The Amity Affliction's Ahren Stringer: "I Was Booted From The Tour With No Warning"
Ahren Stringer lashes out online after leaving the band's North American tour.
The Amity Affliction (Credit: Tom Barnes)
After yesterday’s announcement that bassist and singer Ahren Stringer would be departing the final dates of The Amity Affliction’s American dates, the musician has lashed out at bandmates on social media, claiming that he was “booted” from the tour.
Yesterday, the band announced that Stringer would be replaced by True North’s Tim Beken for the remainder of the dates stating that the change was “in the best interest” of his mental health and wellbeing, as the musician will return home for support in dealing with addiction.
The band continued, “This tour has been our best US tour ever, and we look forward to seeing you on the road. Please feel free to bring signs of support for Ahren that we can send to him at home, now more than ever he needs as much support as we can possibly give him.”
Stringer has now answered the post, saying “I was booted from the tour with no warning whatsoever I did absolutely nothing wrong but I wish you guys all the best in the future.”
Despite the post throwing his future in the band in doubt, co-vocalist Joel Birch has confirmed in his own post that their concern is simply for his friend’s health, stating “Ahren is not being replaced, ever, everything is temporary. Thank you for understanding.”
Stringer replied: “You had me brother and now it’s gone forever. I hope it was worth it.”
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In a subsequent post, Stringer attached a photo of a jersey with ‘American Nightmare’ and assured fans “I’m sorry I couldn’t finish the tour y’all I really wanted to”.
Drummer Ryan Burt posted “Take care of yourself dude, put your health over everything!”
Fans and fellow musicians have rallied around both Stringer and the band, supporting their respective decisions to take the necessary steps to look after their health. With punishing tour schedules, the lifestyle and mental health of musicians has been under the spotlight in recent years as the music industry grapples with personal safety and the demands of the commercial machine of a rock band. With the complexities of addition, the future of Stringers’ place remains to be seen, although fans are confident that decisions are being made with good intentions.
As one fan noted: “All that matters Ahren is that you get yourself well again! Your mates did this to help you, I know you're probably angry and resentful of them right now. They wouldn't have done it unless absolutely necessary, they love you and sometimes love is tough.”
Joel Birch has himself been open about the lifetyle and mental health struggles within the band, particularly his own wrestle with alcohol.
Speaking to RockSound earlier this year he said:
“I had nearly died on Warped Tour 2013, and so when we were recording ‘Let the Ocean Take Me’ I wasn’t drinking. I was grappling with the knowledge that I’m an alcoholic because I nearly died from stopping. I had an alcohol withdrawal seizure, and I remember the doctors at the hospital in Pittsburgh asking me how many drinks I had each day: ‘Six?’ ‘Nah, more.’ ‘Ten?’ ‘More.’ ‘How much?’ ‘A bottle of Jameson and half a carton of beer a day.’ ‘You are going to die’. With my mental health issues, death wasn’t going to stop me. I wasn’t really scared of drinking myself to death, I think if anything part of the drinking was a slow suicide. It was a very reckless way of living that I knew might kill me, but I didn’t care.”
This November, The Amity Affliction are scheduled to bring their Let The Ocean Take Me tenth-anniversary tour to Australia, performing in Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth.
Let The Ocean Take Me was released in June 2014, marking The Amity Affliction’s fourth studio album. It was well-received at the time—The Music declared the release “proof that sometimes passion and honesty can turn a decent album into a great one.”
Last May, the band released their self-produced eighth album, Not Without My Ghosts, via Pure Noise Records. It was another instantaneous success, debuting at #2 on the ARIA Albums Chart.
If you or someone you know is suffering from depression, anxiety, suicidal thoughts or other mental-related illness, we implore you to get in contact with Beyondblue or Lifeline:
Beyondblue: 1300 224 636
Lifeline: 13 11 14
Suicide Call-Back Service: 1300 659 467
Beyondblue and Lifeline both also offer online chat/counsel. Check their respective websites for operational hours and details.
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