REM's touring keyboard player Ken Stringfellow has been sidelined from the band.
Stringfellow says that with REM's return to their original guitar-driven direction, he sensed he had become irrelevant to the band and that was confirmed by Mike Mills un a phone-conversation.Ken says at his website that "I won't be a part of REM's upcoming tour. I spoke with Mike Mills, it was his birthday last week and I gave him a call. During the call we spoke about the tour, and confirmed what I had already pretty much figured out, the band was moving in a purely guitar-based direction, same as the new record, and they didn't really need my bleeps and blops for this new direction".
He says that keeping him on the road is a very expensive exercise for the band. "I estimated recently on my own that between salary, 5 star hotels, flights, etc., it costs the band about half a million dollars to keep me on tour for a year. And, if I'm going to be sitting on my hands for the 8 or 9 new songs they plan on playing each night...well...I am sure they did the math already!"
The keyboard player is extremely optimistic about the situation. It will give him time to concentrate on his new band The Disciplines. "The fact is that I was stressing a little as I would have to face a big choice here: between promoting the Disciplines album, or being part of REM's tour. The fact is, the choice was made for me, and I am more than OK with it".
Ken formed The Disciplines in July 2006 with three Norwegian musicians, formerly of the band Briskeby. The Disciplines have played just a handful of dates so far but you can hear what they sound like at their MySpace site.
