Former EVANESCENCE Keyboardist Slams 'Ungrateful' Hired Band For Criticizing AMY LEE

Former EVANESCENCE keyboard player David Hodges — who recorded most of the group's breakthrough album, "Fallen", with Ben Moody and Amy Lee but left in 2002 before the CD was released — has jumped to Amy Lee's defense in response to the comments made by the group's former guitarist, John LeCompt, following his less-than-amicable departure this past Friday.

LeCompt claimed on his MySpace.com blog that he was fired during a cell phone conversation with Amy Lee. "Without any warning or negotiations for my future, I was fired for no good reason," he said. "We have not always seen eye to eye on everything, but who does? Our common goal was always the same. To make EVANESCENCE the best rock band it could ever be. I have always given blood, sweat and tears to make that happen but apparently that is not enough. I have now become just another of the people fallen by the wayside on the revolving door of her life."

LeCompt was referring to the messy 2003 departure of founding guitarist Ben Moody, who was replaced by former COLD principal Terry Balsamo, and the 2006 exit of bassist Will Boyd, who was replaced by former REVOLUTION SMILE guitarist Tim McCord.

In a posting on the message board of his current band TRADING YESTERDAY, Hodges wrote, "I try to stay out of it, because the lasts thing anyone wants is me hogging this thread, but recent posts have called me out of hiding. Few, if any of you, know these people.

"Life is complicated, no one's perfect; but the only thing I would have done differently than Amy in the last two years is distance myself sooner from the people that have been mentioned.

"Amy and Ben started EVANESCENCE. The three of us got signed and four of us (I tip my hat to the great Dave Fortman) made the record ('Fallen') that it seems many of you love. No one else. What the hired band did do was accept the chance of a lifetime — be part of one of the biggest-selling records in the last 10 years and make more money playing in front of bigger crowds than any other musician we'd known. Are there sacrifices? Sure, life is full of sacrifice; if someone wanted to leave to be with their family, then that's understandable. But for anyone to be even the least bit ungrateful is mind-boggling. What exactly did they think they deserved out of this? Amy doesn't owe them anything, and anyone who thinks differently is sorely mistaken.

"Things are never perfect; we all have learned a lot in the last many years.
And while I haven't been around for all of it, I know everyone involved along the way enough to know that you should not be pointing your blame at Amy. That's ridiculous. She is a beautiful person and an innovative artist.

"You can choose to disagree with me if you want, but you're probably ill-informed and my picture's at the top of the page."

Lee said in a statement that EVANESCENCE remains "alive and well" and will soon return to the road with new musicians. The band is due to return to the stage May 19 at the first Rock on the Range festival in Columbus, Ohio, and has European dates on tap through late June.