The Bled issue a HUGE update

Just in case you'd been wondering what The Bled were up to, the band have issued the following update...

"So the last 6 months have been pretty quiet around these parts. we have kept a lot of people in the dark about what exactly has been going on in the bled camp. basically, we have been trying to figure out how to stay a band. as a lot of you know, we acquired a hefty band debt that we have individually been working to pay off. we have been touring as our full time job for the past 7 years so jumping right in to regular work, particularly with the economy being as awful as it is, was no small task. trying to pay off debt and pay rent and bills and keep a band together is a mountain to climb and it has been very slow coming to say the least.

michael aaron pedicone started drumming with an alternative rock icon, and to say that he is doing well is an understatement. this is something he needs to continue to do to help his debt and to further his career as a drummer. mike has been my best friend in the band as well as being a beast behind the kit and we whole heartedly support him in his new endeavors. we asked darren tang simoes to be a part of the band in 2005 just before we recorded found in the flood. he was a sick guitar player and went to high school with both ross and james, he fit right in with us and definitely picked up the slack in the bass department.

since our temporary hiatus darren has been working a regular job as well filling in for different bass players in our friends bands. recently darren decided that the touring lifestyle is no longer for him, he signed up for college courses and is furthering his education. he still hates taco bell, and will always be the richard gere of hong kong. ross joseph ott packed up his shit and moved to austin where life is just generally cooler than most places. he works for a company called artistforce and is also doing well. much like darren, ross decided that touring full time was no longer the life for him. ross is an original member of the bled and will defintely be missed by fellow band members and fans alike. which brings us to myself and james munoz.

i started this band in 2001 with some friends and i have always written a large bulk of the music and in a lot of cases the lyrics to the songs. thats not to say that the other dudes did not contribute, but the skeletal riffs that the songs are based on have always been jammed out by myself in my bedroom. with me doing the writing and james being the voice and personality of the band we think its pointless to close the book on 7 years of work and fun only to start something that sounds and feels similar to the bled. so we have been putting this puzzle back together again. still keeping true to the simple formula of five friends making aggressive music together, we didn't want to stretch outside our circle of friends to replace dudes that we have known for years.

we asked some of our close friends to fill in the holes and we have been steadily practicing old material as well as writing for a new record. the old songs sound ,and feel like the old songs, and the new stuff is pretty insane. so basically it doesnt really feel like we missed a beat other than not being on the road for last half of 2008. i realize that this is a lot to take in and that there are those who will miss the bled in its previous formation, but like i said, this is what had to be done to stay a band, and hopefully you'll stick around to see what happens.

speaking for james and myself, we aren't college kids, we dont have any interest in settling down and getting REAL ass jobs, we're down to rock by any means neccesary. Brad Murray has been a close friend of mine and the band for awhile, he played with me in Starving Arms as well as Versus The Mirror. He is taking over bass duties for darren, and is taking over the "hottest dude in the band" position that pedicone recently vacated. also from Starving Arms and a sick band called The Funeral March, is Robbie Burbidge. We've been hanging since around the pass the flask time and he is an awesome guitar player, and a pretty decent person.

Josh Skeebar is a man with a beard. he is a dude that ive known for longer than anybody in the bled past and present. anybody that has heard his old band Is To Feel knows how ridiculous he is at playing the drums. and he is pretty much the only person in tucson that i know personally who could fill pedicones spot, he learned all the old songs through his headphones before we had our first practice and literally saved the band from breaking up. this is a new version of the bled and so far it is as good as ever. we look forward to proving it on the first weekend of april at Bamboozle Left. come say hi and meet the newbies. much love the bled ( past and present ) P.S. sorry this is so damn long but we had a lot to talk about."