Corrosion of Conformity Tap Bobby Landgraf to Play Bass on Headbangers Boat
Last month, Corrosion of Conformity founding member and bassist Mike Dean announced that he was officially stepping away from the band. It was a move that shocked fans, especially since the band’s currently working on their follow up to 2018’s No Cross No Crown and had some live commitments lined up.
With the Headbangers Boat launching today and their planned performance on said boat imminent, the remaining members of the band announced this past weekend that they were tapping ex-Down guitarist and current Pantera bass tech Bobby Landgraf to handle the low-end while on the high seas.
“Yo Yo Yo!! To all our Corrosion friends and Family (the Free Thinkers and Beer drinkers) We are proud to announce that Austin’s finest world class ripper, Bobby Rock will be throwing down on the Bass for the wild assed Headbangers Boat We are stoked to have him on the open Seas. Jason ‘pickles’ Paterson will be joining us again beating on the Skins. We’ve been woodshedding for the past 2 weeks. Gotta say it’s a hella powerful Rock outfit. See you on the horizon….Corrosion Stay tuned Rockers!!”
It’ll be interesting to see if Landgraf will stay with Corrosion of Conformity or not moving forward, given his attachment to such a big act in Pantera. If this is just a one-off, that means the rest of the band will have to go back to the drawing board to find someone to fill Dean’s shoes.
When Dean left, he cited in a statement the fact that the band members lived far enough away from one another that getting together and jamming was difficult to pull off, as well as the passing of late drummer Reed Mullin still weighing heavily on him. Though regretful, the two sides split amicably.
“Recently I made a decision to step away from Corrosion Of Conformity, a band started 40 odd years ago by Reed Mullin, Woody Weatherman, and myself. I’m extremely proud of everything we’ve done together, and look forward to hearing more from the band going forward.
“When I rejoined COC for the finishing touches of the “Deliverance” album, I moved back to Raleigh, NC for an all-in creative campaign, but time, distance and side projects and life in general has changed all of that.
“Ever since Reed drifted away from the band and then passed way, it’s been difficult for me to collaborate on new material with bandmates who live hundreds of miles away. I look forward to putting together a new Raleigh based outlet to create new music with more alacrity and with more of an emphasis on my own ideas than in recent times. Also, I look forward to continuing to record and produce other artists.
“All the best to Woodroe, Pepper, and COC crew, and most importantly, many big thanks to the fans of all iterations of the band, who have made this real for all of these years.
“Salute!
Mike Dean”
Corrosion of Conformity has gone on record saying they plan to move on without Dean. How they intend on doing so and with whom remains to be seen.
