Primus are on the hunt for a new drummer, and it could be anyone.

The veteran rock band – who celebrate their 40th anniversary this year – shared an open call out for a new drummer on social media today (Nov. 18) following the recent and unexpected departure of longtime percussionist Tim ‘Herb’ Alexander.

“We are currently taking submissions from all points in the universe for the position of Primus drummer/percussionist,” the group wrote. 

“Seeking a well-mannered, affable individual with original sensibility and aesthetic, possessing a desire to open new doors in the creative world,” they clarified. “Flashy chops are wonderful, but groove, pocket, and the ability to listen, react, and contribute to the musical conversation is a must.”

The band closed their post by urging potential applicants to submit both a resumé and a recent video performance to a dedicated email address.

The search has begun just week’s after Primus mainstays Les Claypool and Larry LaLonde revealed that Alexander had resigned suddenly on Oct. 17 via email “effective immediately”, citing a “loss of passion for playing”—a reason that Claypool and LaLonde admitted “came as a complete shock.”

“On the heels of a wonderful spring & summer of touring and some fabulous plans ahead, it has been a bit bewildering for us that Herb would so abruptly opt out,” Claypool and LaLonde said.

“After several attempts to communicate with Herb, his only response was another email stating that he has ‘lost his passion for playing.’ As disappointing as that is, we respect his choice and it’s forced us to make some tough decisions.”

In an interview with Rolling Stone following his exit, Alexander confirmed that his initial passion had become more like a job during his time in the band. “Over time, I started realizing that it was affecting my physical life, it was affecting my mental life, and it was affecting my family life, and my heart just wasn’t in it,” he said.

Alexander initially joined Primus in 1989, performing on their first four albums until his first departure in 1996. Replaced by his predecessor Bryan ‘Brain’ Mantia until the band’s 2000 breakup, Alexander rejoined the group for their 2003 reunion, leaving again in 2010 before coming back to the fold once again in 2013.

Primus will reportedly move forward with their New Year’s Eve show in Oakland, California, enlisting members of Claypool’s other projects, Holy Mackerel and Frog Brigade, for a “special, one-time event.” Additionally, for their upcoming Dominican Republic festival date, they’ll be joined by Tool drummer Danny Carey. 

The search for a new member echoes the efforts of the Smashing Pumpkins, who announced in January 2024 they would be holding an open audition process to replace former guitarist Jeff Schroeder. Frontman Billy Corgan later took to social media to reveal that within just 11 days, they had received over 10,000 submissions, with Kiki Wong ultimately being announced as their new member in April.

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When Queen Bey calls, the BeyHive answers.

While some fans are gearing up to watch Beyoncé headline the Houston Texans vs. Baltimore Ravens halftime show on Netflix next month, others are planning to see the performance in person. VividSeats saw a 40% spike in resale ticket prices following Sunday’s (Nov. 17) surprise announcement, Forbes reports.

The holiday matchup, taking place at Houston’s NRG Stadium, will mark Beyoncé’s first live performance since the release of her Grammy-nominated Cowboy Carter album and a must-watch moment for members of the Hive. For those who want to watch from the stadium, we’ve rounded up the best ways to score tickets.

Keep reading for more information on game day tickets.

How to Get Beyoncé Tickets

Beyoncé is no stranger to packing stadiums, but the Houston native took a break from live performances after wrapping up the Renaissance Tour last fall, meaning the Ravens vs. Texans game will be the only chance to see her perform live before the year ends.

Game day tickets are available at SeatGeek, Vivid Seats, StubHub, TicketNetwork, GameTime and Ticketmaster. Prices range from approximately $243 at StubHub, $238 at SeatGeek and as low as $219 via Vivid Seats. The most expensive seats can cost you anywhere from $375 to more than $1,900.

If you happen to miss out on tickets to the game, there are a few passes left for the Premium Tailgate Party hosted by Tailgating Hall of Fame. The party starts at 11:30 a.m. local time.

No matter how you watch, whether it’s at home, a watch party or in person, the performance will be a treat for fans. The halftime set will reportedly include “special guests” featured on Cowboy Carter.

Released in March, Beyoncé’s eighth studio album earned 11 Grammy nominations including album of the year and country album of the year. This latest round of Grammy nods brings Beyoncé’s total to 99 – the most nominations of any artist in history.

Chris Stapleton and Ashley Gorley were top winners of the 2024 ASCAP Country Music Awards, celebrating the songwriters and publishers of country music’s most-performed ASCAP songs of the past year. The awards were presented at an invitation-only gathering in Nashville on Monday (Nov. 18).

Stapleton received the ASCAP Country Music Songwriter/Artist of the Year honor. Gorley won his 11th ASCAP Country Music Songwriter of the Year honor, which is more than anyone else in the 62-year history of the ASCAP Country Music Awards. 

