Jay Weinberg will be back behind the drumkit shortly, announcing his first show on drums since his Slipknot firing back in November. It’s been revealed that Weinberg will handle the drums for veteran band Infectious Grooves during their April 1 performance at the Byron Bay Bluesfest in Australia.
The festival is scheduled to take place over Easter weekend, with Infectious Grooves’ performance slotted in for April 1. The lineup for the event with featured Suicidal Tendencies’ Mike Muir on vocals, with Metallica’s Robert Trujillo on bass, Dean Pleasants on guitar and Velvet Revolver’s Dave Kushner handling the other guitar duties.
The news was revealed in an Instagram post from Suicidal Tendencies announcing their performance. It read as follows:
Warning Number One…This Ain’t No April Fool’s joke..but you definitely won’t be laughing if you miss out on Infectious Grooves April 1st at the Byron Bay Bluesfest!
Warning Number Two…Infectious Grooves is gonna bring a super special extra Funk and Punk and everything in between edition.
Unfortunately our brother, drummer Brooks Wakerman was not available to do this run of shows due to Avenged Sevenfold dates.
Drummer for IG is definitely not an easy gig to fill.Starting with Stephen Perkins (Infectious Grooves) on drums, then followed with a 17 year old Josh Freese (Foo Fighters etc) and then came a 14 year old Brooks (The Teenage Drum Sensation) Wakerman, IG has always been blessed with some amazing drummers.
So Warning number Three…IG is beyond stoked and honored to be able to have the incredible Jay Weinberg to be the driving force as he beats the funk out of the drums on this run!“It’s an absolute honor to play with the legendary Infectious Grooves on this incredibly exciting Australian tour! Playing with some of my favorite musicians, in one of the most beautiful countries, for some of the greatest fans of heavy music in the world…I couldn’t be more thrilled to get started. See you all soon!”- Jay
Rounding out the band, on guitar will be a bit of reunion. Dave Kushner (Velvet Revolver etc) played on some of the first IG album.He’ll be reuniting with IG for these dates also. Dave is a good friend and we are all looking forward to getting on stage and having a blast, and giving a big dose of the Infectious Grooves!
Warning number Five… (yes, we skipped warning number 4, we’ll save that for later, lol)…Super limited dates due to everyone’s schedule. We’d love to do a massive run of dates, but it’s not possible with everyone’s schedule. These are short notice, but we jumped at the opportunity to lock some dates in at this time.So when the rest of the dates are announced, be there or be prepared to let your friends tell you what you missed out.
Needless to say, Robert Trujillo, Mike Muir and Dean Pleasants are beyond stoked to welcome Jay Weinberg and Dave Kushner in for this event (and a few more soon to be announced shows)!
Jay Weinberg’s Post Slipknot Activity
Shortly after it was revealed that Slipknot was parting ways with Weinberg, the drummer issued his own statement about the matter, explaining that he was “heartbroken and blindsided” by the news. He also expressed his thankfulness for the time spent in the band and the relationships made over his decade with the group.
READ MORE: Drummers Share Support for Jay Weinberg Over His Slipknot Dismissal
The newfound time off gave the drummer a chance to address some much needed physical healing, as he opted to tend to a torn labrum in his left hip and to shave down a misshapen part of his femur. By mid-December, while still sporting crutches, he returned back to the drumkit for the first time since his surgery.
“No matter how down-and-out you might feel, there are reasons to be hopeful, and to keep an actively positive mindset. Have your own back. Surround yourself with positive people. Focus on what gives your life meaning and purpose,” he wrote in a post to fans. “I believe I’ve always shot from the hip (lol) with you. No reason to change that now. I look forward to sharing my journey with you, and keeping you up-to-date in my adventure back to 100 percent.” And he’s been keeping fans abreast of his recovery.
At present, the Byron Bay Bluesfest is the only show on Infectious Grooves schedule. It is not known if Weinberg will continue to play with the band or if he has other opportunities in mind for his next step after his Slipknot career.
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Gallery Credit: Loudwire Staff
