Ligeia have been forced to cancel all of their remaining shows due to internal conflicts, reportedly caused from drunken antics by frontman Keith Holuk.
Holuk was allegedly too drunk to perform at the band’s November 16th show in Providence, Rhode Island, which guitarist Ryan Ober said is an “all-too-often showcase of that sort of behavior.”
“I’d just like to apologize for not writing anything sooner but our frontmans actions have once again thrown me into a horrible spot in my life,” Ober commented on the band’s Facebook. “I’ve basically been bouncing around Western Massachusetts (I live 5 hours away in PA) since the ordeal in Providence, tieing up the loose ends of this current hiatus making sure no one else feels like they’re about to get screwed along with the rest of us.”
He added, “It really makes me/us sick to see the comments left by those who once loved our music years ago bashing us because they are under the impression (and rightfully so) that WE, as a WHOLE, don’t take this seriously and don’t care about our fans due to our singers all-too-often showcase of that sort of behavior. Let me make this perfectly clear: THAT IS NOT THE CASE! I have devoted the last year of my life solely to rebuilding Ligeia. I have had zero income, no car, I live on a futon in someone elses 1 bedroom apartment… I have done EVERYTHING possible to make this bands comeback a reality. Before that for a good 7-8 years of this bands career I was constantly sacrificing my health, my credit, my future and relationships with family members/loved ones… I, as well as the other guys, care VERY much and take this very seriously.”
“Keith has certainly also sacrificed his life for this but I’m just here to make a few things clear for Eric Gross, Brandon Whipple and myself right now. None of us are happy about the current situation. At all. This has just gone on for FAR TOO LONG and there have been way too many blown ‘last chances’ despite any warnings given. The 3 of us would be straight up foolish to go on working so hard at filling in the hole we’ve been struggling to climb out of as a band while our frontman continually digs deeper.”
“While this is NOT an official announcement of us breaking up we have UNFORTUNATELY been left with no choice but to cancel any upcoming shows/tours as to not waste more of your/our time and money. Things could be hashed out eventually, who knows. This is also not a request for anyones advice on what we should do. 98% of you dont know the first thing about being in a band full time for 7 years nor do you have ANY clue how many times this has happened to us before Providence, that was just the straw that broke the Camels back so please save the pointers. This is just a message to shed some light on the situation and kind of let everyone know where we’re at. It is also a request that whether the band stays together and some members part ways or we split for good and everyone goes their own seperate way, please do not let one persons actions over the years ruin the rest of our names or haunt anyone in their future musical endeavors. I will keep you all posted from here but as of right now thats all I/we have. Sorry, again.”