. It was released on May 14, 1991, through Interscope Records. It spawned three singles: "Jerry Was a Race Car Driver", " Tommy the ...
'' (1991) *''
Pork Soda ''Pork Soda'' is the third studio album by the American rock band Primus. It was released on April 20, 1993, by Interscope Records and Prawn Song Records. The album was certified gold in September 1993 and platinum in May 1997. The 2005 re-is ...
'' (1993) *''
Tales from the Punchbowl ''Tales from the Punchbowl'' is the fourth studio album by the American rock band Primus, released on June 6, 1995. It was the band's last album with Tim Alexander before he rejoined Primus seven years later, and again in September 2013. It was ...
'' (1995) *''
Brown Album ''Brown Album'' is the fifth studio album by American rock band Primus. It was released on July 8, 1997, by Prawn Song and Interscope Records. It was the band's first album with new drummer Brain, who replaced former drummer Tim Alexander. ...
'' (1997) *''
Antipop ''Antipop'' is the sixth studio album by American rock band Primus. It was released on October 19, 1999, through Prawn Song Records and Interscope Records. Produced by the band, Tom Morello, Stewart Copeland, Tom Waits, Matt Stone, and Fred Durs ...
'' (1999) *'' Green Naugahyde'' (2011) *'' Primus & the Chocolate Factory with the Fungi Ensemble'' (2014) *''
The Desaturating Seven ''The Desaturating Seven'' is the ninth studio album by United States, American rock music, rock group Primus (band), Primus, released on September 29, 2017. It is the band's first album of original material since 2011's ''Green Naugahyde'', and ...
'' (2017)


Tours

* Bring the Noise Tour (1991) *
Roll the Bones Tour The Roll the Bones Tour was a concert tour by Canadian rock band Rush in support of their fourteenth studio album ''Roll the Bones''. Background The tour kicked off October 25, 1991 at Copps Coliseum in Hamilton, Ontario and culminated on June 2 ...
(1992) (Opening Act for Rush) *
Zoo TV Tour The Zoo TV Tour (also written as ZooTV, ZOO TV or ZOOTV) was a worldwide concert tour by the Irish rock music, rock band U2. Staged primarily to support their 1991 album ''Achtung Baby'' and later their 1993 album ''Zooropa'', the tour visited ...
(1992) *
Lollapalooza Lollapalooza () is an annual American four-day music festival held in Grant Park (Chicago), Grant Park in Chicago. It originally started as a touring event in 1991, with Chicago becoming its permanent location beginning in 2005. Music genres i ...
(1993) * Liquid Pig Tour (1993) *
Counterparts Tour The Counterparts Tour was a concert tour by Canadian rock band Rush in support of their fifteenth studio album, '' Counterparts,'' and marked the members' 20th anniversary as a band. Background The tour kicked off January 22, 1994 at the Civic ...
(1994) (Opening Act for Rush) * Punchbowl Tour (1995) * Southbound Pachyderm Tour (1996) * Brown Tour (1997) *
H.O.R.D.E. Horizons of Rock Developing Everywhere or H.O.R.D.E. Festival was a concert tour, touring summer rock music festival originated by the musical group Blues Traveler in 1992. In addition to travelling headliners, the festival gave exposure to bands ...
Tour (1997) *
SnoCore Tour The SnoCore Tour, occasionally typeset as Sno-Core, was an annual festival tour of the United States. It featured performances by some of the most popular groups largely of the alternative rock and metal spectrum. The event took place every year ...
(1998) *
Ozzfest Ozzfest was an annual music festival tour of the United States and sometimes Europe and later Japan, featuring performances by many heavy metal music, heavy metal and hard rock musical groups. It was founded by Sharon Osbourne and her husband O ...
(1999) *
Family Values Tour The Family Values Tour was an annual rock and hip hop tour held by the American nu metal band Korn since 1998. The first tour took place in 1998 and the second tour in 1999, but the tour took a hiatus in 2000 due to heavy competition from the An ...
(1999) * Antipop Tour (1999–2000) * Tour de Fromage (2003–2004) * Hallucino-Genetics Tour (2004) * The Beat a Dead Horse Tour (2006) * Summer Tour (2010) * The Oddity Faire Tour (2010) * Primus World Tour (2011) * Guinea Pig Tour (2011) * Green Naugahyde Tour (2011) * Spring Tour (2012) *
Summer Camp Music Festival The Summer Camp Music Festival is a multi-day music festival created by Jay Goldberg Events & Entertainment and held annually on Memorial Day Weekend at Three Sisters Park in Chillicothe, Illinois. The event typically attracts around 20,000 visi ...
(2012) * 3D Tour (2012) * 3D Tour 2013 (2013) * Spring Tour 2014 (2014) * Primus and the Chocolate Factory (2014) * Primus and the Chocolate Factory (2015) * Primus & Tool Tour (2016) * An Evening with Primus and Clutch (2017) * Ambushing the Storm Tour (2017) * Primus and Mastodon Summer Tour (2018) * US Fall Tour (2018) * The Final Campaign Tour (2019) (Opening act for
Slayer Slayer is an American thrash metal band from Huntington Park, California, formed in 1981 by guitarists Jeff Hanneman and Kerry King, drummer Dave Lombardo and bassist/vocalist Tom Araya. Slayer's fast and aggressive musical style made them ...
) * A Tribute To Kings Tour (2021–2022) * SESSANTA: A 60th Birthday Celebration for
Maynard James Keenan Maynard James Keenan (born James Herbert Keenan; April 17, 1964) is an American singer, songwriter, philanthropist, record producer, and winemaker. He is best known as the singer and primary lyricist of the rock bands Tool (band), Tool, A Perfe ...
(With
Puscifer Puscifer () is an American rock group formed in Los Angeles by Maynard James Keenan, known as the lead singer of the bands Tool and A Perfect Circle. Initially, Keenan was the only permanent member, and as such he considered the project to be h ...
and
A Perfect Circle A Perfect Circle is an American Rock music, rock Supergroup (music), supergroup formed in Los Angeles, California in 1999 by guitarist Billy Howerdel and Tool (band), Tool vocalist Maynard James Keenan. A Perfect Circle released three of their ...
) (2024) * Primus and
Coheed and Cambria Coheed and Cambria is an American progressive rock band from Nyack, New York, formed in 1995. It consists of Claudio Sanchez (vocals, guitars, keyboards), Travis Stever (guitars, vocals), Josh Eppard (drums, keyboards, backing vocals), and Za ...
Tour (2024) * SESSANTA V2.0: A 61st Birthday Celebration for Maynard James Keenan (With Puscifer and A Perfect Circle) (2025) * Onward and Upward Tour (2025)


Awards


See also

*
List of bands from the San Francisco Bay Area This is a list of bands from the San Francisco Bay Area, music groups founded in the San Francisco Bay Area or were closely associated with the region for a significant part of the group's active existence. Individual musicians who formed bands ...
*
List of alternative metal artists This is a list of alternative metal artists. Alternative metal (or alt-metal) is a genre of heavy metal music that combines heavy metal with influences from alternative rock and other genres not normally associated with metal. Alternative metal ...
*
List of funk metal and funk rock bands A list is a set of discrete items of information collected and set forth in some format for utility, entertainment, or other purposes. A list may be memorialized in any number of ways, including existing only in the mind of the list-maker, but ...
*
List of progressive rock artists The following artists have released at least one album in the progressive rock genre. Individuals are included only if they recorded or performed progressive rock as a solo artist, regardless of whether they were a member of a progressive rock b ...


References


External links


Primus
official website *

*
"No Respect, Goddamnit!: On the trail of Primus"
by Michael Goldberg for
Addicted to Noise ''Addicted to Noise'' (ATN) was an American online music magazine in the early days of the World Wide Web. Founded in 1994 by ex-''Rolling Stone'' associate editor and senior writer Michael Goldberg and online music pioneer Jon Luini, it publish ...
, May 1995. Archived from the original.
Primus and Side Project Live Performances
{{DEFAULTSORT:Primus American alternative metal musical groups American experimental rock groups American funk metal musical groups Musical trios from California American funk rock musical groups American post-punk music groups Les Claypool Musical groups established in 1984 Musical groups disestablished in 2000 Musical groups reestablished in 2003 Musical groups from San Francisco Progressive rock musical groups from California Interscope Records artists Caroline Records artists ATO Records artists 1984 establishments in California