Primus Warn Of Scammers As Drummer Auditions Come To A Close

As Primus come to the end of their search for a new drummer, the band have warned applicants to be wary of scammers doing the rounds.

The veteran rock outfit kicked off a search for their new drummer following the unexpected departure of longtime percussionist Tim ‘Herb’ Alexander.

Though Alexander was not a founding member of Primus, he is however considered part of their classic lineup alongside bassist/vocalist Les Claypool and guitarist Larry ‘Ler’ LaLonde.

Alexander played in Primus for three separate stints. After joining the band in 1989, he left for the first time in 1996 before rejoining in 2003 and departing for a second time in 2010. He returned to the band in 2013, remaining until the exit that has necessitated a search for the “greatest drummer on earth”.

Now, with applications closing on December 22nd, and the sorting process set to begin in earnest ahead of auditions next month, the band have warned hopefuls that a number of scammers and “pranksters” have been doing the rounds.

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“As we begin to wrap up the process of scouring the over 5,000 applications we’ve received and we begin to schedule the auditions for later in January, we unfortunately have been plagued by a handful of pranksters who think it is funny to contact some of the applicants on their own and pretend to be a representative from PRIMUS,” the group wrote on social media.

“Although this is obviously the work of some extremely clever individuals whose intellect and sophistication must far exceed any of the general public to the point that none of us are really able to comprehend and appreciate this kind of humor, it is our duty here in the PRIMUS camp to at least give a ‘heads up’ as it were, to those who may be duped by these sad individuals who are obviously struggling with their own insecurities and shriveled genitalia.”

The group closed by noting that any official communication from the Primus camp for drummer hopefuls will “come from our management and will have confirmation information within the email”.

The search for Primus new drummer bears resemblance to the Smashing Pumpkins, who announced Kiki Wong as their new guitarist after a public callout resulted in over 10,000 submissions from interested applicants.

Earlier this month, Primus shared a video of bluegrass musician Billy Strings sitting behind the kit as part of his audition for the band. “We may have found our guy,” the band wrote at the time.