festivals, concerts, and bands that know how to play live
Ad
News
Mars Volta, Widespread Panic lose members | Quitters!
Some headline bummers today (well, more like yesterday) from both Widespread Panic and the Mars Volta.
In Widespread Panic’s case, George McConnell “has moved on to further adventures.” We’re not quite sure what that means yet, but I assume it meant that the band and George parted ways amicably.
In the Mars Volta’s case, Jon Theodore (drummer) left the band and he’s been replaced with their old guy.
Both bands aren’t postponing or putting anything off so all should be well in both of their worlds in the near future. If you’re in the crowd and you look over and say, “who is that on stage?” you’ll now know why…
Discussion
9 comments for “Mars Volta, Widespread Panic lose members | Quitters!”
Post a comment
Ad
© 2006 LIVE MUSIC BLOG.com. 
FYI, Herring is officially in the band.
http://www.widespreadpanic.com/news_story.php?id=236
The rumors were true.
snack bar, todd, and sonny voted him out
jb and jojo voted in
george found out he was a lame duck and quit
glad to see the deedle gone but feel bad for the guy…he showed some nuts just up and quitting
There are all sorts of bizarre rumors of fights, etc. Supposedly George also told someone he was fired.
We’ll probably never know the whole story……
Who cares Sam Holt is better anyway i dont quite know how i feel about jimmy though we’ll see
harrington is the man. anyone that was at vegoose or knows any shit on purple sage fucking knows.phil knows and god damm panic knows.respect!
Harrington is a poker player. Herring is a fish and a sweet guitarist.
george was not fired…he was not re-signed…however, he was not the respect that he deserves as a friend of the band in that they kept him in the dark. they had every intention of replacing him and didn’t sack up. i am a long-time fan and respect the decision they made. but george is a great person, a talented musician, and, unfortunately, it did not work out. You have my respect forever, George, for stepping in so that the band could go on, the fans could continue to smile, and you could make music. It is a shame that there is too much bitterness and not enough openness.
Aside from what Madison says about George being a “good person”, (which I’m sure is completely true and not related to the real problem) he was a terrible fit for Widespread Panic. Even though it may not have been fair to compare George to Mikey, it happened just the same. George’s addition to the band, no matter how brave he was, was a mistake. That mistake is now being corrected. I think the fans, at least the ones that I know and love, were a little too open about what the band once sounded like in comparison to what they sound like now(i.e. lingering lead replaced with off key missed notes – so many so that you could almost cry sabotage). Ultimately that probably contributed to his departure. Long may you live, George. I hope you find everything you’re looking for (in a different band).
Herring is the MAN!! Hope he stays on as a permanent member but doubt he will abandon his other projects. Been a long time fan of Widespread since 91 and Herring since the beginning of ARU. It truely is the best match imaginable. If Herring stays Widespread will soar much farther than imagined. All respect to Mikey and George. Love John Keane but would like to see just Herring and JB go at it with a occasional Keane pedal steel. Herring can stand real tall and take the band very far in many different directions. Hope Herring stays and takes this all to a higher level.
Peace