John Hoffman, a professional drummer born in Honolulu but residing in Shreveport, Louisiana, is the new drummer for Primus! The band announced its decision last week after months of searching and narrowing down the list of contenders from 6200 initial applicants, to nine finalists, and then to one.
In his audition video, which you can watch here, Hoffman states that he started drumming before he was two years old, played his first gig at four, and did his first national tour at age 17. He currently plays 250 shows a year and states that he's known as "the busiest drummer in Shreveport."
I watched his audition, and it's clear why Primus chose him. As a new drummer myself, I'm blown away by his talent. In the 14-minute audition, he plays some incredibly impressive hi-hat beats, including some one-handed beats that I'm still trying to get my head around. He also includes some great footage of some of his live gigs playing with a full band. There's also a section where he plays along to some Primus songs, and, of course, he does a terrific job (he also states that he's a huge Primus fan!). But I think he stood out as the top choice because he also reveals his quirky sense of humor through some of the songs he includes that showcase his unique style—he plays along to the "Number 12" song from Sesame Street, as well as the theme songs from the television shows Seinfeld, The Jetsons, and Barney Miller. And it all just works brilliantly. Great job, John–Congrats!
Metal Sucks posted Hoffman's statement on being invited to join Primus. Here's part of it:
"After having a few days now to process and ground myself a little bit, I can finally contain enough thoughts to make this post. The rumors are true, as they say. Through impossible and seemingly insurmountable odds, after surviving a virtual gauntlet of some of the literal greatest drummers walking planet Earth, I somehow, some way, remained the last one standing….. and am now a member of one of my all time favorite bands in the history of music, the one and only Primus.
"Just know that everyone of you who dug SO deep in supporting me along the way if even through a positive comment, I see you and appreciate you all. Each of you who has been in my corner, I literally share this with all of you. Every one in our community, the City of Shreveport, and the State of Louisiana, I brought all of you into that room with me whether you realize it or not. The most thanks goes to my wife Courtney, who kept me going many times through this process when I felt like I was flat on my face and wanted to give up. Her love and support kept me from throwing in the towel more than once throughout these last couple very emotional months. For that and many other reasons, I love her and thank her so much for carrying me through when I needed it most."
