Refused Release Official Reunion Statement

Refused have released an official statement regarding their recently announced reunion:

"We had a band once, in Umeå. We would pile in a van, like every other punkband, and thunder off in pursuit of friends and glory in some basement in front of 20 people, 50 people, in towns 4-5 hours away. Sometimes there would be more than a hundred people and we would later in the week refer to that as a "big show". We were ambitious, but we didn't think of it as a career. We never made any fiscal sense whatsoever during 7 years of touring. Like most punkbands, it never occured to us to even try. We had a scene, we had some politics and we had just a hint of artistic ambition. True to our swedish roots we got very serious very fast. And then suddenly we got good. It's a delicate path to tread for precocious twentysomethings anywhere on the planet, but this particular bunch didn't make it. And that was fine. Most enterprises in life are unrelated to incredibly violent rock music.
It's been a motley 14 years since our band came apart. We've all kept busy in our respective endeavors but we've all remained friends and kept in touch. There have been offers, and lots of jokes about these offers. We've sort of looked down from our high horses and made fun of people who've just wanted to share the psychopathic intensity that we would deliver on a nightly basis in our post-pubescent prime. A reunion has just seemed irrelevant to us. Too much other shit to do.
But then Kristofer got his degree from the Swedish opera academy, Jons medical studies began drawing to a close and Dennis and David started a new hardcore band together. Finally, after a decade and a half hiatus, Kristofer picked up the guitar again. Which made David want to play the drums again. Which in turn led to all four of us suddenly making new music in assorted constellations. As all this was brewing, Coachella got in touch. There were a couple of phone-calls, lots of skepticism, some hesitant enthusiasm before one of us basically said: "– This is ridiculous. There are friends of ours who would murder close relatives just to go see bands there. Let's just do it, one last time." And with that, socialist ***-loving pc scumbags were on the road again.
We never did "The shape of punk to come" justice back when it came out, too tangled up in petty internal bickering to really focus on the job. And suddenly there's this possibility to do it like it was intended. We wanna do it over, do it right. For the people who've kept the music alive through the years, but also for our own sakes.
We feel that you deserve it and we hope the feeling is mutual.

See you in the pit.

//Refused"

Valencia Frontman Shane Henderson Releases Statement Before Final Show

Valencia frontman Shane Henderson has released a statement prior to the band's final show tonight (December 28th) in Philadelphia, PA regarding the future of Valencia and more.

"I was going to get all emotional and write a really long post about tomorrow and about the last 8 years of my life, but honestly it all really comes down to me just saying thank you. Thank you to our fans, the people we care about the most, the people that kept us going strong when we didn’t know if we could do it. Thank you to the amazing people who have paid to see us play some of whom have been to 91, yes count them 91, Valencia shows. Thank you to the people who went ape shit at our shows and made the 10 hr drives worth it for me, thank you to everyone who bought a t-shirt so that the 5 of us could eat on tour, thank you to the people who put us up for days sometimes weeks at a time, thank you to the ones who consistently had our backs when the shit heads would come out swinging with criticism, thank you to our Isurrender records family and everyone involved in the production of our music, thank you to all the bands we’ve shared the road with, thank you to all the countries who have showed us love even though we are from so very far away, thank you to our families for believing in us, thank you to our girlfriends for dealing with the stress of long distance relationships, thank you to the people who bought our records, thank you to our friends who have inspired us to follow our dreams knowing you’ll be right there no matter what. Thank you to the people who have shared their life stories and how our music positively affected them. I could go on and on, but really, thank you for allowing me to live out my dream. Without you none of this would be possible. Someone once told me that success should only ever be measured on a personal level, because as long as you are happy with yourself and your efforts then you should consider yourself successful. Well, I am proud of our accomplishments and proud of our work ethic, and consider the last 8 years to be a successful run.

This is not goodbye forever, more like see you sometime soon. Never forget the memories we have all shared together… I know I won’t. As for the future, I hope you all find your reason to believe, because I am pretty certain I have. Thank you all! I love you and hope to see you tomorrow.

-Shane"

Hey Monday Guitarist Releases Statement Regarding Hiatus

Hey Monday guitarist, Mike Gentile has released a statement regarding the recent announcement of the band going on a hiatus and what he plans to do during the break.

