Following the news earlier this week that Every Time I Die had broken up after 20-plus years together, singer Keith Buckley has posted a lengthy and detailed statement explaining the divide between him and his ex-bandmates that led to the split.
As previously reported, the four other members of Every Time I Die released a statement on Monday (January 17th) that essentially announced the breakup of the band. Keith then shared a legal letter of separation sent to him by a law firm on behalf of the other members that also served as a cease and desist notice preventing him from using the Every Time I Die’s name or logo to promote any upcoming events.
In an extensive explanation of his side of the story posted on Instagram today (January 19th), Keith fully detailed the issues he had with his brother Jordan (guitars) and the other members of the band. His full statement from his multi-page IG post can be read below:
“There is absolutely no hate in my heart when I say that whatever is going on with the guys from now on is between them and their God. Any emotional/ mental connection I had to them was thoroughly severed when I got that letter on Dec. 20th. That was where our paths finally diverged completely.
I need it to be crystal clear that after their Twitter statement (then deletion then retraction) on Dec 3rd, the letter I received on Dec. 20th was the only correspondence I received in reply to a request made for a conversation with them on Dec 7th.
They did not reach out to me to resolve the issue before [our holiday show] ‘TID The Season. After TTS there were no attempts at contact from anyone in the band (nor our management) until Dec 17th when our manager unexpectedly quit. Still, no group conversation transpired. On Dec. 20th I was sent a legal document stating I was no longer a member of Every Time I Die, but the other 4 members were. That’s a factual order of events as I observed them and I need to establish this before going any further. This is MY Truth.
After I overheard them talking about their plans to replace me while backstage in Asheville on Dec 3rd, I played the show (angrily) and immediately left the tour. You all know that. What you don’t know is that as soon as I got home, I made multiple attempts to talk to them about their problems with me, since up to the day before the Asheville show I genuinely thought things were better than they had been in a very long time. If you saw me perform then you would know I felt that was true.
After that Asheville show I tweeted that I was taking a break to protect my mental health because, honestly, I was fucking devastated. The following day they announced- without informing me- that they would continue on the tour and allow the fans to sing ‘karaoke style’. Additionally, they quoted me as if I condoned or was even aware beforehand that it was something they were going to do. I found out on Twitter, the same way you did. They then retracted that statement and posted a message of support, claiming I was a ‘crucial member’.
