Aniruddh "Andrew" Bansal of Metal Assaultconducted a short interview with JUDAS PRIEST drummer Scott Travis at the third annual Revolver Golden Gods Awards, which took place last night (Wednesday, April 20) at Club Nokia in downtown Los Angeles, California.
On whether he's as shocked as everyone else at original JUDAS PRIEST guitarist Kenneth "K.K." Downing's decision to leave the band:
Scott Travis: "Oh yes, I sure am. Everyone has been asking me about it, but then K.K. is a legend, so I do expect everyone to ask me about it."
On what this means for PRIEST to embark on a "farewell" tour:
Scott Travis: "I think we'll go as long as we want to go. It's up to everyone in the band. It's a five-member unit and I'm going to hopefully rock when PRIEST decides to give it up. I want to stick around and do what I can do. We're all lucky to do this to begin with. It's a gift to be able to make music, travel the world, meet fans and do everything else."
On what he plans to do after PRIEST's final tour:
Scott Travis: "I don't know, I'm just going to continue rocking my guts out like I do and hopefully something will come around the corner and I'll keep rocking."
Downing released a statement earlier today blaming his departure from JUDAS PRIEST on "an ongoing breakdown in working relationship between myself, elements of the band, and the band's management for some time." He added that he "decided to step down rather than to tour with negative sentiments as I feel that this would be a deception to . . . our cherished fans."
JUDAS PRIEST members had previously stated that their "Epitaph" tour would be their last, but that they would continue recording, with a new album due for release next year.
The tour begins in Holland on June 7 with a series of dates scheduled throughout Europe this summer. They will then hit Brazil and Mexico in the fall. There has been no word on a U.S. leg of the tour.
On whether he's as shocked as everyone else at original JUDAS PRIEST guitarist Kenneth "K.K." Downing's decision to leave the band:
Scott Travis: "Oh yes, I sure am. Everyone has been asking me about it, but then K.K. is a legend, so I do expect everyone to ask me about it."
On what this means for PRIEST to embark on a "farewell" tour:
Scott Travis: "I think we'll go as long as we want to go. It's up to everyone in the band. It's a five-member unit and I'm going to hopefully rock when PRIEST decides to give it up. I want to stick around and do what I can do. We're all lucky to do this to begin with. It's a gift to be able to make music, travel the world, meet fans and do everything else."
On what he plans to do after PRIEST's final tour:
Scott Travis: "I don't know, I'm just going to continue rocking my guts out like I do and hopefully something will come around the corner and I'll keep rocking."
Downing released a statement earlier today blaming his departure from JUDAS PRIEST on "an ongoing breakdown in working relationship between myself, elements of the band, and the band's management for some time." He added that he "decided to step down rather than to tour with negative sentiments as I feel that this would be a deception to . . . our cherished fans."
JUDAS PRIEST members had previously stated that their "Epitaph" tour would be their last, but that they would continue recording, with a new album due for release next year.
The tour begins in Holland on June 7 with a series of dates scheduled throughout Europe this summer. They will then hit Brazil and Mexico in the fall. There has been no word on a U.S. leg of the tour.
Source: Blabbermouth.net
