Amerikkalaisen metalcore-yhtye Every Time I Dien sisällä alkoi viime vuoden lopulla myllerrys, joka päättyi lopulta siihen, että laulaja Keith Buckleya lukuun ottamatta muu bändi ilmoitti yhtyeen lopettavan toimintansa. Muut jäsenet sanoivat hajoamisen johtuvan siitä, etteivät nämä saa kontaktia laulajaan. Keith Buckley vastasi yhtyeen tiedotteeseen pitkällä avautumisella, jossa tämä väitti muun bändin suunnitelleen hänen korvaamistaan eivätkä he suostuneet selvittelemään asioita.
Nyt Every Time I Die -basisti Stephen Micciche on vuorostaan vastannut Keith Buckleyn avautumiseen pitkän kaavan mukaan Twitterissä. Miccichen näkemykset luonnollisestikin poikkeavat suuresti laulajan omista ja esittävät puolestaan Keithin todella huonossa valossa: Miccichen mukaan se oli Keith, joka halusi korvata veljensä kitaristi Jordan Buckleyn. Veljekset yrittivät basistin mukaan korjata välejään terapiassa, jotka Keith kuitenkin lopetti ensimmäisen session jälkeen.
”4. joulukuuta soitin Keithille. Hän ei vastannut. Lähetin viestin. Siihen hän vastasi: ’Jos sinulla on sanottavaa, sano se tässä’. Hän myös totesi, ettei luota meihin kumpaankaan, viitaten minuun ja Andyyn (Williams, kitaristi). En tiedä, mitä olimme tehneet, joten otin Andyn mukaan keskusteluun”, Micciche kertoo.
”[Keithin] suurin huolenaihe oli se, miten Andyn tyttöystävä oli lakannut seuraamasta häntä somessa ja miten minä olin nauranut jollekin, mitä Jordan oli sanonut takahuoneeseen. Minulla ei ollut siitä mitään muistikuvaa. Keskustelumme aikana [Keith] uhkasi kolmesti lopettaa. Hän vaati minua ja Andya valitsemaan joko hänet tai Jordanin. Mitä? Ystävät eivät tee ystäville sellaisia vaatimuksia. Hän syytti minun ja Andyn sallineen Jordanin henkisen ja fyysisen hyväksikäytön häntä kohtaan 20 vuoden ajan. Luuletteko, että minä tai Andy hyväksyisimme jotain sellaista? Emme koskaan.”
Yhtye sopi kuitenkin hoitavansa vuoden loppuun buukatut TID the Season -konsertit, mutta vain, jos muut suostuivat Keithin moniin vaatimuksiin, joihin lukeutuivat muun muassa oma pukuhuone erillään muista sekä se, ettei takahuonetiloissa juoda alkoholia. Keikat hoidettiin, mutta laulaja ei vaihtanut yhtään sanaa muiden kanssa. Miccichen mukaan Keith ei suostunut enää jatkamaan bändissä Jordanin kanssa ja yritti lopulta kääntää kuvion omaksi edukseen asianajajien välityksellä. Tämä oli muulle bändille viimeinen niitti.
”Hän yritti saada asian näyttämään siltä, että hänet erotettiin, vaikka jopa hänen oma asianajajansa tietää, ettei asia mennyt niin. Jossain vaiheessa tulee piste, jolloin täytyy ottaa oma elämä takaisin. Hän heitteli todella irrationaalisia twiittejä, jotka pilasivat sen, mitä kaikki bändissä olivat rakentamassa. Luimme rivien välistä tarpeeksi ja tulimme lopputulokseen, ettei Keith voi tai halua jatkaa kanssamme”, Micciche jatkaa.
”Tiedän, että kaikki eivät halua mielikuvansa pilattavan, mutta bändi on bisnes. Meillä neljällä oli oikeus asettaa rajoja ja suojella omaisuuttamme. Siinä kaikki. Ja se, että tämä ajautui tähän pisteeseen on todella surullista. Minulla ei ole mitään menetettävää siinä, että julkaisen tämän, vaan haluan tukea niitä jäseniä, jotka saavat turhaan lokaa niskaansa. Bändi oli jo revitty hajalleen.”
”Lopulta toivon Keithille kaikkea hyvää ja toivon todella, että hän löytää sisäisen rauhan ja saa vihan pois sydämestään. Nauttikaa musiikista, jota olemme jo tehneet. Toivon mukaan minä ja muut jätkät, jotka haluavat jatkaa musiikin tekemistä kanssani, näemme teidät pian.”
Stephen Miccichen koko avautuminen on luettavissa Metal Insiderissa, jonka artikkelista löytyy myös Keith Buckleyn pitkä avautuminen.
I know what has transpired online over the past month has been confusing, vague, sad, totally out of character, leaving people angry, etc. I know this, because Andy, Jordan, Goose, myself and every single person behind the scene to make ETID go have felt those with you…
— Steve Micciche (@MitchBHavin) January 19, 2022
This band of 20 plus years of hard work, dedication, doing it our own way and with pride was tore down and ripped away in a matter of 4 or so tweets at wee hours of the morning in December of 2021. A band that we were so immensely proud of was reduced to TMZ/soap opera ashes..
— Steve Micciche (@MitchBHavin) January 19, 2022
in quite possibly the saddest demise of anything I’ve ever seen in my life, and we were a part of it. While I’ve been cringing at even the thought of doing this, I am now choosing to stick up for my friends, coworkers, anyone that’s ever had a hand in ETID, and myself…
— Steve Micciche (@MitchBHavin) January 19, 2022
Our MGR retired in June. There was a seamless transition to a new MGR who was formerly our day to day point woman. She was incredible at her job so we were all comfortable with her and all 5 agreed to bring her on board. Privately, and behind our backs, Keith made a call to her..
