Animals As Leaders have undergone a lineup change as they prepare to hit the road at the end of this week for their first European headlining tour and a string of shows with Meshuggah. Drummer Navene Koperweis has decided to leave the group. He explains in a statement, "Tosin (Abasi) and Javier (Reyes, guitar) are the two most generous, caring and understanding individuals I've ever met and I look forward to a lifetime of friendship with the both of them. Over the past decade I have done nothing but music. Recording, writing, playing, practicing, touring and producing. It's taken me beyond what I could have dreamt of as a kid when I started. My new goals extend beyond the drum kit and I'm the type of person who will constantly chase new dreams. You'll be seeing a lot more of me soon."
The band's mastermind Abasi says, "I've shared some of my most memorable musical experiences to date with Navene and truly consider him a brother. I commend him for following his own path in life, even if that means i'll no longer be sharing the stage with him. I feel blessed to have had the pleasure of working together and creating a lifelong friendship."
Filling in for Koperweis on Animals As Leaders' European and North American tours will be the Boston-based Matt Garstka, a Berklee alumnus who has previously played with the groups Gokh Bi System, Two Man Trio and Verse The Fire.
"We see nothing but great potential with Matt, and look forward to performing with him on the upcoming tours," Abasi says. "We feel very excited for the future of AAL, which is brighter than ever. I'm beyond excited for our fans to hear some of the new music we already have brewing for the future!"
Animals As Leaders on tour:
4/1 Tilburg, Holland- 013KZ
4/2 Brusells, Belgium- AB Club
4/3 Paris, France- Batofar
4/4 Bielefeld, Germany- Kamp
4/5 Kiel, Germany- Die Pumpe
4/7 Hamburg, Germany- Logo
4/8 Berlin, Germany- Magnet
4/9 Munich, Germany- Feierwerk
4/10 Frankfurt, Germany- Batschkapp
4/12 Bristol, UK - O2 Academy #
4/13 Wolverhampton, UK - Slade Rooms #
4/14 Nottingham, UK - Rock City #
4/15 Glasgow, UK - Garage #
4/17 Manchester, UK - Academy #
4/18 Norwich, UK - Waterfront #
4/19 Brighton, UK - Concorde 2 #
4/20 London, UK - Electric Ballroom #
4/22 Trier, Germany- Ex-Haus
4/23 Bochum, Germany- Matrix
4/24 Cologne, Germany- Underground
4/25 Osnabruck, Germany- Kleine Freiheit
4/26 Hannover, Germany- Musikzentrum
4/27 Dresden, Germany- Reithalle
4/28 Prague, Czech Republic- Rock Cafe
4/29 Ludwigsburg, Germany- Rockfabrick
4/30 Zurich, Switzerland- Werk21
5/1 Vienna, Austria- Chelsea
5/4 San Diego, CA - House of Blues-San Diego %
5/5 Las Vegas, NV - Hard Rock Café %
5/6 Tempe, AZ - The Marquee %
5/8 Tulsa, OK - Cain's Ballroom %
5/9 Dallas, TX - The Door %
5/10 Austin, TX - Emo's East %
5/11 Houston, TX - Warehouse Live %
5/12 New Orleans, LA - Tipitina's %
5/13 Atlanta, GA - The Masquerade %
5/15 Ft. Lauderdale, FL - Revolution %
5/16 Lake Buena Vista, FL - House of Blues %
5/18 Carrboro, NC - Cat's Cradle %
5/19 Charlotte, NC - The Fillmore Charlotte %
5/20 Norfolk, VA - The NorVa %
5/22 Lancaster, PA - Chameleon %
5/23 Washington, DC - The Howard Theatre %
5/24 New York, NY - Best Buy Theatre Times Square %
5/25 Philadelphia, PA - Electric Factory %
5/26 Boston, MA - Royale Night Club %
5/27 Hartford, CT - Webster Theatre %
5/29 Montreal, QC - Metropolis %
5/30 Toronto, ONT - Phoenix Concert Theatre %
6/1 Detroit, MI - St. Andrews Hall %
6/2 Chicago, IL - Metro %
6/3 Milwaukee, WI - The Rave %
6/5 Lincoln, NE - Bourbon Theatre %
6/6 Denver, CO - The Summit Music Hall %
6/7 Salt Lake City, UT - In The Venue %
6/9 Seattle, WA - The Showbox - The Market %
6/10 Portland, OR - Wonder Ballroom %
6/12 San Francisco, CA - The Regency Ballroom %
6/13 Santa Cruz, CA - The Catalyst %
6/14 Anaheim, CA - House of Blues %
6/15 Anaheim, CA - House of Blues %
6/16 Los Angeles, CA - Club Nokia LA Live %
6/29 Helsinki, Finland - Tuska Open Air
# w/ Meshuggah
% w/ Thrice