"hey guys so i’m just going to fill you in on a few tidily bits. Hey Monday is still a band. The band is not broken up, however we are currently focusing on other aspects of our musical expression. as you all know, Cassadee is pursuing a solo endeavor. she has posted her info about it on her facebook page, so if you would like to go scope that! In lieu of this down time, I am pursuing new music; playing and writing with a new band. this will be my main focus. i’m extremely excited about this, and am looking forward to releasing information about my new band very soon. i’m working some things out, new bands don’t just happen over night! for what alex, pat, and christopher are up to in the meantime, keep up with their twitters and other social networking sites. Keep posted to my blog and twitter for details, ill be leaking little tidbits of info here and there until things are ready to be fully set in motion! whether it is with my new band, other friends that i have been playing/filling in for, or hey monday, i’ll be seeing you guys soon! :) p.s.- it’s extremely hard to be a band in today’s music industry. anything that will happen with my new band will happen because of you guys. i love you all to death, you guys are the fucking best. <3"

Oli Sykes (Bring Me The Horizon) Makes Statement Regarding Salt Lake City Assault

Oli Sykes of Bring Me The Horizon has made a statement regarding last night's incident in Salt Lake City:

"Just to clear any rumours… Nothing happened last night apart from a bunch of soft lads stomped on a lil kids head 5 seconds into our set, so we stopped playing, had a bit of a banter with em telling em to do one, then some fatty gets on stage tries to hit me, in which he completely fails, misses and falls over, and then gets sparked out by someone In our touring party. The “crew” then responded by running around the venue, breaking a very young girls jaw and stamping on her, and injuring a few more of our young fans. Proper hard init.

Not a member in Bmth or any of our touring party got so much as a scratch, oh one did want me to know he fucked my wife though, which hit me hard as you know I’ve been happily married for a long time now :)

Fucking mongs eh? What can u do?"

Valencia Release Statement Regarding Late Drummer Maxim Soria

Valencia have released a statement regarding the loss of former drummer, Maxim Soria, who tragically died in a motorcycle accident last week.

Ex-My Chemical Romance Drummer Releases Statement

Former My Chemical Romance drummer, Michael Pedicone has released a statement regarding his recent departure from the band.

" To the media, my colleagues in the music industry, and, most importantly, the fans of My Chemical Romance.

As many of you have heard by now, on Thursday evening I was let go as the touring drummer for MCR. The ensuing hours have been difficult for many reasons, but particularly because the actions that led to my dismissal have been twisted and misinterpreted via rumour mongering on the internet. With this, I’d like to put the rumours to rest.

Almost as soon as I began touring with MCR I ran into problems with a member of the band’s crew who I’ll not name. The problems were many, big and small, but some of them were large enough that they began to greatly impact me and, by extension, my family. I’d reached my wits’ end, and I made what was certainly the poorest decision of my life. Rather than address the issues that I had with the crew member in an open and honest manner, I tried to make them look irresponsible. My intention was to make this person look incompetent. I had no intention of profiting whatsoever. Again, I cannot overstate how poor my judgment was in this situation; it was a tremendous mistake, and it’s one I’ll regret for years to come.

I would have liked an opportunity to share my side of the story with MCR, an opportunity to express my remorse. I was never given one.

I’d like to thank MCR’s members, crew, and supporters for giving me some of the best musical experiences of my life in the past several months. However brief our partnership, it was an honour and a dream come true to play with such a talented bunch of individuals. I wish MCR the best of luck in the future, and I’m looking forward to my next endeavour."

Woe, Is Me Release Statement Regarding Tyler Carter's Departure

Woe, Is Me have released a statement regarding the departure of vocalist Tyler Carter:

"For those who have not yet heard: Woe, Is Me and Tyler Carter have parted ways.

It comes without saying that constantly touring is tough emotionally and physically.. All I can say is it's sad to see a friend go and we wish him the best of luck.

Our band's message has always been to follow your dreams, no matter what. So make no mistake: we will continue to follow ours, while Tyler follows his. Whether they lead us to the studio, in a bus touring the US, or cramped in a tiny van touring Europe.

This issue is a small bump in the road of this band's career in music. Nothing is going to stop us. We've all been pushing ourselves to our full capabilities on this new music (that we're recording as I type this). Stay tuned for the announcement of a new U.S. tour, studio updates, and much more!

Signed artists and unsigned talents feel free to send auditions here: wimvocals@gmail.com."

Motionless In White Part Ways With Guitarist

Motionless In White have officially parted way with guitarist, TJ Bell.

A statement from the band can be read here.

