Black Tusk Will Tour With Black Label Society To Honor Late Member Jonathan Athon
Black Tusk are still mourning the death of Jonathan Athon, but have vowed to soldier on in honor of the singer-bassist's memory. The group will hit the road in February, touring Europe with Black Label Society.
Athon died on Nov. 9 from injuries sustained in a motorcycle accident. He was initially placed in a medically-induced coma, but was later pulled from life support after it was determined that he had irreparable brain damage.
As for their decision to honor the previously scheduled tour with Black Label Society, the band issued a statement on the matter that can be read below:
It's been an incredibly trying time for us over the past month and we want to thank everyone for their support. We had confirmed the tour with Black Label Society and finished the new album before Athon's accident and Athon, specifically, had been very excited about the opportunity to tour with BLS and we feel there's no way he'd want things to end on this note. Corey Barhorst, formerly of Kylesa and currently of Niche, will be stepping in for Athon for the time being. All of us go back over 10 years and Corey seemed the natural choice to carry on for Athon.
It is not known as of yet what Black Tusk will do after the Black Label Society tour, but the decision to play offers some hope that they will continue in the future.
The group has set up a Memorial Fund for Athon that will help fund the medical costs for the musician's girlfriend as well as some family members. Donations can be made via PayPal to AthonFund@gmail.com.
As stated, the group just finished their fifth studio album, but a release date and details for the effort have yet to be revealed.
Black Label Society With Black Tusk 2015 European Tour
2/11 -- Glasgow, UK -- 02 ABC
2/12 -- Birmingham, UK -- The Institute
2/13 -- London, UK -- Roundhouse
2/14 -- Bristol, UK -- Bristol 02 Academy
2/15 -- Leeds, UK -- Leeds 02 Academy
2/17 -- Norwich, UK -- Norwich UEA
2/18 -- Nottingham, UK -- Rock City
2/19 -- Manchester, UK -- Manchester Academy
2/21 -- Amsterdam, NL -- Melkweg
2/22 -- Brussels, BE -- Ancienne Belgique
2/24 -- Frankfurt, DE -- Batschkapp
2/25 -- Dortmund, DE -- FZW Freizeitzentrum West
2/26 -- Paris, FR -- Le Bataclan
2/27 -- Strasbourg, FR -- La Laitere
3/1 -- Aarhus, DK -- Train
3/3 -- Oslo, NO -- Rockefeller Music Hall
3/5 -- Stockholm, SE -- Close Up Baten (Crusie)
3/6 -- Helsinki, FI -- Nosturl
3/8 -- Tallinn, EE -- Rock Cafe
3/9 -- Vilnius, LT -- Forum Palace
3/11 -- Gdansk, PL -- B90
3/12 -- Krakow, PL -- Studio
3/14 -- Pratteln, CH -- Z7
3/15 -- Lausanne, CH -- Les Docks