John Hoffman & Primus Pocket: What Vince Thinks

Hoffman says Primus is still building

In a Rock ’n’ Roll Grad School interview reported on July 28, drummer John Hoffman said Primus has done substantial recording but is not finished with its next album. He described time spent testing riffs with Les Claypool and Larry LaLonde while the three musicians learn how to work together without overthinking each other. Primus’s official Bandcamp page documents the lineup on A Handful of Nuggs. Those are the verified developments; the pocket lesson is Vince’s interpretation.

Pocket is a relationship, not a trick

Hoffman won Primus’s widely followed drummer search, yet the new interview makes an important point: winning the seat did not finish the musical work. The myth worth challenging is that great players should click instantly. Chops can earn an audition, but pocket grows when musicians learn where everyone places time, leaves space and changes intensity. Dependability is not boring. It gives the band enough trust to take creative risks without losing the song.

Build three answers to one riff

Set a metronome to 80 BPM and play eight bars of a simple groove: closed hi-hat eighth notes, snare on two and four, and kick on one, the “and” of two, and three. Hum the same short bass phrase while you play. Keep the backbeat and tempo fixed; that is your shared language.

Record three versions. First, play the groove exactly as written. Second, remove one hi-hat note at the end of each second bar. Third, add one quiet ghost note before beat three. Use no fill. Listen back and choose the version that gives the imagined bass line the clearest shape. The most interesting part is not automatically the one with more notes.

How Vince teaches it

Vince would begin with the student’s current level and a bass-driven song they want to play. He would diagnose whether the pocket breaks because of a rushed kick, uneven backbeat, loud ghost notes, tension or too many ideas. Vince would isolate two bars, simplify the limbs and adapt the tempo before rebuilding the groove one layer at a time. Timing comes first, then technique, coordination, sound and musical judgment, so confidence develops through clear choices.

Bring a Primus-inspired riff—or any song where bass and drums must negotiate space—to private drum lessons with Vince in Montreal or online. Beginners can compare two simple kick patterns; advanced drummers can refine displacement and ghost-note balance. Starting lessons gives you a specific next step: Vince can identify what interrupts the relationship and design a practice version that serves your musical goal.