— Steve Micciche (@MitchBHavin) January 19, 2022
saying he wanted Jordan out of the band. Immediately, an internal rift started. We canceled a live stream event, canceled a video shoot. The band paid for therapy for them. After ONE session, ONE, Keith had convinced the band that he could continue on and keep the band rolling..
— Steve Micciche (@MitchBHavin) January 19, 2022
We were in full support of Keith traveling separate. We supported him in ways that I won’t disclose, but he knows, he had full support of the band. There was no crazy drinking on this tour. I don’t drink on tour. Goose does’t, Andy doesn’t. Jordan maybe 2 & 2 more for stage props
— Steve Micciche (@MitchBHavin) January 19, 2022
Keith was showing up to shows 10 minutes, sometimes 5 minutes before set time, and while I mostly wasn’t paying attention due to my own pre show rituals and warm ups, it was casting a reasonable concern as to “what if the RV breaks down?” I have zero clue what Keith claims to…
— Steve Micciche (@MitchBHavin) January 19, 2022
have heard. But there was zero conversation, I mean, zero, about replacing Keith as the singer of ETID. Keith knows that cause I’ve told him that personally and via text, NUMEROUS times recently and over the years. He stormed off the stage after the show and refused to talk to..
— Steve Micciche (@MitchBHavin) January 19, 2022
On Saturday, Dec 4th, I called Keith. He didn’t answer. So I texted him. He did respond to the text with a “if you have anything to say, say it here”. He also said “I don’t trust either of you” when referring to Andy and I. Wasn’t sure what we did but I looped Andy in on the text
— Steve Micciche (@MitchBHavin) January 19, 2022
Keith led off by saying “i’m not talking, i’m reading”. The main bullet points of this convo are as follows:
His main concern was why Andy’s g/f unfollowed him on social media and why I laughed at something Jordan said in our dressing room that I don’t even remember happening..— Steve Micciche (@MitchBHavin) January 19, 2022
He threatened to walk 3 times, let me repeat, 3 times during this convo. He gave Andy and myself an ultimatum to choose him or Jordan. What?? Friends don’t give friends ultimatums. He accused Andy and I of allowing physical and emotional abuse towards him via Jordan for 20 years
— Steve Micciche (@MitchBHavin) January 19, 2022
Do you think for a second that Andy and myself would ever allow or stand for anything like that? We’re just waiting daily for a healthy dose of abuse to happen and let it slide? Never. Keith said the outcome of TTS happening was in OUR hands! What? You put us here…
— Steve Micciche (@MitchBHavin) January 19, 2022
We came to the agreement to play the Xmas shows for the kids and the bands that traveled. But I’m order to do that, we had to meet the demands of Keith: separate dressing room on the other side of the building, a statement saying we apologized although all we originally did was
— Steve Micciche (@MitchBHavin) January 19, 2022
address mental health which is verbatim what Keith tweeted in regards to him leaving the tour, demanded no alcohol in the rest of the bands dressing room even though no one was drinking and Jordan barely was, etc. We play the shows with zero access to Keith. Not one word said..
— Steve Micciche (@MitchBHavin) January 19, 2022
During that week between the tour and TTS, Keith was accusing Jordan of making fake set lists to hand out to him (never happened), he was blocking us from his social media (only to unblock me on Dec 6th while I was at a Bills game to comment “noted”) super cryptic and when I…
— Steve Micciche (@MitchBHavin) January 19, 2022
texted him to ask him what that meant, he didn’t reply. Look, he refused to take the stage any further with Jordan in the band. He dragged the band name over hot coals online for the public to see. Accusing Jordan of wild shit. Leaked private text messages between Jordan and…
— Steve Micciche (@MitchBHavin) January 19, 2022
himself in only what I could imagine was some attempt to make Jordan look bad and didn’t at all. He threw that legal up some mic drop/dunk attempt that tried to make himself look like he was fired when his own lawyer even knows that’s not the case and you can see for yourself…
— Steve Micciche (@MitchBHavin) January 19, 2022
it’s not. Look, at some point, you have to take your own life back. There were completely irrational tweets sent out ruining the thing that EVERYONE in the band built. We read between the lines enough to come to the conclusion that Keith could and would continue without us…
— Steve Micciche (@MitchBHavin) January 19, 2022
So guess what? I know some people don’t want the fairy tail ruined, but the band is a business. And the 4 of us rightfully so, were setting boundaries and protecting our interests. That’s it. That’s all that is. And for this to have even gotten to where it is is soooo sad..
— Steve Micciche (@MitchBHavin) January 19, 2022
I have nothing to lose band wise by posting this other than to stick up for a band member undeservingly slandered and ourselves. The band was already ripped away. I hope everyone understands how much this hurts every single one of us. Our manager QUIT management completely…
— Steve Micciche (@MitchBHavin) January 19, 2022
because of this. Take a guess why.
I absolutely appreciate each and every one of you, sincerely from the bottom of my heart, and i will always remember these experiences. I ultimately wish Keith the best and truly hope he does find inner peace and no hate in his heart like he— Steve Micciche (@MitchBHavin) January 19, 2022
constantly says he has. Enjoy the music that’s out there, and hopefully myself and the rest of the guys that choose to make music with me will see you soon.
— Steve Micciche (@MitchBHavin) January 19, 2022
