Coming off the heels of Mastodon’s recent TOOL Live in the Sand performance — the group’s first show since splitting with co-founding guitarist Brent Hinds — remaining six-stringer Bill Kelliher has spoken on the surprise departure of his now-former bandmate, saying “it was just time” for a change.
Kelliher caught up with Guitar World shortly after Mastodon headlined the final night of last weekend’s TOOL Live in the Sand event in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. The news of Hinds’ departure broke just a few days ahead of the Sunday night (March 9th) performance. With little time to spare, Mastodon reached out to YouTuber Ben Eller to learn 17 songs “immediately.”
While Kelliher didn’t offer up the full reasoning behind Hinds’ exit from Mastodon, he suggested: “Like a marriage, sometimes people grow apart, and they get interested in other things. We wish nothing but the best for Brent in chasing his dreams.”
Of the 25 years Hinds spent with Mastodon, Kelliher noted that it had been a “fun, wild fucking ride, that’s for sure.”
“We achieved a lot of things that I never in a million years would have imagined. There’s been Grammys, touring with our heroes, like Iron Maiden, Metallica, Motörhead and TOOL. I cherish all of that.”
Despite Hinds’ departure, the band had previously noted in their joint statement last week that they are “still very inspired and excited to show up for fans in this next chapter of Mastodon,” and added that all touring commitments — including their spring trip with Coheed and Cambria and their participation in Black Sabbath’s final concert this summer — are still on the books.
Kelliher added to Guitar World that, despite Hinds leaving Mastodon, “that doesn’t mean there’s not someone else out there that has stuff to offer in a new direction… I think I’ll just leave it there, you know? It was a hard decision we all had to make. It’s just… it was just time.”
Though Eller filled in on guitar over the weekend, it’s unclear whether he will perform with Mastodon in the future. Regardless, Eller wrote with gratitude of the experience: “Playing the parts of one of my favorite guitarists ever is no easy task, but it was a joy.”