MONDAY MORNING BUMMER: JIM LAMARCA LEAVES CHIMAIRA

I definitely woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning, most likely because I fucking hate Thanksgiving and just want it to be over with already. So I could have used some good news, like maybe Pig Destroyer surprising everyone with a new song, or a leaked Cristina Scabbia/Marta lesbian sex tape, or someone raising Chuck Schuldiner from the dead in order to have him wipe deathcore from the face of the planet.

Instead, I see this statement from Chimaira on The PRP:

“After a decade of good times and achievements, our friend and band mate Jim LaMarca has decided to retire from Chimaira. We wish him nothing but the best as he settles in and starts a family. As for seeking a replacement…we’ll cross that bridge down the line. In the meantime, consider it ‘business as usual’ with the Chimaira you know and love.”

It sounds like the split was amicable, so I’m glad there’s an absence of drama. And ultimately, I don’t think this will have a negative effect on the band musically. But anyone who has seen Chimaira live or watched any of the Todd Bell-directed Chimaira docuDVDs knows that LaMarca has a very, um, let’s say “colorful” personality, and as a big fan of the group, I’m still bummed by the news.

Here’s “Notes Don’t Matter Nuthin’,” a “tribute” to LaMarca that the band wrote and recorded as a prank on the bassist during the recording of Resurrection (as portrayed on that album’s “making of” DVD):

Meanwhile, Daath’s Emil Werstler is going to fill-in on bass for the band’s upcoming Blue Collar Brawler tour with, obviously, Daath, as well as Impending Doom and This or The Apocalypse. Werstler previously filled-in for guitarist Matt DeVries on Chimaira’s European tour late last year, when DeVries had to fly home for the birth of his first child. Get dates for the Blue Collar Brawler tour  here.

-AR