bio taken from primer55 hompage @ primer55.com

J-Sin--Vocals
Bobby Burns--Guitar
Kobe Jackson - Bass
Preston Nash - Drums

Give most bands the opportunity to sign a contract with a major record label, and they'd be willing to do whatever it takes to satisfy the corporate powers that be. It all goes hand-in-hand with being a commercial success, they'll argue. But not Primer 55. While they graciously accepted the offer to join the Island Def Jam artist roster, the sonic assailants made certain that the release of their debut, Introduction to Mayhem, would live up to the standards of the band's hybrid hard-core, heavy metal, hip-hop past.

For frontman J-Sin, the band's primary lyricist and most vivid display of hip-hop tendencies, that means keeping Primer 55 focused on the same vision that has fueled their three-year rise atop the Memphis music scene. "We're not going to use the word 'cookie' just so our song can rhyme," he says dryly, but in a pronounced Southern accent. "Our lyrics are real, about stuff we see going on around us everyday. It's shit everyone can relate to, we're not just writing because we're sad, we're writing music because that's the way we are. Do we sound pissed off? Maybe, but that's because of our surroundings."

"I don't know if you've ever been to downtown Memphis," adds guitarist Bobby Burns, the band's founder and principal songwriter, "but I feel more comfortable walking around the streets of New York City alone at night. Memphis is in the south; there's racism, and a lot of the 'this person hates the next person' mentality. I wasn't raised that way." But Primer 55 found themselves right in the heart of it, their rehearsal studio located in the city's equivalent of a de-militarized zone. "There were always people down there starting trouble," the guitarist continues, admitting that he and his band were often an easy target, with their piercings and hard core disciplines. In fact, it wasn't far from their rehearsal space that drummer Josh McLane had his shoes robbed at gunpoint. "And it wasn't just the junkies. There were also hillbilly pickup truck drivers and a lot of college kids that would come down there, waving their rebel flags. There were car chases and shootings all the time. Living with that made us, and that's what Introduction to Mayhem is all about."

Accordingly, when you ask the band what bands they'd like to be associated with in today's exploding metal scene, the list is as varied as the genre: Soulfly, Sevendust, Static X, Puya, Deftones, Vision of Disorder... "They're all real bands, and they're all real people. You see them out there with their fans, not hiding backstage being rock stars," says Burns. Like all of those bands, Primer 55's music is incendiary, blasting course lyrics over a rock solid musical epicenter--Burns laying down guitars that run the extreme gamut from a hard core machine gun spray, to a metallic squalor and beyond, grinding into the groove of McLane and bassist Mike Christopher. Think Cypress Hill and House of Pain meets Helmet on one of their more melody-laden, full-metal stomps.

"I've always loved the style of hip-hop, I've just never liked the subject matter," says J-Sin. Then we had the idea of putting its delivery over hard core music and combining the styles we like." With that intent, Primer 55 was born three years ago, the product of a stale Memphis scene that was dominated by death metal and cover bands. They rose up through the scene with their intense, high energy live performances. "There is no room for lazy people at our show. We bring it on live," says Burns who brought a more commercially minded sensibility to the table, with tastes ranging from Peter Frampton and KISS, to Duran Duran and Black Flag. "I'm more into heavy music, and he's more into hip-hop," the guitarist says of his chemistry with J-Sin. "That's what makes us really different-If we were both into heavy music, we'd be a death metal band. Instead, we're everybody's own jigsaw puzzle to figure out."

From "Loose"--the first song the band ever wrote together, and a scalding introduction to Primer 55 as Mayhem's opening track--to the more pointed rage of the anti-gangster-themed rap of "G's," the fan-fueled energy of "Set if Off" and the album's title track--a Primer anthem if there ever was one--Introduction to Mayhem is a no-holds-barred descent to the depths of extreme passion and musical authority. And in the tradition of hip-hop community at its finest, they've even got a handful of their friends in on the action: Incubus DJ Chris Kilmore appears on "G's," "Loose," "Supa Freak Love" and "Pigs," (hed) pe's M.C.U.D. (Underdog) contributes vocals to "Set it Off," and Relative Ash frontman and Island Def Jam labelmate, Mark Harrington--adds backing vocals on "The Big Fuck You," a track dedicated to "all of the people that piss us off, because the world's not a big enough place for people to be dicks to each other."

No, it's not, and Primer 55 address that with a sound that wraps the intensity of the Rollins Band, the street-level passion of true hip-hop, and an unmistakable metal thunder. "I may not have a lot of money, but I consider myself very fortunate," says Burns. "I love fuckin' music, and now I'm sitting here with a record deal--We work hard, we take it very seriously, and we're getting to do what we want to do, what could be any better? Bring it on!"

---added by chris schloegel on 4.4.2k

In the month of March, in the year 2000, Josh decided to leave the band because he was tired of touring and did not want to make music his life. The band choose John Kamoosi, ex-dayinthelife drummer to fill his shoes. Kamoosi had been a long-time friend of Bobby Burns and as he said: "He's been a good friend of mine for awhile, so he was basically already apart of the family.. I'm sure you all will dig him.. " John apparently played a good show after having only 6 hours of practice on their first night with him.

---added by chris schloegel on 6.19.2k

Once again P55 got a new drummer, John was asked to leave due to "artistic differences" P55 left an open invitation for drumers to audition and ended up with Kevin Jackson. Kevin toured with P55 in the year 2000 Ozzfest Tour.

