Against Me! pulled out of a tour with Bad Religion over the uncertainty of who would be playing drums for them, and now the band are facing another lineup change. Longtime bass player Andrew Seward has formally announced he's leaving the band.
A blog post confirms the departure, though there's apparently no ill will over Seward's decision.
"No drama here," he wrote, explaining, "I reached a point where I need to focus on other things. Respect to Laura and James. The last 10 years ruled."
While not an original member of the Floridian outfit, which formed in 1997, Seward had slung his four-string onstage since 2002, with the first full-length he appeared on being 2003's As the Eternal Cowboy.
"It's heartbreaking to know that Andrew won't be standing next to me out on stage the next time I stand upon one," leader Laura Jane Grace said in a statement, adding, "Andrew's been a solid partner Some of the best sleep I've ever gotten has been in the back of a 15 passenger van with him behind the wheel. He's got a steady hand and has always been someone I've trusted. The definition of a good friend. I wish him all the best in his journey."
But while Grace toasted the bassist for his contributions to Against Me!, she also spoke of the band's future. In specific, she noted the oddness of carrying on with under the Against! Me banner now that their ranks have dwindled to just her and guitarist James Bowman.
"I realize that at this point there's a possibility that it may look pretty ridiculous to carry on playing under the name Against Me!," she wrote. "If I didn't feel like I had something that I really needed to say with the album we've been working on for the past year then I'd humbly hang the hat and move on."
A due date has yet been set for the tentatively titled Transgender Dysphoria Blues. The band's last LP was 2010's White Crosses.
A blog post confirms the departure, though there's apparently no ill will over Seward's decision.
"No drama here," he wrote, explaining, "I reached a point where I need to focus on other things. Respect to Laura and James. The last 10 years ruled."
While not an original member of the Floridian outfit, which formed in 1997, Seward had slung his four-string onstage since 2002, with the first full-length he appeared on being 2003's As the Eternal Cowboy.
"It's heartbreaking to know that Andrew won't be standing next to me out on stage the next time I stand upon one," leader Laura Jane Grace said in a statement, adding, "Andrew's been a solid partner Some of the best sleep I've ever gotten has been in the back of a 15 passenger van with him behind the wheel. He's got a steady hand and has always been someone I've trusted. The definition of a good friend. I wish him all the best in his journey."
But while Grace toasted the bassist for his contributions to Against Me!, she also spoke of the band's future. In specific, she noted the oddness of carrying on with under the Against! Me banner now that their ranks have dwindled to just her and guitarist James Bowman.
"I realize that at this point there's a possibility that it may look pretty ridiculous to carry on playing under the name Against Me!," she wrote. "If I didn't feel like I had something that I really needed to say with the album we've been working on for the past year then I'd humbly hang the hat and move on."
A due date has yet been set for the tentatively titled Transgender Dysphoria Blues. The band's last LP was 2010's White Crosses.
