Written statements received by The Lion’s Roar on Sunday night from Marsuul Music Studios and Shredding Accordingly announced that Xabia Nolana, Marsuul’s studio head, had resigned as drummer for the long-running rock band. Shredding Accordingly said the change took immediate effect. Both statements attributed her decision to a wish to spend more time with her family and said the working relationship would continue.
“This has been met with understanding from the band and without any ill feeling,” Marsuul Music Studios said. The studio added that it remained committed to working with Shredding Accordingly on future music and wished the group every success.
The band’s separate statement said the decision followed discussion with its members. “We wish Xabia all the best in her future endeavours and will continue to work closely with her as our friend and partner,” it said, confirming that Marsuul would remain involved in future album releases and merchandise options.
Speaking to The Lion’s Roar on Monday evening, Vetterick and Octavia echoed the two statements and discussed how the group intends to proceed. The band has not decided whether to recruit a permanent replacement, but both said that interested drummers are welcome to approach them.
The change leaves guitarist and songwriter Vetterick, harpist, violinist and songwriter Octavia, and accordionist Baldemar Sweet-Stonebridge in the band. Vetterick, who also handles its paperwork, said he and Baldemar were the original members, with Xabia and Octavia joining several months later. The group has performed since sometime during the Fourth War, though Vetterick was uncertain of the precise number of years.
Vetterick attributed Xabia’s departure to competing responsibilities. “Xabia’s got a family to look after, Marsuul Music Studios to run,” he said. “It simply wasn’t a good fit for her anymore.”
Octavia acknowledged her sadness at the decision, but said family and business had to come first. “We still love her with all we are,” she added.
The continuing partnership includes the band’s commercial relationship with Marsuul Music Studios. According to Vetterick, the studio will remain the sole producer of Shredding Accordingly’s albums and “any other nonsense we decide to sell”. Octavia said she believed Marsuul already sells the group’s records, which Vetterick then confirmed.
The drum stool is the more immediate difficulty. Vetterick said the band could use pre-recorded drums if necessary, as he once did with instruments he could not perform live before the full group formed. He added that Xabia had practised on his old drum kit “way back when”.
Octavia said she had considered scouting for somebody new, but described finding a drummer with comparable force as a difficult task. Both members stressed that musicianship would be only part of any decision.
“Sure, we’d love to hear from them,” Vetterick said when asked whether prospective drummers should make contact. He cautioned, however, that the band has not yet settled on how to proceed.
“It wouldn’t simply be acing an audition and, bam, they’re in. They’d need to be a good fit personality-wise too. Drum skills can be worked on, personality’s a bit more challenging.”
Any newcomer would be entering a close-knit group. Octavia described Baldemar as her adoptive father and Xabia as her sister. Vetterick called the departing drummer “one hell of a character and good friend”, recalling gigs, rehearsals and work on new songs.
Octavia remembered a bandmate who would say plainly when something “sucked”, yet still support the group’s “dumbest ideas”. Xabia was also the one who remembered the fireworks when Octavia forgot them.
Neither musician expects a new drummer, should one join, to reproduce the same relationship. “There’s no such thing as replacing Xab,” Vetterick said. Octavia agreed, though she saw room for the group to change without losing its identity. “Something different isn’t a bad thing,” she said, adding that she thought fans would still receive the same “kick-ass performance” from the remaining members.
Shredding Accordingly is due to perform at Roaring Days 10 this autumn. Vetterick is also in the early planning stages of a second Tonedeath show. The first was the band’s own Hallow’s End event last year, staged after it did not form a new seasonal partnership. In earlier years, Shredding Accordingly had often appeared at events organised by Kialandi of the Hummingbird Emporium.
No other band engagements are currently confirmed, although Vetterick said bookings often arrive at short notice. Audiences may yet find the trio “generating some noise pollution somewhere out in the wild”.