Bobby Burns & Joshua Toomey Reflect on Primer 55 - Ep001

This week Scott is joined by former Primer 55 members Bobby Burns
and Joshua Toomey. In this detailed discussion, the guys look
back on the history of the band. Primer 55 dealt with severe
highs and lows. From the highs of Bobby and Jason "J-Sin"
Luttrell forming the band in Memphis, obtaining a record deal,
and touring on Ozzfest to the lows of addiction, drama, band
member exits, and the death of Luttrell in 2018.

In this discussion, Burns and Toomey reflect on many of these
moments as well as behind the scenes stories of the band and its
inner-workikngs. It's an interesting fly-on-the-wall experience
to listen to the stories between these two. Additionally, Bobby
and Joshua shed light on their thoughts of a possible reunion in
2020 to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the debut lp,
'Introduction to Mayhem.'

You can hear Joshua Toomey weekly on his podcast Talk Toomey.
Full information and links can be found at
http://www.talktoomeypod.com/

 Primer 55 was formed in 1997 after years of suffering
through the stale music scene in Memphis, TN, dominated by death
metal and cover bands. Rather than sit back and complain, the
group decided to do something about it. Guitarist Bobby Burns,
led by his heavy metal past, co-founded the band with vocalist
J-Sin, who added a more hip-hop flavor to the mix. The two
enlisted the help of friends Mike "Jr." Christopher on bass and
Josh McLane on drums. They soon gained an underground following
from their intense live performances and in 1999 released their
self-titled debut album on the independent label Propellant
Transmissions. Shortly after this release, the group was offered
a contract with Island Def Jam. After they graciously accepted
the offer, the group continued with their hybrid heavy
metal/hip-hop style on their 2000 release Introduction to Mayhem.
The album is a trip into the depths of extreme passion and music
authority. With the help of Incubus DJ Chris Kilmore, (hed) p.e.
frontman MCUD, and Relative Ash vocalist Mark Harrington, the
album solidified Primer 55 as a musical force to be reckoned
with. Following the release, the band toured almost nonstop and
found themselves amongst the elite of hard rock. In 2001, the
band replaced drummer Josh McLane, who left for personal reasons,
with John Kamoosi to continue work on new material.

On August 14, 2001, Primer 55 released their second studio album,
(the) New Release. It went to number 1 on the Billboard
Heatseekers Chart and No. 102 on the Billboard 200. The
album's single, "This Life" peaked at No. 37 on Billboard's
Mainstream Rock Tracks Chart. After the album's initial success,
it was suddenly shelved by Island Records. Burns told
PureGrainAudio, "The album was out 2 months then 9/11 happened
and we got lost in that shuffle that was going on in NY at that
time."


Despite having their album shelved, the band embarked on "The $12
Riot Tour" on October 31 with Dope, Skinlab and Society 1. The
next year, Primer 55 performed as the opening act at the 2002