Jay Weinberg is set to return to the stage, drumming for Infectious Grooves at the Byron Bay Bluesfest in Australia on April 1. This marks his first major performance since parting ways with Slipknot in November.
The news came through an Instagram post shared by Suicidal Tendencies:
“Warning Number One… This Ain’t No April Fool’s joke..but you definitely won’t be laughing if you miss out on Infectious Grooves April 1st at the Byron Bay Bluesfest! Warning Number Two… Infectious Grooves is gonna bring a super special extra Funk and Punk and everything in between edition.”
The Upcoming Show’s Lineup Includes The Ex-Slipknot Drummer
The Byron Bay Bluesfest is happening over Easter weekend. Infectious Grooves’ set, scheduled for April 1, includes Mike Muir of Suicidal Tendencies on vocals, Robert Trujillo from Metallica on bass, and guitarists Dean Pleasants and Dave Kushner from Velvet Revolver.
Discussing the drummer lineup, the post mentioned:
“Unfortunately, our brother, drummer Brooks Wakerman, was not available to do this run of shows due to Avenged Sevenfold dates. Drummer for IG is definitely not an easy gig to fill. Starting with Stephen Perkins (Infectious Grooves) on drums, then followed with a 17-year-old Josh Freese (Foo Fighters, etc.), and then came a 14-year-old Brooks (The Teenage Drum Sensation) Wakerman, IG has always been blessed with some amazing drummers.”
It revealed Weinberg as another guest member:
“So Warning number Three… IG is beyond stoked and honored to be able to have the incredible Jay Weinberg to be the driving force as he beats the funk out of the drums on this run!”
Weinberg Is Happy To Perform With IG
Suicidal Tendencies’ announcement also added the former Slipknot drummer’s words about the upcoming show. It read:
“It’s an absolute honor to play with the legendary Infectious Grooves on this incredibly exciting Australian tour! Playing with some of my favorite musicians in one of the most beautiful countries for some of the greatest fans of heavy music in the world…I couldn’t be more thrilled to get started. See you all soon!”
Following the news, Weinberg went on social media to share his excitement publicly. He captioned a poster of the Byron Bay Bluesfest dates by writing:
“I’m honored and thrilled to head to Australia with the legendary Infectious Grooves for a special performance at Byron Bay Bluesfest. Stay tuned for more…”
There Are More Surprises For The Performance
The announcement from Suicidal Tendencies also highlighted the return of Dave Kushner, who was an unofficial member of Infectious Grooves in their early days, for this festival performance:
“Rounding out the band on guitar will be a bit of reunion. Dave Kushner (Velvet Revolver, etc.) played on some of the first IG album. He’ll be reuniting with IG for these dates also. Dave is a good friend, and we are all looking forward to getting on stage and having a blast and giving a big dose of the Infectious Grooves!”
Skipping ‘warning number four’ to reveal later, the band explained why there would only be a limited number of shows with the additional members:
“Super limited dates due to everyone’s schedule. We’d love to do a massive run of dates, but it’s not possible with everyone’s schedule. These are short notice, but we jumped at the opportunity to lock some dates in at this time. So when the rest of the dates are announced, be there or be prepared to let your friends tell you what you missed out.”
Will Weinberg Be A Permanent Member?
The announcement concluded with a welcoming message as it read:
“Needless to say, Robert Trujillo, Mike Muir and Dean Pleasants are beyond stoked to welcome Jay Weinberg and Dave Kushner in for this event (and a few more soon to be announced shows)!”
After his exit and surgery for a torn labrum, Weinberg joined The Bouncing Souls last month for a surprise performance in Tennessee. He will officially return to the stage with IG, but it is yet to be seen if his role with the band will extend beyond these scheduled performances.
