Cody Payne Responds To AJ Perdomo’s Statement On Leaving The Dangerous Summer

March 29th, 2014

Kriston McConnell

News broke this morning that The Dangerous Summer‘s frontman AJ Perdomo has decided to part ways with the band. He wrote a lengthy blog post outlining his reasons, which mostly consisted of him becoming a father. He also mentions guitarist Cody Payne and the fact that he has no control or say over what the band does. Our friends over at PropertyOfZack reached out to both Perdomo and Payne for some follow-up statements, and they had the opportunity to talk to Payne briefly on Perdomo’s departure. You can read what he had to say below.

We will let you know if the band or Perdomo release any additional updates. It seems as though The Dangerous Summer’s future is a little uncertain, and we hope for the best for all parties involved.

AJ Perdomo has left The Dangerous Summer. The statement came today, but when was that decision made internally?

We all as a band, including AJ, decided we weren’t going to announce anything and just see how things play out. Sometimes TDS isn’t our biggest obligation, and right now is one of those times.

The band has been quiet since a summer headlining tour. If AJ made his wishes known regarding leaving the band then, why has it taken over six months to become public?

When we first talked about it, we had said that we didn’t want to announce it yet because we weren’t sure what the future had in store and we had still been talking about doing another album. It just wasn’t a thing we wanted to consider quite yet.

AJ’s statement alleged that you, Cody, have total control over band funds and somewhat hinted that all cash flow (not counting music sales) are going to your pocket. That frames you in a specific light. What’s your reaction to that?

I wish that were the case. I’m not quite sure how he could come up with that considering we are all connected to the band bank account and can see where every dime goes. I have had jobs over the last few years and also do graphic design for a lot of bands in the scene, and I also won a lawsuit for $80,000, which helped me. The band hardly made a lot of money and the money we did make… none went to me (unless it was evenly split), and no, I never had total control over the band though I did have a strong vision but when it came down to it everyone would always get a fair say. Ben and Matt would always give their two cents, but AJ just was usually too preoccupied to respond to emails and text messages. Lets just say he was never dedicated.

The Dangerous Summer re-signed to Hopeless Records for another album before Golden Record even came out. Why do that if there was tension?

There was never tension, that’s one thing the websites and blogs and fans never understood. There were never fights or arguments or anything. We were always the best of friends when we were together.

Is The Dangerous Summer done?

Who knows. We’ve broken up about 10 times. Sometimes people just need to chill out. AJ is really stressed and has had 8 months to find a job with a baby coming next month, yet he’s done nothing to find one. Even I found one literally the next day because I wasn’t sure what would happen.

What would you like to say to fans as the sole original member of The Dangerous Summer?

As we all know, I’ve always been the one to take the fall when there is drama online, just because I’d rather it land on me than land on the band, especially if the issue truly did come down to one person. Though I’ve learned in hindsight that method isn’t always the best one. I know my reputation looks bad but I’ve learned to become less concerned with it. I know who I am and what I’ve done and I know that I am a good person who has always had everyone best interest in mind. I know my drive and my passions. If this is the end of TDS, than it was a very successful one but definitely more of a learning experience. Luckily, I’m only 24 with a whole lot of music left in me.

I hope AJ can get through what he’s going through, I’m sure his situation is stressful and sucks and I just hope he gets better so he can stop aiming his anger at other people. I’d hate for his child to grow up around that.