The Dangerous Summer Guitarist Responds To YMAEWK Break Up

Cody Payne of The Dangerous Summer has given his thoughts on the recent break up of You, Me And Everyone We Know.

Mark Hoppus Posts Statement Regarding Rescheduled Blink Tour

Mark Hoppus has posted the following statement regarding the postponement of Blink-182's UK tour.

"Hi. Mark here. I have been reading all of your comments, both here and on my twitter, and to those of you who're frustrated, angry, let down, and incredulous, I feel you. I feel the same way. I've had a while to process everything and I'm still bummed. This was not an easy decision for us at all. One of the hardest things we've had to do. Ever. It sucks. The point is we didn't want to rush and put out an inferior record. We also didn't want to become a band who relies on their past success and just plays the same songs every tour, even though we'll always play the older stuff as well. blink-182 NEEDS to make new music. For you, and for us. I did a long interview with Kerrang! about the postponement of the tour, and hopefully that helps explain everything a little better. I think it comes out on Wednesday. To those who've tried to be supportive and understanding, I thank you. For real. This needs to be the best album we've ever recorded, and we're working hard towards that goal. blink-182 for life."

Jonny Craig Releases Statement

Jonny Craig has released a statement in regards to what has been going on over last month.

"I want to apologize for my recent behavior. My actions regarding taking advantage of fans was inexcusable. I'm in the process of paying everyone back so please forgive me. My state of mind was completely shot and obviously my decision making skills were heavily impaired due to my drug use. I've since been in detox and successfully completed the treatment. I've learned a lot from this ordeal and I realized I've redeemed my second chance. I want to personally thank Eric at Artery and Craig at Rise for helping me through this emotionally and financially. I'm embarrassed with my past actions, I want to make amends to everyone I hurt. Again, sorry to all my fans, family, band mates and colleagues. I'm truly sorry. Now back to work...I'm looking forward to seeing all the DGD fans and their positive energy that they always bring to the shows. With that being said, the past will stay dead and let's toast to the future kids." -- Jonny Craig

Man Overboard Release Statement Regarding Upcoming UK Shows

Man Overboard guitarist, Justin Collier has sent over the following statement to Alter The Press regarding their upcoming UK shows next month:

"We'll be performing a 45 minute set each night on our UK tour with Senses Fail that will include songs we have never performed live before including, 'Arlington Drive' and 'Basics 101'. At the headline shows (February 14, 15th and 21st) we will play as long as everyone will listen. Our repertoire of songs we have rehearsed to play live in getting bigger and bigger!"

The band will play the following shows:

Feburary
14th - TBA*
15th - Dublin Whelan's*
16th - Folkstone Quarterhouse**
17th - London O2 Islington Academy**
18th - Southampton Joiners**
19th - Exeter Phoenix**
20th - Bristol O2 Academy 2**
21st - Bury St. Edmunds Pot Black*
22nd - Glasgow O2 ABC 2**
23rd - Sheffield O2 Academy 2**
24th - Birmingham O2 Academy 2**
25th - Norwich Waterfront**
26th - Oxford O2 Academy 2**
27th - Nottingham Rescue Rooms**
28th - Liverpool O2 Academy 2**

* - Headline show
** - w/ Senses Fail

Of Mice and Men Release Line-Up Change Statement

Of Mice and Men have released an official statement about the recent line-up changes, which saw vocalist Austin Carlile and guitarist Alan Ashby rejoin the band.

Click read more to read the statement.

Jerry Roush (Ex-Of Mice And Men) Comments About Being Kicked Out

Jerry Roush (ex-Of Mice And Men) has posted a statement regarding being kicked out of the band.

"hey everyone... after sacrificing a year out of my life to keep a band afloat and touring after they kicked out the original singer, i just got a call informing me that they are bringing him back and my services were no longer needed. They didnt offer me a reason. I think its a little odd seeing how they all talked epic amounts of shit on him the entire time. Anyway, i already have some new stuff up my sleeve and i WILL NOT stop. This isnt the last of Jerry Roush. Thanks to everyone who supported me... keep a lookout!"

The Dangerous Summer Post Statement Regarding Drummer's Departure

The Dangerous Summer have posted a statement regarding the recent news of Tyler Minsberg announcing his departure from the band.

