Hey, unless you're U2, it's gonna happen. Life gets in the way, priorities change, injuries leave you benched just long enough to realize you don't really wanna do this anymore, marriages end in divorces as a direct result of your OTHER marriage to the band(or vice versa)...the list of potential reasons is long, and riddled with excuses of varying legitimacy; if such a thing can even be qualified. Suffice it to say, however big or small, reasonable or ridiculous, considered or hip-shot the cause for departure may seem to be, it's still a tough row to hoe when the time comes, whether you're being shown the door, giving the axe, or watching a valuable part of your team take their final bow as a conspirator, by choice.
I've been on both sides of that fence too many times, and it never gets any easier to deliver the news, or admit that it's really no news at all, just something that you all knew was coming....one way or the other.
I had to bail on a wheezing and near-lifeless Best Of Seven when I moved to Nashville to join Bombshell Crush, and today I had to part ways with the player who was my primary reason for heading south in the first place, Billy Baker. While by no means long-in-the-tooth, Mr. Baker has been around the block a time or two, and despite still being one of the baddest(and loudest) drummers to grace a stage, he's just not into the idea of getting out and seeing the country in a van one more time at this point in his life. I can't say I blame him, it's not always fun, even in moderation.
So, with Billy exiting the picture, we've considered putting the fORMER name to rest, much to the relief of an exhausted Google, I'm sure, as choosing such a common adjective for our moniker has proven to be the bane of search engines the world over anyway. Instead, we will roll fORMER's material into that of our previous side-project The Great Affairs, and resume work, most likely under that heading.
There are some additional details in this recent interview: http://rockulusmaximus.com/Q-and-A-DENNY-SMITH.php
Truthfully, this is one of the rare occasions when a transition of this nature takes place with a relatively painless ease, perhaps because both parties were anxious to get on with the business of doing whatever it is they weren't able to do together. All I know is that we made some great records, whether "Joe & Mary Beercan"(as Billy is fond of saying) ever gave us our due or not, and I'm pretty certain we'll work together on something down the line, but for now, we've got separate paths to forge.
Billy, you'll always be like a brother to me, and I wish you nothing but the best. Thanks for some great years.
-Denny