Poison the Well Seek to Turn Stolen-Van Tragedy into Limited Edition T-Shirt Triumph

After the first night on tour with Canadian rock act Billy Talent, Miami's Poison the Well have awoken in Detroit to find their van and gear stolen. As posted on their MySpace earlier, the band reports: "So this morning we woke up at our delightful Marriot Courtyard hotel (priceline, get into it) and walked outside to get in the van to head to Chicago for our second show of the tour. Only problem, it isn't there.

"Either someone is pulling some Merlin shit on us and just waiting for the perfect moment to unveil it and calm our shot nerves, or a talented scumbag stole our van and trailer with literally everything we own inside. Needless to say, we're crushed. Our most beloved instruments are gone, and trust me, we're gear nerds."

Not only gear nerds, but the van-at-large is a PTW legacy item as well, as Noisecreep's own Chris Harris reported from its cozy interior earlier this year, "The van, which was around the 192,790 mark when we last saw it, has been in the band's possession for years, and it's gotten them through many tours."

Through MySpace, the band goes on to express the gravity of their situation, continuing, "Having something like this happen is the worst thing that can happen to any band short of someone dying ..."

As they take a couple days off tour to gather some new gear and solidify a rental van, PTW plan to continue their U.S. tour as soon as possible, and announce a hopeful effort to raise money for their plight: "If you want to help out, we'll have a limited edition shirt online sometime soon that makes fun of our situation and is awesome, and all proceeds from that will go to wiping away our tears and some new tumbleweeds for the insides of our wallets."

In the meantime, PTW proclaim their gratitude to those who have stepped up to help out so far, saying via Twitter, "We really can't thank everyone enough for the support and coming to our aid when we really need it most." And remain in high spirits, signing off their update on MySpace with, "Pissed about our gear and passionate about this band as ever."