"Dear everyone in the world,

We were going to wait till christmas to tell you, but the bubble popped. We are no longer playing with Tyler Minsberg. He was one of the best drummers I had known, and had always known him since elementary school. I wish the absolute best for him in everything he does in the future. I hope he sticks with music more than anything. I think moral differences and musical barriers were being established. I feel it’s important to choose very carefully who you surround yourself with, and more importantly who you pour your heart out with. I hope our fans hold Tyler very dear to their hearts, he will always be a part of what built something great. As for the future of our band, we haven’t stopped. As soon as Tyler departed we focused on just finishing this record. Spencer Peterson (Hidden in Plain View, Black Cards) flew up a little bit ago and wrote all of the parts for the new album. He is a drummer we have looked up to for a very long time, and I have no doubt that you guys will be very happy with the results. We have yet to decide whether we would like to even permanently replace Tyler. Everything happens for a reason, and we as a band will always be working day and night to make the art that we have been developing for years.

Love,
AJ "

Ex-VersaEmerge Drummer Posts Statement Regarding Departure From The Band

Ex-VersaEmerge drummer, Anthony Martone has sent in a statement to Absolute Punk regarding his departure from the band.

Martone's statement can be read here or by clicking read more.

Former Paramore Members Post Statement

An apparent statement from Josh and Zac Farro can be read below regarding the brothers' recent departure from Paramore.

"Hey guys,

Let me start by apologizing to you for the way everything went down on Saturday. I had a statement typed ready to post to you guys but Hayley released one without my permission. We were not going to issue a statement until we worked out our exit agreement with Hayley. I wish it didn’t have to happen that way, Zac and I wanted to be the ones you heard it from. I want to be honest with you guys about how this band formulated from day one. I did not think Hayley’s version told the whole story, at least from our perspective and hopefully this will explain a bit about why we are leaving.

Zac and I had a garage band in high school with the intentions of just making music for the love of it. We met Taylor and our friend Jason Clark at our school and found out that we shared the same musical tastes. So, we asked them to join our band. It was some of the greatest times of our lives playing music in Taylor’s basement with them. We obviously needed a lead singer and one day Zac met Hayley. We asked her to come try out and eventually to join the band.

Months down the road things changed and this band became all about Hayley. She had a manager at the time that controlled her every move along with her parents. They didn’t like the idea of Hayley being in a rock band so they forced her to leave wanting her to pursue a solo career.

Avenged Sevenfold Comment On Drummer's Departure

Avenged Sevenfold have released a statement regarding drummer Mike Portnoy's recent departure from the band:

"For the past few months, we've been blessed with Mike Portnoy's talent and humanity. When Mike agreed to tour with us, it was only through the end of 2010. We always knew we'd need to find another solution for 2011 and beyond. And it's time for us to take that next step.

We know we are not ready to add another permanent member of Avenged Sevenfold. We don't know if we will ever be. But if we do, it will only be with someone who is not only a brilliant drummer, but also someone we've gotten to know well on the road and off, and who you the fans have had a chance to get to know, and hopefully accept. In other words, in this family, we take these steps together, band and our extended fan family.

We are lucky to be surrounded by so many friends, many of whom knew Jimmy very well personally, as well as our band and Jimmy's drumming talent and style. These friends have introduced us to several amazing drummers. We have decided to take one of them out starting in January. He will not be a member of A7X. He will be someone you and we are getting to know. Perhaps this drummer will be a fit. Perhaps not. One thing is for sure. Over time we will find someone who helps us continue our quest to make the music we love for the fans we love.

Mike and the band agree that can't be him. Why? Long before there was an Avenged Sevenfold, there were members of this band who looked up to Mike and, in Jimmy's case, learned a lot from watching Mike play. He is a brilliant writer, producer and of course drummer. Because of that, the world and we would always see it as Avenged Sevenfold with Mike Portnoy. We take a lot of pride in A7X being about something greater then any individuals. Its about the music, the fans and the friends and family we have as well as continuing our best friends legacy.

Please give whoever we try your love and support and the benefit of the doubt. They won't be Jimmy. Who could be? But he will be himself, with his own special talents and creativity. And that's all we could ever look for. Thank you again from the bottom of our hearts for everything you've done to love and support us."

The Dangerous Summer Release Statement About VersaEmerge US Tour

The Dangerous Summer have released a statement in relation to the band dropping of VersaEmerge's current US tour.

To view, click read more.

Crime In Stereo Post Final Statement

Crime In Stereo have posted a final statement in regards to their recent break-up.

To read, click read more.