Stapleton and Gorley will be competing for song of the year at the CMA Awards on Wednesday. Stapleton is nominated for co-writing his own hit “White Horse”; Gorley for co-writing “I Had Some Help,” the Post Malone smash featuring Morgan Wallen. Fun Fact: Stapleton and Gorley, both Kentucky natives, were born just 34 miles and less than one year apart. Stapleton was born in 1978 in Lexington; Gorley in 1977 in Danville.

Stapleton’s “White Horse” (co-written by ASCAP member Dan Wilson) and “Think I’m in Love with You” were among ASCAP’s 50 most-performed country songs of the year.

Gorley co-wrote Wallen’s megahit “Last Night,” which is the ASCAP Country Song of the Year. Co-written by JKash and Gorley, the song marks Gorley’s fourth ASCAP Country Song of the Year win. He previously won for “You Proof” (2023), “One of Them Girls” (2021) and “You’re Gonna Miss This” (2009).

Sony Music Publishing, Kobalt Songs Music Publishing, Domain Capital Group, Poppy’s Picks, Prescription Songs and Rap Kingpin Music shared in the honor for “Last Night.” The Grammy-nominated single spent 16 non-consecutive weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 2023.

Gorley had a total of 11 songs among ASCAP’s 50 most performed country songs of the year. The others, and the artists who made them famous, are: “All I Need is You” (Chris Janson), “Bulletproof” (Nate Smith), “Cowgirls” (Wallen), “God Gave Me a Girl” (Russell Dickerson), “I Had Some Help” (Wallen and Post Malone), “Save Me the Trouble” (Dan + Shay), “This Town’s Been Too Good to Us” (Dylan Scott), “Truck Bed” (Hardy), “World On Fire” (Nate Smith) and “Young Love & Saturday Nights” (Chris Young).

Gorley was nominated last week for induction to the Songwriters Hall of Fame; eligible voting members have until midnight ET on Dec. 22 to turn in their ballots.

Sony Music Publishing was named ASCAP Country Music Publisher of the Year for the 11th time, with 24 of this year’s most-performed songs. Sony Music Publishing Nashville CEO Rusty Gaston accepted the award.

Among Sony Music Publishing’s top songs are “A Bar Song (Tipsy),” Shaboozey’s mega-hit that has spent 17 weeks at No. 1 on the Hot 100, as well as “Can’t Break Up Now” (Old Dominion and Megan Moroney), “If You Go Down (I’m Goin’ Down Too)” (Kelsea Ballerini), “Texas Hold ‘Em” (Beyoncé), “Outskirts” (Sam Hunt), “Bulletproof” (Nate Smith), “Save Me the Trouble” (Dan + Shay), “I Can Feel It” (Kane Brown), “Light On in the Kitchen” (Ashley McBryde) and “Austin” (Dasha).

ASCAP CEO Elizabeth Matthews, ASCAP chairman of the board and president Paul Williams and ASCAP vice president of Nashville membership Mike Sistad handed out awards. Rising duo Everette performed their recent single “High and Lonesome.”

A complete list of ASCAP Country Music Award winners can be found at: ASCAP.com/countryawards24.

As K-pop continues its meteoric rise on the global stage, the industry’s biggest award show sets a new milestone with its first-ever U.S. date for its 25th anniversary.

This week, on Nov. 21, 2024, the MAMA Awards will be held at Hollywood’s iconic Dolby Theater, marking the first time the event has crossed over to the States since its introduction in 1999. Widely regarded as one of the premiere K-pop events of the year, the MAMAs have spent the last 25 years growing from a music video awards ceremony in a Seoul theater to a multi-day, international affair across Asia. This year, the 2024 MAMA Awards will kick off with one night in Los Angeles before jumping to two days at the massive Kyocera Dome stadium in Osaka, Japan.

“Taking a first step is challenging, but at the same time, it’s meaningful,” MAMA’s chief producer Yoon Shin Hye shares with Billboard. “We strive to present various stages with an unmatched scale and provide unique experiences to global fans.”

This year’s theme, “Big Blur: What is Real?,” encapsulates MAMA’s commitment to pushing boundaries and exploring ways to reshape and rethink the music industry. Meanwhile, legendary K-pop producer and music executive J.Y. Park will link with Anderson. Paak for a meeting of the musical minds, as HYBE and Universal Music’s LA-based girl group KATSEYE will team up with another local troupe in the Los Angeles Rams Cheerleaders.

In this exclusive preview of this year’s show MAMA’s chief producer Yoon Shin Hye, delves into the vision and execution behind this year’s event. From overcoming the logistical challenges of hosting in two countries to crafting unique collabs that embody the MAMA spirit, the CJ ENM executive offers an inside look at the dedication and innovation driving the award show to evolve at its 25th anniversary.

Congratulations on what’s sure to be the biggest MAMA Awards. While I know having a ceremony in the U.S. was spoken about in the past, what happened to make it officially occur this year?

