Primus’ Les Claypool and Larry LaLonde have announced the abrupt departure of the band’s longtime drummer, Tim “Herb” Alexander.
In a statement posted on Tuesday, October 29th, Claypool and LaLonde explained that Alexander resigned “effective immediately” from the band via an email sent on Thursday, October 17th. “It came as a complete shock to all of us here in the Primus camp,” the statement explains.
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“On the heels of a wonderful spring & summer of touring and some fabulous plans ahead, it has been a bit bewildering for us that Herb would so abruptly opt out,” Claypool and LaLonde continue. “After several attempts to communicate with Herb, his only response was another email stating that he has ‘lost his passion for playing.’ As disappointing as that is, we respect his choice.”
The statement then goes on to explain how Claypool and LaLonde will handle Primus’ upcoming bookings. For their annual New Year’s Eve shows in Oakland, California, the band will “pivot to an augmented version of Primus featuring members of Holy Mackerel and Frog Brigade,” which “will be an exciting special, one-time event.” For their upcoming festival date with Tool in the Dominican Republic, their one-time touring drummer, Danny Carey, will once again take the drum throne.
Going into 2025, Primus is still booked to embark on the second leg of Maynard James Keenan’s “Sessanta” tour. For those dates, the band plans on “searching for the ‘Greatest Drummer on Earth,’” promising that details will arrive soon. Get tickets to Primus’ upcoming shows here.
Read the full statement from Claypool and LaLonde below.
For more, revisit Claypool and Keenan’s recent conversation with Kyle Meredith about the “Sessanta V2.0 Tour.”
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— Les, Ler and Tim (@primus) October 29, 2024