Monday, April 11, 2005

Sevendust, Korn Working on New Material Despite Losing Guitarists to Christ, etc.

I know what you've been thinking. The Lonely Note has been looking particularly lonely lately. Occasionally, even a master literary icon like myself can be overcome with bouts of unproductivity. After an extended absence in contributions, I decided I had better get my act together; not only for the sake of all my devoted fans, but to pull my weight among my L.N. colleagues. Oh, wait. You mean you didn't notice I was gone? ...All of that aside, I wanted to update the site on a couple of news features that aren't exactly hot off the press, but were deemed to be mentionable...by me.

Back in December, Sevendust guitarist/songwriter Clint Lowery abruptly left the band mid-tour for "personal issues", and it was unclear as to whether he had any plans of returning. The band, who tour harder than pretty much anyone else in the music business, decided they owed it to their fans to finish the remainder of their scheduled shows sans-Lowery. The latest update is that the band is still working together, despite Lowery's departure. Within the last month, the band has announced that they are not only working on new material, but that are doing so with a new guitarist - Sonny Mayo of Snot fame. The two bands had been friends for some time, and after the tragic death of Snot vocalist Lynn Strait in December of 1998, Mayo went on to play with Amen and (hed)p.e. Sevendust worked with members of Snot to record the hit song "Angel's Son" for a tribute album titled Strait Up. For now, Mayo appears to be a permanent replacement for Lowery. Lowery had been the chief songwriter for many of the band's best known songs throughout the years. Although it's unfortunate to lose the musical and stage talents of Clint Lowery, fans can still expect a good show from Sonny Mayo. The band has posted new coast-to-coast tour dates, with 15 shows planned for April.

In other "guitarist departure" news, Brian 'Head' Welch shocked fans by leaving Korn to pursue his born-again Christianity. Welch, who has struggled with drug addiction, decided in February to part ways with Korn after more than a decade of working together. The remainder of the band plans to continue with new material for a September follow-up to their recent Greatest Hits album. Welch has adopted the "Jesus" look, and is planning to pursue a career in Christian music, with an album already in the works. For more information, visit the official Korn site here and definitely the new Brian Welch site, Head to Christ (and a quick shout-out to Lonely Note reader Joe K. for the original heads up on this one. thanks man).

No comments: