Primus Announces ‘Conspiranoid’ EP, Reveals Title Track
‘Conspiranoid’ is out April 22nd via ATO Records.
As they gear up for their 64-date world tour, “A Tribute To Kings,” paying homage to prog-rock legends, Rush, Primus has announced a new three-song EP, Conspiranoid, out April 22nd via ATO Records.
The band announced the EP with the release of its epic, 11-minute opening track, “Conspiranoia.” Bassist Les Claypool provided a statement to Consequence, saying, “I’d been itching to record an opus—basically a long, winding, bastard of a song, reminiscent of some of the compositions I cut my teeth (or ears) on, in my music-hungry adolescence.” He adds, “‘Conspiranoia’ was sprouted from a seed I had planted in my notebook a year or so ago—a few lines commenting on the mental state of the contemporary world.”
The release of Conspiranoid will coincide with the second leg of Primus’ wildly popular “A Tribute To Kings” Tour, which finds the Bay area trio performing Rush’s 1977 album A Farewell To Kings in its entirety, following a set of their own music. Kicking off in Oklahoma City before winding its way throughout the US, and then ultimately to Europe this fall, the second leg will also include the tour’s first stops in Canada, beginning with two dates in Toronto on May 13-14. Rush was formed in Toronto in 1968. The US performances will also feature special guests Battles, Black Mountain, and The Black Angels.
Two additional “A Tribute To Kings” tour dates have just been announced at Gerald R. Ford Amphitheatre in Vail, CO on August 12 and 13. A special pre-sale, including VIP upgrade options, is currently open. A local pre-sale will open on Thursday, April 7 at 10am local time. Tickets go on sale to the general public on Friday, April 8 at 10am local time.
As Claypool told Rolling Stone, the “A Tribute To Kings” Tour is about paying homage to a band that has given him so much inspiration over the years.
“Hemispheres was my first concert,” Claypool said, referring to Rush’s 1978 album and tour. “Originally we’d always kind of joked around about doing Hemispheres…but we settled on Kings, because A) it was the first Rush record I ever heard and B) it contains ‘Cygnus X-1,’ which has always been my favorite Rush tune. It seems to be a good one for us to tackle; 2112 seemed a little obvious.”
