Well, Austin, Texas’ Doom/Stoner/Retro-rock outfit The Sword have rescheduled their tour that was cancelled last month when drummer Trivett Wingo bailed at the beginning of their tour, citing the trials and tribulations of touring life as his reason for departure. That’s great news and I plan on checking out their show when they play Webster Hall on December 4th with new tour drummer Kevin Fender from Texas hardcore outfit Employer, Employee, but there’s something about the whole chain of events that rubs me the wrong way.
As Iman and I discussed, how amicable could that split between Wingo and his buds in The Sword really have been? They were touring in support of their most critically acclaimed album yet, it was at the beginning of the tour, and they were headlining a big tour in the wake of their successful opening slot on the last Metallica world tour; what I mean to say is that cancelling the tour would create a publicity, logistical, and financial mess at the worst possible time for a band on the verge of making it big, or as big as big is when it comes to metal music. I understand that the touring life must take a huge toll on all involved—both on musicians and production crew on the road and friends and family at home—but it would have saved The Sword a big headache if Wingo could have decided to skip the tour before it started. He told The Austin Chronicle that he’d seen this coming for “probably a couple of years.” I don’t mean to play Captain Hindsight here, but you have to wonder.
Anyway, it’s good that The Sword figured something out. They’re really talented, play some seriously awesome retro-feel doom metal, and deserve success. Let’s hope this touring hiccup will be just that—a hiccup.