My heart strings are tugged to publicly announce that our drummer Matthew Elias Lewter is resigning from our band The Strand. He made this announcement to the band a about month ago, on August 30th 2016. This news came as a bit of a surprise, but also makes a lot of sense. Before I go into any details, let me first say that Lewter is one of the most talented, intelligent, and reliable friends I have. I can truly say that he’s the kind of man I would want at my side in combat. So, in true Lewter-fashion he offered to play out the two gigs we already had booked, and gave us plenty of notice. He suggested we immediately start searching for a suitable replacement. Since the Hollywood, Bar Sinister gig on September 24th 2016 is complete, Lewter’s final performance with The Strand will be at the Oscillation festival in Albuquerque, New Mexico on October 14th 2016.
Matthew Elias Lewter joined the band in 2008 and has performed about 50 gigs over an eight-year period. The Strand has been around for 16 years, so that means that half of the band’s existence has been with Lewter. He has been an integral part of our team, and his contributions are countless. Plus, he’s fun to be around, we’ve laughed a lot, learned a lot, and had some unforgettable experiences together. Truly we will not be the same band without him. I am really happy to say that we are all on great terms and continue to hang out, since his friendship is very important to all of us. When asked why he was leaving he said he was just not having fun with it anymore. Also he said that he was streamlining and cutting out a lot of other things, and placing a strong focus on Elias Black, his latest music project. (Please take a moment to check out the Elias Black debut album and show your support. http://www.eliasblack.com/)
The remaining band members have since had some very honest, heart-felt discussions about what to do. I think it is safe to say that we understand where he is coming from, and his decision is proving to be a catalyst for the band. We will soon make a second announcement regarding our band’s response, but I want to take this time to recognize Lewter for all of the glorious times we had playing together in The Strand.
With love and gratitude,
-Dave Strand