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ATHEIST Bassist Falls Through Stage In Italy: Video Available

August 9, 2006

A video clip of ATHEIST bassist Tony Choy falling through an unsecured part of the large outdoor stage at at Italy's Evolution Festival on July 16, 2006 has been posted online at YouTube.com. Fortunately, his face was saved by his bass which was what the six-foot plank inevitably hit, in the process breaking all the strings on Tony's bass along with the neck. The large crowd of Italian metal fans went absolutely ballistic when Choy was pulled from the rubble and emerged minutes later with a borrowed bass from one of the other bands, and ATHEIST ripped into the classic "Mother Man". Frontman Kelly Shaefer says, "I looked over and he was just gone. It was a bad fall and i thought for sure he was gonna have a broken leg or something. We are very lucky to not have lost him for the summer. He did sprain his arm, but he should be healed up for [this past weekend's appearance at] Wacken [Open Air festival in Germany]. What is it with us and bass players, you know?"

Seminal technical metal pioneers ATHEIST kicked off their summer European tour run July 14 at England's Bloodstock Festival. The band's first live appearances in over 13 years were greeted with rabid enthusiasm as the group blazed through classics like "Unquestionable Presence" and "Piece of Time".

As previously reported, ATHEIST guitarist Rand Burkey was forced to bow out of the band's recent festival performances due to legal troubles. Filling in for Burkey on the reunion shows was veteran guitarist Chris Baker. Baker joined core ATHEIST members Kelly Shaefer (vocals),Tony Choy (bass),and Steve Flynn (drums) as well as guitarist Sonny Carson (who is playing Shaefer's guitar role due to Shaefer's long-running battles with tendonitis and carpal tunnel). Baker and Carson are currently playing with Steve Flynn's new band GNOSTIC.

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