QUEENSRŸCHE's MICHAEL WILTON: 'We're Really Happy To Start Playing And Rebuilding The Name'

May 9, 2014

QUEENSRŸCHE guitarist Michael Wilton spoke to The Prog Report about the settlement agreement it entered into with the band's former singer, Geoff Tate, regarding the future use of the QUEENSRŸCHE name. You can now listen to the chat in the YouTube clip below.

QUEENSRŸCHE members Eddie Jackson (bass),Scott Rockenfield (drums) and Michael Wilton (guitar) have successfully agreed to purchase Geoff Tate's portion of the QUEENSRŸCHE name. The band will buy out their former lead singer's share of the QUEENSRŸCHE corporation while allowing him the ability to be the only one to perform "Operation: Mindcrime" and "Operation: Mindcrime II" in their entirety. Tate will no longer have use of the TriRyche logo or any other album images aside from the "Mindcrime" releases. He can only refer to himself as the "original lead singer of QUEENSRŸCHE" or "formerly of QUEENSRŸCHE" for a period of two years and that text must be at least 50 percent smaller than his name in all materials. After this two-year period passes, he can only refer to himself as Geoff Tate with no mention of QUEENSRŸCHE at all.

Geoff Tate will be able to finish any confirmed dates billed for his QUEENSRŸCHE lineup scheduled to terminate on August 31, 2014. As of September 1, there will be only one QUEENSRŸCHE entity and that will consist of Eddie Jackson, Todd La Torre, Parker Lundgren, Scott Rockenfield and Michael Wilton. This lineup will continue to perform selections from their entire musical catalog, including songs from "Operation: Mindcrime". The band will be able to use all TriRyche logos and previous album artwork for any purposes as needed by the corporation.

"It's a step in the right direction," Wilton told The Prog Report about the settlement agreement between QUEENSRŸCHE and Geoff Tate. "I mean, anytime one is in a lawsuit, it's not the funnest time in their life. Obviously, we learned a lot from it. We're just happy that we have made this forward progressive step and we're really happy to start playing and rebuilding the name. The fans are so happy. It's hard for anybody to really understand. It's really a step in a positive direction."

He added: "It was two arduous years plus, and I guess by these days, that's kind of standard for most lawsuits in business. It's unfortunate that the court systems have to go that way, and lawyers are the way they are, but that's the name of the game and you have to play the game… That's why I'm not a lawyer. That's why I play guitar."

Wilton also spoke about the support he and his bandmates have received from the QUEENSRŸCHE fans, telling The Prog Report: "We've been doing this for over 30 years, so by relaunching the name and going back and playing the classics that everybody has been screaming about and wanting to hear, it's been so open arms, 'please, play those songs.' Finally, we've gotten the ability to do that. The dynamic in this band is really supercharged to go out and play and be QUEENSRŸCHE."

QUEENSRŸCHE is:

Todd La Torre- Vocals
Michael Wilton - Guitars
Parker Lundgren - Guitars
Eddie Jackson - Bass
Scott Rockenfield - Drums

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