The holidays could be a bit tense at the Loeffler house this year. Brothers Pete (guitar, vocals), Joe (bass) and Sam (drums) founded Chevelle ten years ago, but after a recent blowout in Kansas City, the Chicago rock trio has become a duo, leaving youngest brother Joe behind.
"I love Joe -- I'll always love my brother -- and I'll do anything I can for him. But he hated to tour," Sam says. "He was an unhappy guy on the road . . . We wanted him to take some time off to figure out what he wanted to do, but he wasn't willing to do that. He said, 'The only way I'm staying home is if you fire me.' It was the hardest decision we ever had to make."
Pete and Sam enlisted former Filter bassist Geno Lenardo for their current run with Taproot behind Chevelle's breakthrough album, This Type of Thinking Could Do Us In, which debuted at Number Eight on the pop charts last September. The two brothers will begin recording a new album this fall.
"The way the band worked was, basically, I wrote all the music -- I always have, I always will," says Pete. "Aside from being the drummer, Sam's place in the band is the business side of it. He's always talking to management and the label. Joe was always the one who just kind of played bass. He did that very well -- he's a very talented bass player -- but I don't think he ever really felt a passion. He was a third member. The chemistry worked as long as it could, but the fighting just got too old."
Pete and Sam haven't spoken with Joe since, and, according to the drummer, the rest of the Loeffler family is staying out of it. "He basically said he doesn't want to talk to us right now, and we want to be respectful of that," Sam says. "But we don't know what's going to happen when it comes to Thanksgiving."
Before they face the family drama, Chevelle have a punk rock club to save. For the first time in six years, the band will play New York City's CBGB club on August 4th. Proceeds from the show will benefit the legendary punk club, which is facing closure amid financial difficulties.
"It's going to be full-on punk rock that night," Pete says. "We've played there two or three times, and, once you play CBGB, you never forget it. You can't walk out of that place and not feel changed."
Chevelle tour dates:
7/28: Virginia Beach, VA, Verizon Wireless Virginia Beach Amphitheatre
7/29: Philadelphia, Electric Factory
7/30: Poughkeepsie, NY, The Chance
8/1: Portland, ME, State Theatre
8/2: Boston, The Roxy
8/3: New York, Irving Plaza
8/4: New York, CBGB
8/5: Myrtle Beach, House of Blues
8/6: Atlanta, Underground Atlanta
8/8: Orlando, House of Blues
8/9: Tampa, Jannus Landing
8/11: Birmingham, AL, Sloss Furnace
8/12: Columbus, OH, Germain Amphitheatre
8/14: Madison, WI, Willow Island Alliant Energy Center Memorial Coliseum
8/16: Des Moines, IA, Val Air
8/17: Columbia, MO, Blue Note
8/18: Kansas City, MO, Beaumont Club
8/20: Las Vegas, Aladdin
8/21: Tucson, AZ, Valencia Anselmo