When we last saw Primer 55, they were wrapping up a year-long road jaunt in support of debut album Introduction To Mayhem, a grinding disc of jagged hooks and diamond-like hardness. Featuring such fan favorites as "Loose," "Introduction to Mayhem" and "The Big Fuck You," the album was hailed for its wrecking-ball dynamic and pit-surging rhythms. Wrote Metal Edge, "Primer 55's Introduction To Mayhem punches each measure with the fist that declares freedom as a birthright." CMJ called the album "a groove machine" and praised the band for having "an intensity level that's always turned up to 11." But perhaps Hit Parader put it best : "In style and approach, Primer 55 seem destined to make a big mark on the rock and roll world.
"The Louisville, Kentucky-based band hit the ground running, touring with acts such as Slipknot, Staind and Sevendust, while also sharing stages with the likes of Godsmack, P.O.D. and Ozzy Osbourne as part of Ozzfest 2000. As if that didn't keep them busy enough, Primer 55 appeared on The Ozzfest: Second Stage Live CD, recorded a cover of N.W.A.'s "Appetite For Destruction" for Priority's Rebirth of Loud, and contributed a track to WCW Mayhem, the soundtrack for World Championship Wrestling. "The whole year was a like a blur to me," says Primer 55 guitarist Bobby Burns. "As soon as one tour ended, we'd start another. It was the most amazing experienceÑwe were completely blown away by the audiences. We were on the road for several months before the album came out and we consistently got great reactions even though nobody knew who we were. I take great pride in that.""

""I got addicted to being on the road," laughs vocalist Jason. "I love the adrenaline rush that comes from watching how our music affects the people in the audience. It's an incredible feeling." "

When the grueling tour ended, the road-tightened group returned home fully developed, their sights firmly focused on making new music. "Traveling around the country, meeting all kinds of people and experiencing a different side of life really affected us," says Burns. "It definitely influenced our writing and you can hear that immediately."

One spin of (The) New Release and it's obvious you're listening to a band that's gone through a process of creative revitalization. As Jason tells it, "This album is night and day compared to the first one. We were kids when we wrote the last record pissed at everything and needing to vent. This time we opened up and wrote about the personal changes we went through instead of railing against the world. I think the growth is pretty noticeable."

Recharged and feeling musically liberated, Primer 55 has crafted a seething album that broadens with each listen. Produced by Burns and collaborator Eddie Wohl, (The) New Release retains all the key elements of the first albumÑmeat-grinding guitars, throbbing grooves and Jason's primal scream with a few surprises thrown in for good measure. Among the album's many highlights is "Texas," a deliciously raw, reggae-tinged rock cut, and "Hesitation," a nerve-jangled blend of coiled-up guitars and hornsÑa far cry from what the genre typically offers.

Says Burns, "I've always wanted to incorporate horns into a heavy song, but felt scared to do so. This time, it was just like, fuck it, if I want to try something different, I'm just gonna go for it. I'm really proud of the way the song and the albumÑcame out."

Adds Jason, "We also made sure not to listen to any current music. During the writing and recording period, we never listened to the radio or watched MTV because we didn't want any outside influences creeping into the songs. We wanted everything to be fresh." And is Burns tough as a producer? "He can be," laughs Jason, "But he also helps me to be the best I can. We're also not afraid to tell each other that something sucks. We never settle for anything less than 100% satisfaction."

Such breakthroughs don't come easy, as Burns and Jason can attest. In addition to bringing in a new rhythm section ex-Dope drummer Preston Nash and bassist Kobe Jackson the duo turned themselves inside out to make the album.

"I'm really big into melody and took an active approach in the overall songwriting," explains Burns (who makes his vocal debut in the song, "Pills"). "I didn't want J to be around when I recorded the music because he was already familiar with the demo versions. The finished versions were radically different and I knew they would take on new meaning for him. The goal was to have every song sound unique by evoking a different emotionÑand it worked."

A case in point is leadoff single "This Life," a harrowing look at spousal abuse. "That song is written about people we all know," says Burns. "It's inspired by a real event and it's about a victim who decides she's had enough and gets out of the situation the only way she canÑby shooting her abuser." In "Tricycle," Burns recalls a time when he didn't have to worry about marketing strategies and mortgages. "It's about my memories of growing up," he smiles. "Life was so much easier back then. We thought we had it rough because our parents would give us crap, but I'd give anything to be that little kid my mom yelled at to clean up his room." "My Girl" is a look at how life on the road can take its toll on one's personal life. "Being away from home can be really difficult," says Burns. "The ups and downs of it are a very real situation for us. As much as I love being out there and playing, I get really homesick. I'm lucky that my relationship has endured in spite of it."

What keeps him going during the tough times?

At a time when most metal bands are content to simply bash away, Primer 55 has raised the stakes with (The) New Release, a dynamically diverse album that extends the parameters of rock songcraft.

Says Burns, "This album was influenced by some of my favorite artists the Beatles, Peter Frampton, Kiss, Black Sabbath bands who made records that were real. You listen to those albums and the tones are rich and warm and each band sounded unique. All the guitar tones on today's records sound the same because each player thinks he needs to sound like the rest. Back in the '70s, it was about individuality and that was what made the music special. Now we're saturated with same-sounding bands. There are too many people trying to live in the same house. We wanted to make a record that people can listen to in 10 years and say, that's still good music. I don't want to be categorized. I just want to be a rock and roll band."