After announcing tour and a new album less than a month ago, Sleater-Kinney has been hit with some devastating news: their longtime drummer, Janet Weiss, has decided to leave the band. In a press statement, Weiss expressed her difficulties in making the decision but ultimately concluded that it was the best for her due to the “new direction” the band is taking.
“After intense deliberation and with heavy sadness, I have decided to leave Sleater-Kinney. The band is heading in a new direction and it is time for me to move on. I will never forget the heights we reached or the magnificent times Corin, Carrie and I shared” Weiss stated.
Weiss joined Sleater-Kinney in 1996 after Carrie Brownstein and Corin Tucker had dealt with two previous drummers since the bands birth in 1994. On Instagram, the band said: “We are saddened by Janet’s decision to leave Sleater-Kinney. It has been an incredible privilege to work with such a talented musician and drummer over the course of so many albums, including The Center Won’t Hold.”
The new direction of Sleater-Kinney is unprecedented and thrilling with its executive producer, St.Vincent, adding a new futuristic flair to the garage punk sound they typically make. Their new album, The Center Won’t Hold, which drops in August, will feature Sleater-Kinney’s latest singles “Hurry On Home” and “The Future Is Here.”
Both songs sound like a St.Vincent track without Annie Clark’s signature voice and instead Brownstein’s female punk chant. These stylistic changes may have been what she referred to in her social media post.
The question that must be asked is “who can replace Sleater-Kinney’s drummer of 23 years before a U.S. tour?” Well, the fans have some humorous speculations such as Brownstein’s co-star on the hit tv show Portlandia, Fred Armisen, and St.Vincent herself, even though she is not noted for playing drums, according to the Brooklyn Vegan.
Other fans have expressed their outrage online. An Instagram account with the user name steresi commented, “No Janet = No Sleater-Kinney. I guess I’ll just have to throw my ticket up on StubHub.”
Fans will be waiting anxiously to see who Sleater-Kinney will choose to join the band’s legacy as its drummer.
PHOTO CREDIT: Owen Ela
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