Longtime Bad Religion guitarist Greg Hetson has confirmed that he is no longer part of the legendary punk band. Fans have been speculating about Hetson’s status in the band since last year, and although Bad Religion have yet to release an official statement, Hetson confirmed his departure via Twitter.
Bad Religion debuted a lineup without Greg Hetson back in April 2013, recruiting Cult guitarist Mike Dimkich to fill Hetson’s place.
In response to questions regarding Hetson’s absence, Bad Religion bassist Jay Bentley wrote, “Greg Hetson is dealing with some personal issues, if he wishes to make a statement we will support that, if he chooses not to we will support that.
Mike Dimkich is indeed helping us out right now, and we are genuinely appreciative. Right now we are just looking forward and getting ready to play our shows.”
Shortly after Bentley’s statement, it was reported that Greg Hetson was going through a divorce with wife Alia. The two had only been married two years and accusations of domestic abuse were aimed at both man and wife.
According to TMZ, Alia filed a temporary restraining order against the guitarist, claiming her husband had acted physically violent towards her.
Greg Hetson shot back with a restraining order of his own, claiming that among other incidents, Alia beat him with a coat hanger and shoved an apple core in his mouth.
Bad Religion changed their official band photo to include Mike Dimkich back in January of this year, although no statement accompanied the picture.
However, a few days before the photo was posted, Jay Bentley wrote “So Dimkich is a permanent member of the band” on The Bad Religion Page.
Bentley’s words remained fairly low-key, but Greg Hetson recently went to his Twitter account to confirm the news of his departure:
Bad Religion are set to begin writing their 17th studio album this year, following up the awesome ‘True North’ record released in 2013.
Rome Ramirez of Sublime with Rome, a post-Bradley Nowell spinoff of Sublime, announced he will leave the band at the end of 2024.
This announcement comes a week after Jakob Nowell, son of Sublime’s late frontman, joined surviving members of the band for a one-off concert in L.A.
“After almost two remarkable decades, I am announcing my departure from Sublime with Rome at the close of 2024,” Ramirez wrote in a press release.
“The upcoming performances over the next year will allow us to reflect on countless incredible memories together! Over the last 2 years I’ve been spending countless hours pouring my soul into my solo music, and the excitement to share these songs with you is building up! I’ve got some really big news that I can’t drop yet. Just wait!”
Ramirez began performing with original Sublime members Eric Wilson (bass) and Bud Gaugh (drums) in 2009 under the “Sublime” banner.
After Nowell’s family threatened legal action if the trio continued using the name Sublime—which Bradley Nowell trademarked under his own name before he died of a heroin overdose in 1996—the band began touring and record
This news comes after Wilson and Bud performed several Sublime songs with Jakob Nowell at a benefit for Bad Brains frontman Paul “HR” Hudson at The Teragon Ballroom on December 11th.
At 28 years old—the same age his father died—Jakob led the band through classics like “Wrong Way”, “April 29th, 1992”, and “Same In The End”, emulating Bradley’s voice with shocking accuracy.
Jakob even remarked offstage at one point “We are Sublime,” fueling speculation on future collaborations. It’s worth noting that Nowell’s family, including Bradley’s widow Troy “Mama Troy” Dendekker and Jakob, own the rights to the name “Sublime” and would be able to tour under the banner if they so desired.