Shreveport’s John Hoffman Records First Song With Primus — A New Era Begins

Handpicked by Primus earlier this year to be the legendary band's new drummer, Shreveport's own John Hoffman has finally jumped into the deep end with the band for their first single together, and they even got one of the guys from TOOL on the track.

John Hoffman has been called the "busiest drummer in Shreveport" (granted, he called himself that) and has been a part of local bands like Dirtfoot and Stiff Necked Fools.

Inside the New Primus Track

The new song is titled "Little Lord Fentanyl" and is not just the recording debut for John Hoffman with the band, and not just Primus' first new song in three years, it's the first time the band has worked with a musician who's probably just as wacky as Primus.

The new single features Maynard James Keenan, the vocalist behind bands like TOOL, A Perfect Circle, and Puscifer.

The song is exactly what you would expect when the mind behind TOOL and the minds behind Primus come together. The song has an almost funky feel Primus fans are familiar with, but at the same time has the intense seriousness Maynard James Keenan is well known for.

Shreveport Roots, National Reach

Primus has been around as a band for a long time; in that time, they've gone through at least a few members before they landed on the current lineup. In the past, fans of Primus have been disappointed at live shows when they learn that some of the previous drummers wouldn't play any Primus songs they didn't help write.

John Hoffman is a breath of fresh air to Primus fans who just want to hear "Jerry Was a Racecar Driver" live once before their time on this earth is up. Hoffman even bragged on Instagram that he is "gonna play it all."

Primus didn't just throw a dart at a board, land on Shreveport, then find the first drummer in town they could, it was a little more involved than that.

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The band opened submissions to drummers across the world in an event they call the Interstellar Drum Derby, after their last drummer left the band. They got over 6,100 submissions and landed on John Hoffman, and the story behind the Drum Derby is being recapped in videos on the Primus YouTube channel.