Primus Announces New Album and Tour Dates

Primus reunited their classic lineup of bassist Les Claypool, guitarist Larry LaLonde and drummer Tim “Herb” Alexander back in September, with a tease that they were heading into the studio. Now Claypool has announced that the group will be releasing a new album on October 21st with a tour to boot.

The record, which will be the lineup’s first album together since 1995’s Tales from the Punchbowl, will be a tribute to the classic film Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory entitled Primus and the Chocolate Factory with the Fungi Ensemble. The trio will be joined by percussionist Mike Dillon and cellist Sam Bass.

“As we started putting it together, especially with the expanded soundscape of having string and vibraphone and marimba, it started sounding to me like one of the early Peter Gabriel records meets Dark Side of the Moon meets the Residents,” Claypool shared with Rolling Stone. “That’s what I get out of it. Obviously that’s some big-ass horn-tooting to be doing.”

Check out the first look at the project with their version of “Pure Imagination”:

Alexander is currently recovering from a heart attack and subsequent triple-bypass surgery, but is expected to make a speedy recovery in order to join the group on their tour. The trek kicks off October 22nd in Pennsylvania and will cross the entire country, ending at the Orpheum in Los Angeles, California. Concert-goers will also get a chance to have Primus candy bars made for the band by Asher’s Chocolates.

“The tour and the album are solely a marketing tool just so we can sell candy bars. That’s the whole impetus of this entire project,” Claypool jests. “Because the [expletive] recording industry rolled over and let this Internet [expletive] all over us. So we had to come up with another income stream, so we’re making chocolate bars because you can’t digitize a chocolate bar — yet.”

Primus and the Chocolate Factory with the Fungi Ensemble Tour Dates: