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GW

Posted: Sun Feb 24, 2019 7:44 pm
by Keithsalty
I think it's crazy we don't have any statements regarding Garrett. Nothing against Ryan but I find it hard to believe nobody has asked Mark about GW during a meet & greet or clinic?

Re: GW

Posted: Sun Feb 24, 2019 11:40 pm
by facelessman07
I just randomly decided to check Tremonti's facebook page and GW is no longer listed as a member of the band.

Hopefully this is all just short term.

Re: GW

Posted: Mon Feb 25, 2019 1:02 am
by austin.
Wonder if there’s any chance he makes more money working a 9-5.

Think he does construction in Georgia. Good money on the right jobs there....

Re: GW

Posted: Mon Feb 25, 2019 12:38 pm
by Keithsalty
I had talked to him about a year ago and he was working in a warehouse. There is definitely way more to this. I just hope he's ok

Re: GW

Posted: Mon Feb 25, 2019 4:57 pm
by mitch103
Along with the news of the canceled dates, drummer Garrett Whitlock will not be touring with TREMONTI due to a necessary leave of absence for undisclosed personal reasons. The TREMONTI camp appreciates all of their fan support during this time and no other information will be forthcoming in regards to this matter.
From blabbermouth

Re: GW

Posted: Thu May 30, 2019 2:08 pm
by riemslag1
Anybody knows more about this mystery ?

Re: GW

Posted: Fri May 31, 2019 7:15 pm
by austin.
Pretty strange if you ask me. Kinda thought rehab but surely dude would be out by now.

Hate to speculate but he isn’t locked up or anything is he??? Just seems so odd.

Re: GW

Posted: Fri May 31, 2019 7:57 pm
by anguyen92
austin. wrote:Pretty strange if you ask me. Kinda thought rehab but surely dude would be out by now.

Hate to speculate but he isn’t locked up or anything is he??? Just seems so odd.
You would think if that actually happened, local news would have made a comment on it and then it spreads somewhere to rock music news outlets and then Blabbermouth and the likes would have made clickbait headlines by now, "Tremonti Drummer Arrested for Blah Blah Blah."

Re: GW

Posted: Mon Jun 03, 2019 12:03 pm
by austin.
Yeah no doubt. Hell its maybe just career burnout then. Maybe he doesn’t like one of the band members. Who knows. Badass drummer though and Tremonti doesn’t sound the same without him..... new guy is no GW unfortunately.

Re: Wish GW Well

Posted: Mon Jun 03, 2019 2:55 pm
by zazthespaz
austin. wrote:Pretty strange if you ask me. Kinda thought rehab but surely dude would be out by now.

Hate to speculate but he isn’t locked up or anything is he??? Just seems so odd.
I saw someone ask on his FB where he was - someone else said "Probably rehab" and Garrett responded to that saying he wasn't in rehab. He's been pretty quiet on social media too so not sure - think he got rid of his account and his fan page hasn't been updated since last summer.

Re: GW

Posted: Mon Jun 03, 2019 8:05 pm
by austinjhnsn
Tim T posted something about having lunch w GW just a couple months ago. Said he is doing well and is just working construction I believe. Still no news on why he left but that isn't for us to know I guess.

Re: GW

Posted: Tue Jun 04, 2019 12:22 am
by Andy92
It’s possible that in a band like Tremonti where touring isn’t super consistent and he’s not the main songwriter, the gig just doesn’t pay enough to be a full time job.

Re: GW

Posted: Tue Jun 04, 2019 5:06 am
by chtimixeur
It's more than a probability.
I remember a former drummer for Soulfly (David Kinkade) who said he was making MUCH more money building railroads.
If you're just a hired gun and don't make money from the streaming and merch in a small-ish band, there comes a time where you have to think about your future, and that's why so many guys give up on their touring dreams when they're in their mid thirties.

Re: GW

Posted: Tue Jun 04, 2019 6:23 am
by riemslag1
Makes sense.
But if this is the true reason, why just not be open about it ? That satisfies the questions of the fans about it (lots of us sad about his - temporary ? - absence) and it’s really not a reason to be ashamed of, is it ?

Re: GW

Posted: Tue Jun 04, 2019 8:07 am
by chtimixeur
Here's the article about David Kinkade:
"I decided two months ago that music is no longer worth the effort to me anymore. After this, I'm going to retire from drumming and music all together and focus on my family rather than myself.

"I've fought my hardest for 'my dream' in music over the past 10 years and failed. [Playing with BORKNAGAR in] Norway was the pinnacle of mistakes and I'll never let myself off the hook for it. I moved across the world for music, spent hundreds of thousands of $$$ and in the end I ended up digging myself into a deeper hole than before. I'm still trying to recover from that fuck-up.

"The only bit of light that my career ever saw was in the end, I was able to make a record and play some huge shows with a guy [SOULFLY/ex-SEPULTURA frontman Max Cavalera] whose music I grew up idolizing. Thats good enough for me."

He added, "I've always been an all-or-nothing kinda guy. I could never be the guy loading bags onto the plane, I'd have to be the pilot.

"I'm thankful for the real friends I've made, which are very few and far between, trust me, and, of course, the good experiences, but it's time.

"Music doesn't have a 401K plan, insurance, anything that I can count on in the end to support my family, and that scares me. I can't just crawl back to my mom's couch anymore if I drop the ball. I have people depending on me to provide, so I'd rather not be selfish anymore and focus on the real rather than a dream.

"A bunch of you say I'll miss it and I'll be back. You don't understand that this whole business has ruined any sort of want or will for me to continue on. I've done it and it's not glamorous or anything that anyone seems to think it is.

"I'm not a rock star or anything near it. So what if I was the drummer of SOULFLY and played huge festivals. I'm a hired gun and always have been just a hired gun... I'm just a hired gun who was luckier than most to have worked my way up the food chain a bit further than others. The fact is that I've tasted it all now and want nothing to do with the entire dish anymore.

"I don't enjoy playing drums anymore, shows or anything to do with it. I just want to be home with my family. My fiancée, the kids, my Mom, Grandpa. Those are the only people who mean something to me.

"I'm only here finishing the tour because I don't want to fuck anyone over. I have no desire to sit on a plane for 12 hours to Malaysia and trek around Asia for the next week dragging gear all over. I'd rather be at home fixing Mom's Malibu Lights LOL. I'm just thankful that I made the decision at 29 rather than 39.

"I'm done."
source: https://www.blabbermouth.net/news/soulf ... n-bangkok/

I think many struggling musicians can relate to this.
I wish I had done a capture of the comments on the old Blabbermouth website, because he was talking about his new job.

edit: found it!
I haven’t played since October 23rd in Thailand. I sold all of my equipment and now I actually work on the railroad. Its hard work but the benefits and salary are well worth the effort. It goes to show the true colors since Max tries to make it look like I was fired lol. I actually quit on the last day of the last Euro tour because I was to become a Father and didn’t want to be away from my family anymore. I also couldn’t handle the Cavalera way anymore. The Soulfly experience literally broke my love for being a drummer. Too much drama, too many lies and not worth the time or energy. I worked my ass off to make a great record, play ALL the songs note for note and yet I’m talked about like a piece of shit. So much for the “respect”.

Re: GW

Posted: Thu Jun 06, 2019 3:37 pm
by BSC
I'm reluctant to speculate but I've wondered whether or not he sustained a drumming related injury. I haven't watched many videos of Garrett play live, but in the videos I have seen his technique seemed quite poor from an endurance perspective. He seemed to play with this head down a lot, hitting extremely hard and using a lot of his arms to hit the drums as opposed to using his wrists. I recall watching one of those 'stories from the road' videos (I probably got the name wrong, apologies) that were released when the Tremonti band first got going and Garrett said something like (I paraphrase) 'if I'm not aching all over when I get off stage, I don't feel like I've put on a show'. Don't get me know, his playing style certainly suited the sound of the band, he's a very skilled drummer and he's a good showman, but that kind of playing style will wear on your wrists, lower back and neck quite quickly, so I wonder whether he just felt fatigued.

Drummers sustain posture/technique related injuries all of the time. I think Five Finger Death Punch's drummer left for similar reason. Charlie Benante of Anthrax has sat out a lot of tours due to wear and tear on his body. Chris Adler of Lamb of God hasn't played in Lamb of God for over a year following a motorcycle accident, slightly different circumstances but demonstrates the importance of your physical health when drumming in this genre.

Re: GW

Posted: Mon Jun 08, 2020 5:16 pm
by riemslag1
Some sign of life from the man on the www...................and drumming !!! Hope a return to Tremonti will be possible. As far as I understood they are still good between each other, so there's hope

Re: GW

Posted: Wed Jun 10, 2020 11:59 am
by MidnightToker
riemslag1 wrote:Some sign of life from the man on the http://www...................and drumming !!! Hope a return to Tremonti will be possible. As far as I understood they are still good between each other, so there's hope
Was it a tweet or something from GW? Can you post it? Your link doesn't work.

Re: GW

Posted: Wed Jun 10, 2020 4:12 pm
by riemslag1
Sorry, was not meant to be a link. Just check the man's own FB

Re: GW

Posted: Thu Jun 11, 2020 11:47 am
by MidnightToker
I'm not on Facebook. If someone can copy and paste, that'd be great.