Swallow the Sun tiedottaa Facebook-sivullaan, että yhtyeen pitkäaikainen kitaristi Markus ”Jämy” Jämsen jättää yhtyeen. Päätöksensä perusteluiksi Jämsen kertoo, ettei halua riskeerata heikentynyttä kuuloaan enempää, ja että kiertueille lähteminen on ollut viime aikoina yhä raskaampaa. Jämsen on soittanut Swallow the Sunissa vuodesta 2001 lähtien.
Yhtye tiedottaa:
”Markus ”Jämy” Jämsen to step aside from Swallow the Sun.
We are ultimately sad to tell that our brother and guitarist Markus has decided to quit playing in Swallow the Sun.
17 years we have played together and made albums, and that is a lifetime among the bands these days. Hell, people even get married and divorce 5 times during that time these days. We LOVE and thank you Jämy for all these years full of laughter, memories, touring the world and pulling through the light and the dark together.
But you will always be one of us, now and in future, so there is no escaping of this line of blood brothers you old bat.
We will shed some light for the future of the band hopefully soon, until then take care and show some love and respect for the one and only lead guitarist, the high tower and statue of liberty of Äänekoski. All hail Jämy, see you soon brother!!
-STS-
Markuksen virallinen tiedote:
Dear all, I have decided to step down as a guitar player from Swallow the Sun. There is couple of reasons why I came to this conclusion. Some of you are aware of the state of my hearing and the worry that I carry causing futher damage to my ears. A few years ago at my parents summer cottage I noticed that the hiss, which I’ve had for a while didn´t stop anymore but kept going. I thought that couple of days surrounded by nothing but silence, would renew my ears and that my hearing would be back to normal again. Well..it didn´t happen. Now concerning this, I do not dare to take the risk of developing tinnitus as my ears propably could not handle the heavy touring anymore with the next Swallow the Sun album.
Another thing is motivation. Going on tours has become increasingly difficult every year, which is quite contradictory to how much fun it has been in the end. Going onto the stage and playing music you love is after all the best thing that there can be. But now I could use the phrase ”my glass is full”.
I´ve been in this band for 17 years. It´s a pretty darn long time,
especially when you think about what kind of ”full-on pultsari mode” it has been every now and then. Lots of laughter, sometimes tears.. Spending time together in a tour bus, listening good music and cleaning the air in the best company around.I would like to thank all the fans, bands and partners whom which I have come across and got to know during these years. Special thanks to my bandmates: Juha, Mikko, Matti, Aleksi, Juuso, Kai, Pasi, and guys behind the band: Mikko T, Jarno, Jukka P, Juha R, Matti K and Toni. Love u guys!”
All the best!
-Jämy-
Vuonna 2015 viimeisimmän, ”Songs from the North I, II & III” –albuminsa julkaissut yhtye on keikkaillut tämän myötä aktiivisesti. Viime vuonna yhtye kiersi ”Hope”-albuminsa 10-juhlavuotiskiertueella Suomessa, ja esiintyi tammikuussa myös Helsingin Rytmikorjaamolla.
Metalliluolan uutistoimitus. Tällä hetkellä uutisia ja tiedotteita julkaisevat Ville Krannila, Pete Alander, Mikko Huuhka ja Joni Renko.
