PRIMUS RETURNS WITH TWIN RELEASES ON OCTOBER 17

Press Release Content:
DT:    SEPTEMBER 8, 2006

FR:    ALEXANDRA GREENBERG/LIBBY HENRY/MITCH SCHNEIDER
      /SHAZILA MOHAMMED

    They were always one of a kind, from the moment they oozed out of the earth.
      The mighty PRIMUS–bassist LES CLAYPOOL, guitarist LARRY LALONDE and drummer TIM ALEXANDER–return this fall with a formidable one-two-three punch.  October 17 will bring twin releases: their first-ever retrospective CD THEY CAN’T ALL BE ZINGERS (Interscope/UMe) and a new DVD BLAME IT ON THE FISH (on their own Frizzle Fry Inc. imprint), subtitled “An Abstract Look at the 2003 Primus Tour De Fromage,” their triumphant reunion trek.
       Next, the band who has been described as ingenious and imaginative, satirical and sarcastic, original and outlandish, will head out on the road for a major North American headlining tour launching November 1 in Austin and wrapping December 9 in Phoenix.  Known as one of the most acclaimed and influential underground alternative rock phenomenons of the ‘90s and beyond, PRIMUS deliver sonic fireworks live like, well, no one else.
      The 16-selection They Can’t All Be Zingers spans the band’s career from 1990 to 2003, featuring all of its original Modern Rock hits–“Jerry Was A Race Car Driver,” “My Name Is Mud” and the Grammy-nominated “Wynona’s Big Brown Beaver”–plus fan favorites and a previously unreleased, extended version of “Shake Hands With Beef.”  They Can’t All Be Zingers also marks the first time that PRIMUS’ Interscope Records catalog has been digitally remastered.
      In addition They Can’t All Be Zingers includes “Over The Falls” from 1997’s The Brown Album (which sported the original “Shake Hands With Beef”), “Coattails Of A Deadman” from 1999’s Antipop–on which they collaborated with Tom Waits–and “Mary The Ice Cube” from the 2003 DVD+EP Animals Should Not Try To Act Like People which debuted at #44 on the Billboard Top 200 and was certified video platinum.
      Blame It On The Fish is the third DVD release from Primus and follows Hallucino-Genetics Live 2004. Years in the making, this DVD of the band’s 2003 reunion tour—which was augmented by ambitious sets and innovative multi-media installations—contains live performance footage, interview segments, candid behind the scenes shots and intense visual imagery. Not a typical concert film, Blame It On The Fish is a surreal sensory adventure pushing the limits of visual artistry.  The main feature film is 70 minutes and is accompanied by over 90 minutes of bonus material.  In addition to dozens of additional scenes, the extras also include a 30-minute futuristic documentary about the band set in the year 2065 and interviews with the then-102-year-old bandleader Les Claypool. 
      Blame It On The Fish’s director Matt Powers also directed the award-winning film Never Been Done Been Done (The Jon Comer Story) and was director of photography for Les Claypool’s “Electric Apricot (Quest for Festeroo).”  Fans will luxuriate in live performances of PRIMUS favorites including “Mr. Krinkle,” “Jerry Was A Racecar Driver,” “Over The Electric Grapevine” and many more.  Of the Tour De Fromage, Blender raved, “The energy of [them] playing together again was overwhelming,” while the Los Angeles Times said, “The band charges hard into career-spanning sonic excursions free of self-indulgent excesses.”
      In the mid-‘80s, San Francisco Bay Area bass virtuoso, singer and songwriter Les Claypool became one of the pioneers of the thrash funk exemplified by Faith No More and the Red Hot Chili Peppers.  But PRIMUS truly took form when guitarist Larry “Ler” Lalonde and drummer Tim Alexander joined in 1989.  Its first albums were quickly embraced by alternative fans–the live Suck On This (1989) won the Bammie as Outstanding Independent Album and Frizzle Fry (1990), with “To Defy The Laws Of Tradition,” “John The Fisherman” and “Too Many Puppies,” was one of Spin’s Albums of the Year.
      The distinguished musical vision of PRIMUS made its major label bow on Interscope with Sailing The Seas Of Cheese (1991).  The album roared into the Top 10 of alternative charts with “Jerry Was A Race Car Driver,” “Those Damned Blue-Collar Tweekers” and “Tommy The Cat”–marking their first collaboration with guest vocalist Tom Waits–and eventually was certified platinum.  After being anointed “the hottest band on the alternative scene” by Rolling Stone, Pork Soda (1993) debuted at #7 Pop and, with “My Name Is Mud,” “Mr. Krinkle” and “DMV,” went platinum.  When Tales From The Punchbowl (1995) was served up with “Over The Electric Grapevine,” “Wynona’s Big Brown Beaver” and “Southbound Pachyderm,” the album hit gold and reached #8 Pop. In 1997, PRIMUS wrote and recorded the theme song for Comedy Central’s “South Park” TV show, which continues to be heard every week and is now in it’s tenth season.

Tour dates are as follows (website info below):

DATE		CITY		VENUE
11/1		Austin, TX		Music Hall
11/3		Houston, TX		Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre
11/4		Dallas, TX		Will Rogers Auditorium
11/6		Atlanta, GA		Tabernacle
11/8		Washington, DC		DAR Constitution Hall
11/9		New York, NY		Roseland
11/10		Philadelphia, PA		Tower Theatre
11/12		Boston, MA		Orpheum Theatre
11/14		Detroit, MI		State Theatre
11/15		Toronto, ON		Kool Haus
11/17		Chicago, IL		Aragon Ballroom
11/18		Milwaukee, WI		Eagles Ballroom
11/19		Minneapolis, MN		Orpheum Theatre
11/21		Denver, CO		Fillmore
11/28		Eugene, OR		Hult Center
11/29		Vancouver, BC		Orpheum Theatre
11/30		Seattle, WA		Paramount Theatre
12/2		Berkeley, CA		Berkeley Community Theatre
12/3		Sacramento, CA		Memorial Auditorium
12/5		San Jose, CA		San Jose Civic Center
12/6		Los Angeles, CA		Palladium
12/8		San Diego, CA		Rimac
12/9		Phoenix, AZ		Mesa Amphitheatre

For more information on PRIMUS, contact:
MSO 818-380-0400

National:     Alexandra Greenberg x223      agreenberg@msopr.com
                 Libby Henry x224                    lhenry@msopr.com
                 Mitch Schneider x235               mschneider@msopr.com

Regional:    Shazila Mohammed x238         shazila@msopr.com

Press Release Teaser:
PRIMUS RETURNS WITH TWIN RELEASES ON OCTOBER 17: FIRST-EVER “BEST OF” CD ‘THEY CAN’T ALL BE ZINGERS’ AND DVD ‘BLAME IT ON THE FISH.’  NATIONAL HEADLINING  TOUR CONFIRMED FOR NOVEMBER AND DECEMBER