Primus share Billy Strings audition video for drummer role: “We may have found our guy”
Primus have shared a video sent in by Billy Strings, showing him auditioning to become the new drummer. Check it out below.
The search for a new percussionist was unveiled last month, shortly after frontman and bassist Les Claypool and co. announced the “complete shock” departure of longtime drummer Tim Alexander.
In a statement shared online, the band urged fans and fellow artists to send in their audition videos, as they began the search for “a well-mannered, affable individual with original sensibility and aesthetic, possessing a desire to open new doors in the creative world”.
Now, it seems Primus are well underway with the search for Alexander’s replacement, sharing a submission they received from Bluegrass icon Billy Strings.
In the video, Strings is seen swapping a guitar for a drum kit and eagerly putting forward his chops in a bid to impress the band. Posting it to his own Instagram page, Claypool uploaded it with the caption: “We may have found our guy…” Check it out below.
As well as sharing Strings’ audition, Primus have also clarified what they’re looking for in submissions and encouraged all those who have reached out on social media to re-upload the videos to YouTube to stand a better chance.
“One thing we have found in this ever-evolving process is that those who submit and post on YouTube get a much better “look” as it were,” they wrote. “Some have chosen other formats to submit and it is often a bit more challenging to view them, sometimes impossible.”
They added that they will soon be narrowing down the applicants in January, and plan to post their progress “along with audition performances with the band, and special celebrity drum review committee discussions on the PRIMUS YouTube channel.”
“Lastly, a bit of advice for those submitting: Often players are sending in recordings playing along with PRIMUS songs, which is great, but try to include something else that also reflects your creativity and personality as a player,” they concluded. “During our recording career, the drum throne has been held by three amazing players with three very different approaches. Avoid focusing on just one. We aren’t looking for a clone.”
Following Tim Alexander’s exit from the band, he explained his decision to leave, saying: “Over time, I started realising that it was affecting my physical life, it was affecting my mental life, and it was affecting my family life, and my heart just wasn’t in it.”
“When I discovered that I’m struggling with all these things, I had to sit and think about exactly what am I doing,” he continued. “I don’t think I’ve ever chosen my path in life, I think I’ve just always thought ‘I’m a drummer, I’m just gonna do music,’ and things came to me, accepting whatever happens.”
Primus have since confirmed that their annual New Year’s show will proceed as scheduled in an augmented form and will feature members of Holy Mackerel and Frog Brigade.
Up until now, they have been completing their ‘Sessanta’ tour alongside A Perfect Circle and Puscifer, and confirmed that their upcoming festival date with Tool next year, dubbed Tool In The Sand, will see them joined by Tool drummer Danny Carey as a one-off.
Tool In The Sand, which has been labelled as an “all-inclusive” experience, is scheduled to take place on March 7-9 next year in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic across two resorts; the Hard Rock and Royalton resorts. Alongside Primus, bands like Mastodon, Coheed And Cambria, Eagles Of Death Metal, CKY and King’s X will be heading to the Dominican Republic for the festival.
Tickets are now on sale via the Tool In The Sand website. You can find more information, including the full lineup, here.
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Liberty Dunworth
NME
