Corrosion of Conformity’s Reed Mullin Suffers Seizure, Leaves Tour
Legendary sludge/punk/ever-evolving pioneers Corrosion of Conformity are currently celebrating their reunion with frontman Pepper Keenan by touring with a setlist full of jams from the Blind through In the Arms of God eras. That means bassist Mike Dean, guitarist Woody Weathermen, and drummer Reed Mullin rounded out the remainder of the lineup, that is until the dark news broke this morning via a post from Dean on the band's Facebook page:
“Last night In Edmonton, Alberta, COC drummer, Reed Mullin, had a seizure just as we were about to take the stage. This was preceded by prolonged, extreme and unhealthy levels of alcohol consumption, not taking care of himself and who-knows-what else. Reed has been unwell for awhile and we are praying he gets the help he needs and that he seek treatment for alcohol and drug dependency, not to mention general lifestyle assistance.”
According to Dean, the incident is strikingly similar to another from when the band was touring off of their self-titled 2012 release, which forced them to cancel five shows in total. Clutch’s Jean Paul Gaster will join Chris Adler (of Lamb of God) to fill in the holes for the forthcoming dates while the band “leaves Reed with the medical experts in Edmonton” thereby not enabling him “to continue killing himself on our watch.” Heavy.
Dean's full statement is below. It is worth noting that the band added a comment immediately below that post, stating that "this quote is from Mike Dean and may not reflect the views of the entire family as they confront the reality and public response."
"Last night In Edmonton, Alberta, COC drummer, Reed Mullin,had a seizure just as we were about to take the stage. This was preceded by prolonged, extreme and unhealthy levels of alcohol consumption, not taking care of himself and who-knows-what else. Reed has been unwell for awhile and we are praying he gets the help he needs and that he seek treatment for alcohol and drug dependency, not to mention general lifestyle assistance.This tragic event echoes a nearly identical incident In Pttsburgh a few years back, where Reed had a seizure just before taking the stage when the 3 piece version of the band were also opening for Clutch. Both instances were preceded by concerns about Reed's well being and appearance.That incident resulted in five canceled shows. So years of assurances go by and we come full circle back to the same avoidable tragedy. This time we are leaving Reed with the medical experts in Edmonton and pressing on w the help of Jean Paul Gaster and Chris Adler, who quickly learned some songs. The show went on and will go on but we will not enable Reed to continue killing himself on our watch.
Again we ask everyone for prayers for Reed and understanding for our predicament. All the best to everyone and Reed get help,"- with a heavy heart, Mike Dean