Southern California punk stalwarts Bad Religion were forced to cancel their European tour due to drummer Bobby Schayer’s shoulder injury. Moreover, the damaged rotator cuff will take him out of the band’s lineup permanently.
The injury prohibits Schayer from lifting his arm above his shoulder, effectively ending his drumming career, according to the band’s publicist. Suicidal Tendencies drummer Brooks Wackerman is slated to replace the fallen percussionist.
Schayer’s injury has “left us stunned and greatly saddened,” the bandmembers posted on their official Web site (www.badreligion.com). “His doctor tells us that he has lost a very significant amount of motion in his shoulder and he has trouble raising his arm above the level of his chest without excruciating pain. He cannot hit the cymbals, nor perform drum rolls with any degree of intensity. … Bad Religion has lost one of the truly great punk drummers of all time.”
The overseas trek, scheduled to begin June 17 in Hamburg, Germany, is being rescheduled for late October or early November.
Meanwhile, the band is set to begin recording their 12th studio album, The Process of Belief, in early July with original guitarist and Epitaph Records founder Brett Gurewitz. The follow-up to last year’s The New America is scheduled for October 23 release.