Los Angeles power-trio Primitive Ring make their Australian debut this October as special guests to Mudhoney.
Primitive Ring are a Los Angeles based power trio comprised of Bert Hoover (bass/vocals), Charles Moothart (guitar/vocals), and Jon Modaff (drums) collectively featuring members or ex-members of noted LA pysch / rock outfits Fuzz, Frankie & The Witch Fingers, GOGGS and more, while in recent months Charles has also spent time as the touring guitarist for Iggy Pop.
Formed in September 2024 when Hoover and Moothart came together seeking a new creative outlet. They hauled amps and drums into bars to hone the sound of the newfound brotherhood that is Primitive Ring.
“Sometimes you just need to kind of hit refresh on that creative energy. We talked about just getting together and jamming, and Jon [Modaff] has played drums with Bert a lot. Jon was also then playing drums with me, and so we’d all spent time playing music together. So it just made sense, like our worlds were kind of coming together, you know?” – Charles
The band then released 4 x 7″s on four different labels (Greenway, In the Red, Reverberation Appreciation Society, and Fuzz Club UK) before moving into 2026 and finding release for their self-titled debut album on LA’s premiere garage label In The Red.
“What keeps Primitive Ring from feeling like a genre exercise is how naturally each member’s personality bleeds into the songs. Moothart’s guitar playing is all attack, favoring tones that feel scuffed and slightly dangerous. Hoover’s bass sits high enough in the mix that it’s practically leading the charge on several tracks, and Modaff hits the drums like he has a score to settle. The album pulls from the same sludgy psych well as Blue Cheer and the early Stooges, but the energy reads more like a party. I think that balance is what makes repeated listens so easy as it’s heavy without being punishing.” – The Fire Note
Rock and roll is in its essence a primal experience, and the name reflects that. Three individuals collide and egos rattle, shedding layers and growing new limbs. Archetypes flash to the rhythm of a freight train and the crown is passed hand to hand like a good luck charm, symbolic and communal. Rock and roll is for the people and Primitive Ring is for the taking.
Hear album opener Fire and Brimstone, a perfect distillation of everything their debut holds near and dear and catch Primitive Ring live this October as special guests to Mudhoney.