District 97 split with bassist and keyboardist

District 97 have split with bassist Patrick Mulcahy and keyboard player Rob Clearfield.

The band say the shake-up is amicable and all parties involved remain on good terms.

They’ve moved swiftly to recruit Tim Seisser and Andrew Lawrence in their place and drummer Jonathan Schang has given an insight into the struggles he’s encountered trying to keep the group together.

He says: “The band really has to be done in everybody’s spare time because we have to make our money doing other things.

“The infrastructure that used support this sort of endeavour just isn’t there any more. Record sales are a fraction of what they used to be. Money is often a motivating factor to keep people together and keep everybody on the same page.

“When you remove that, people have to really want to be doing it. I’m looking forward to exploring the music with some new people.”

The lineup is completed by singer Leslie Hunt and guitarist Jim Tashjian.

The Chicago outfit have also announced plans for a Kickstarter campaign which will be used to generate funds for a world tour in support of this year’s fourth album In Vaults. Full details will be revealed on November 18.

Scott has spent 37 years in newspapers, magazines and online as an editor, production editor, sub-editor, designer, writer and reviewer. Scott joined our news desk in 2014 before moving into e-commerce in 2020. Scott maintains Louder’s buyer’s guides, highlights deals, and reviews headphones, speakers, earplugs and more. Over the last 12 years, Scott has written more than 11,500 articles across Louder, Classic Rock, Metal Hammer and Prog. He's previously written for publications including IGN, Sunday Mirror, Daily Record and The Herald, covering everything from news and features, to tech reviews, video games, travel and whisky. Scott's favourite bands are Fields Of The Nephilim, The Cure, New Model Army, All About Eve, The Mission, Cocteau Twins, Drab Majesty, Marillion and Rush.