Primus filled a drum chair the way nobody else would: they opened it to everyone. When Tim "Herb" Alexander left unexpectedly in October 2024, Les Claypool and guitarist Larry "Ler" LaLonde drew more than 5,000 applicants and brought a shortlist out to the West Coast for a five-day "interstellar drum derby," with Tool's Maynard James Keenan in the room. The winner wasn't one of the big names. John Hoffman is a Louisiana player known as "the busiest drummer in Shreveport," with more than 250 gigs a year, and he beat out finalists including Thomas Pridgen and Nikki Glaspie. Claypool welcomed him in February 2025, and his first tour was the Sessanta V2.0 run with Puscifer and A Perfect Circle, who are also on this Sonic Temple lineup.
The new trio has already put out music. A Handful of Nuggs, a four-track EP released in May 2026, opens with "The Ol' Grizz" and includes a cover of Dio's "Holy Diver" with Puddles Pity Party. That's a typical Primus move for the band behind Sailing the Seas of Cheese and Pork Soda, all slap-and-pop bass, cartoon characters and Claypool's nasal storytelling. The tenth album, their first with Hoffman, is planned for 2027.