Things have gotten messy with Scale The Summit over the past week. Every member of the band has quit except founding guitarist and mastermind Chris Letchford. And it doesn’t appear to be a clean break.
Last week Letchford announced the addition of new drummer Charlie Engen, following the departure of bassist Mark Michell and drummer J.C. Bryant. He addressed the current financial situation of the group:
“At the end of the last tour, the guys decided to implement an employee model into the band’s structure. When we started making plans for the new record, the fees that they were requiring to play was more than I can afford. Scale The Summit is simply not in the position to guarantee a set pay for anything and everything we do. As most of you know with being a touring musician most of our income is based around chance, but Im still here doing what I love as I knew what I was getting into it when I started band.
From day one this band has been my life and will continue to be. I have written all the guitars for the last 3 albums. Its my baby and will continue to carry on as such and Im super stoked for the new STS record!”
But things take a turn with this Instagram photo:
https://www.instagram.com/p/BMFEeqKAoTI/
It was posted by someone who used to handle the band’s merch, and if you read the comments you’ll see they aren’t pretty. Former band members put Letchford on blast, suggesting he ripped them off for his own personal gain.
Letchford responded with the following:
So what happens with Scale The Summit from here?
According to Letchford, “Members leave/quit/get fired from bands all the time. As long as the main song writer is still there, nothing is over.”