The Ghost Inside Part Ways With Bassist Jim Riley

The Ghost Inside have announced that they have parted ways with Jim Riley. The split follows allegations that the bassist once addressed a tour bus driver with a racial slur.

Says the band in a statement:

“The Ghost Inside was born from a scene of forward thinking, understanding and progressiveness. Our music and message has always been one of hope and finding that light at the end of the tunnel. Racism and bigotry of any kind stifle that journey the light. It closes and locks doors that need to be broken open.

“We have decided to part ways with bassist Jim Riley. While we didn’t hear these words spoken directly from his mouth, we did hear mutterings of the incident. At the time we thought this to be just a rumor, but it offended and hurt a community. A community we are meant to bring together.We should’ve spoken up back then and we didn’t, we should’ve dug deeper. We acknowledge that we were silent. We are self educating and growing and learning as individuals. We are here to say that we as a band fully condemn racism and support the black community in the fight against systemic racism.”

The Ghost Inside released a new, self-titled album this past Friday, June 5 on Epitaph. It is the band’s fist offering since a horrific 2015 bus crash which left several members with life-altering injuries and cast serious doubts about their future.