Yoon Shin Hye: Looking back on our 25-year MAMA heritage, MAMA has been held across Asia including Macao, Singapore, Hong Kong, Vietnam and Japan and evolved to become the world’s No. 1 K-Pop awards, which started as the “Mnet Asian Music Awards.” Over the course of our 25-year journey, MAMA Awards has realized the value of “MUSIC MAKES ONE” with the growth of K-pop, and has established our own unmatched system and know-hows through facing and overcoming countless challenges. This has paved the way to host MAMA Awards in the U.S.

How long did it take to confirm MAMA in LA?

Every year as we hold KCON LA, I could feel the strong passion of fans in the U.S. and thought 2024 would be the right time to take a first step in the U.S. with the growth of K-pop. In the planning phase, we came up with the concept of “BIG BLUR,” as it’s about blurred boundaries between time and space, online and offline, imaginary and reality, language and culture, I thought it would be fun to run the MAMA Awards in relays from U.S. to Japan, and this perfectly fits to this year’s story.

How did the Los Angeles lineup come together?

As MAMA Awards is taking a significant first step in the U.S., we thought it would be meaningful to have rookies. So, we made a lineup for the first MAMA Awards in the U.S. with rookie artists. Plus, we have J.Y. Park, who marks the 30th anniversary of his debut, and RIIZE, who have special memories in the U.S. The group debuted in LA, and this year marks the first year of their debut and they are set to show something about their debut stories at MAMA Awards.

What went into the collaborations between J.Y. Park and Anderson .Paak, and KATSEYES with the LA Rams Cheerleaders? Take us through the process.

We wanted to show and present collaborations that have never been seen anywhere else only at MAMA Awards, and what only MAMA can make it happen. This year marks the 30th anniversary of J.Y. Park’s debut — he’s a renowned K-pop producer and K-pop artist — and Anderson .Paak is a Grammy Award winner. Anderson .Paak also has a strong interest in K-pop and recently directed a film about K-pop titled K-Pops! and, as it happens, the two artists are of the same Miryang Park clan [a Korean clan originating from the southeastern city of Miryang in South Korea].

On top of that, we have another special collaboration between the global girl group KATSEYE and the Los Angeles Rams Cheerleaders. We brought ideas about what we can only do in LA, what can be seen only at MAMA and to present performances with a diverse group of artists and become one through music at MAMA.

Actor Park Bo Gum will be the host for the U.S. date. How are you and he preparing?

Park Bo Gum has been with MAMA as a host since 2017 and he hosts the show with sincerity and delivers what MAMA wants to tell about its value and story. We’re confident that we can deliver our message and story well with our host, Park Bo Gum, at the MAMA Awards US.  Park is also looking forward to hosting.

What challenges have you faced or do you anticipate facing to successfully hold the MAMA Awards in LA for the first time?

MAMA tries a new thing every year. We strive to present various stages with an unmatched scale and provide unique experiences to global fans. This year, the MAMA Awards will take place in the U.S. and Japan in relays and be broadcast live around the world. This reflects our commitment to bringing people together around the world. This year’s concept especially means opening and creating a new world of MAMA that transcends dimensions of time and space. We decided to host MAMA Awards in two different regions, starting in LA on the 21st and then moving over to Osaka for two days. Taking a first step is challenging, but at the same time, it’s meaningful. Given the time difference and distance, it wasn’t easy to arrange a meeting to prepare and discuss, but the whole process was meaningful and fun to work toward the same goal with artists and staff to create a great show.

The Dolby Theater in Hollywood is a very different venue than the Kyocera Dome. How do you create a seamless experience between a theater and a stadium?

LA Dolby Theatre is a symbolic place to many and home of the Oscars, where the Academy Awards is held every year; it’s like the heart of Hollywood. For the past few years, MAMA Awards has been held at a dome-style venue, and Dolby Theatre has its own mood as a venue and different characteristics. We are going to show something different from our previous MAMA stages and artists will take the stage in a different way at the distinctive venue.

With Los Angeles opening the MAMA Awards this year, can you share the ways you’ll establish the “Big Blur: What is Real?” theme? It’s very interesting but somewhat abstract.

MAMA has always wondered what kind of a new thing will be created when new technology meets art, and has visualized and created stages with that idea. MAMA’s concepts have been comprehensive ones, reflecting trends and environmental changes like the world shifting from analog to digital age, and globally being connected online in this digital era. At this year’s MAMA, we wanted to talk about chaos caused by rapid technological change in our time, which is happening faster than ever and how technological advancement and convergence across industries are affecting the music industry. We also reflected our willingness to create MAMA’s own “NEW THING” that crosses boundaries between imaginary and reality, time and space and online and offline. And we wanted to ask a question of “What is Real?” and make people think about what kind of music they really like.

Historically, MAMA has been a place for new TV projects or teasers to be announced, like Produce 48 or Boys Planet. Are there any surprises for audiences this time?

As we have been taking an uncharted path, MAMA will be full of ever-evolving performances. We are working hard to meet high expectations. MAMA is one “big live show,” and will have many surprising moments. Although watching performances in clips is becoming more common these days, I’m sure it will be much more fun to watch it live.