The reality is this: I have had little to no contact with the guys, except for Tanner, since our last US tour in July/August 2011. There may have been a phone call or two between Brad Bell and I, but they were short and sweet. I must make it clear that I have nothing bad to say about any member of Chiodos. Working and touring with them was mostly a great time other than a few hiccups here and there, it happens when you’re always together. The guys know how to make a dark situation light, and we’ve had a lot of great laughs. However, the last tour we did was pretty intense. There were more frequent arguments, and it seemed that we were reaching a point of extreme frustration for the whole team. There were talks on that tour about Jason leaving to go to school and spend more time with his wife, people said they were done with it, and at my lowest points of the tour, I had even said that I was done doing it. It was a hard time for everybody. When a band has to take steps backwards, its stressful. Weather they admit it or not, I think this was the underlying reason for most of their unhappiness. Nobody wants to take a step back, specially when you’ve been working hard for roughly 10 years to get where you’re at.

The reason for the lack of communication since the last tour is beyond me…It just seemed that one day, nobody wanted to talk about the band on a serious level. At one point, a few months back, I sent an email to everybody in the band to see what the situation was for the future of Chiodos…again, it didn’t seem that anybody wanted to do the same. Could it have just been me they didn’t want to speak with? Possibly, I don’t know. I feel that I put everything I had into Chiodos once I joined, dealt with a lot of pressure, bashing and whatnot, and did the best I could for the situation… so I really don’t see any reason why I would be the main reason for all of this. Maybe everybody was just…over it?

With that said, I have decided to leave Chiodos. I know some may be upset with this decision, but people grow, we evolve, that’s life. Sincere apologies to anybody that may be let down by this news. Mentally, I left the band half a year ago….today is just the day Im making it public. I’ve been in 2 bands over a 10 year period…singing and screaming, and it’s just time for me to do something different. As far as the rest of the band goes, Im not sure what they plan to do…and to those thinking I may know some info on the whole “Craig trying to get back in the band” thing…I don’t know, and my opinion on that will remain personal.

On a lighter note….there is this thing that has been calling my name for years, since before Chiodos and the end of YR…something that Ive loved doing, something that has always felt right no matter what. This thing, this art…I feel free doing it..it’s just me and music, nothing in between. For the past 5 years I’ve been writing songs here and there, finding myself as a solo artist / singer, and gaining knowledge about music production and sound design. I feel Ill always be finding new things that spark my interest, so Im not even going to label this solo music with a specific genre. It’s mostly electronic, orchestral, light&dark… I really have no idea what it will be in the end…I DONT SEE AN END…Im just floating down this river of creativity, arranging sounds in different ways, making music I love…..and IT FEELS RIGHT. I will never settle with one thing, Ive got too many ideas to be this, or that. For the people that have supported me over the years, I thank you so much…words can’t express how much it means to me that you even care enough to listen, the only way I know how to give back to you is to continue making music. Music takes us beyond words. One thing is for sure, I will be singing, that is my biggest strength, it’s what Ive been doing for 10 years, so the voice will be included in most of what Im working on.

I can only hope that my friends (fans) will continue to support me. I will be releasing some music within the next couple months, it’s still in a development stage at this point. Like I said before, Im floating down a river of creativity, hoping to collaborate with other amazing artists and keep things fun. Im excited, my voice feels great…I just wanna sing for the world.

-Brandon Allen Bolmer

For updates on my music:

Twitter – @BrandonABomb

Tumblr – http://www.brandonabomb.tumblr.com

Hello all. Mentally, I’ve been out of Chiodos for a while now. Sadly enough, our personal and business relationships went to shit. Just being honest.

The last tour was the roughest of times for us. Within the first week I tore several ligaments in my right ankle and another member broke his foot. On top of that, I heard a member wanted to leave to go to school and start a family. That was it for me.

I tried to contact the band after the tour and they didn’t seem to care. That’s that.

Since the summer, I joined Emmure for a European tour with Suicide Silence as well as a US run. I am now apart of the Big Bad Production team, run by Sky Blu of LMFAO, as well as drummer for W.E.E.D, featuring Sky Blu and Shwayze.

I’ll be heading out to South America next month, playing drums with Big Bad U. Check out the dates:

April 21st, Figali Convention Center, Panama City, Panama

April 26 Hangar de Convencoes, Centro Belem, Brazil

April 27 Siarra Hall, Fortaleza, Brazil

April 29 MIX Garden, Belo Horizonte, Brazil

April 30 Diamond Convention Center, Manaus, Brazil

The video section will feature everything I’ve been a part of as well as weekly updates.

Thank you to whoever made it this far in the statement. Your continued support is truly appreciated.

– Tanner Wayne