Melvins Drummer Undergoes Emergency Spinal Surgery

Melvins drummer Dale Crover needs emergency spinal surgery, effectively taking him out of action for the band’s upcoming US tour with Boris.

The Twins Of Evil tour will go on, with Coady Willis, a previous drummer in the Melvins, taking Crover’s place as he prepares for surgery and recovery.

The band posted Crover’s news on Facebook yesterday (23 August). “We are sad to announce that literally days before leaving on tour, our drummer Dale Crover learned he needed immediate emergency spinal surgery, which will take him out of commission for months,” the band wrote on social media. “He’s doing as well as can be expected considering the severity of the situation.”

The stressful time for the band has been lightened with Willis’ willingness to step in. The post continues, “The one stroke of luck in all this was that Coady Willis – part of the Melvins’ family for 8+ years, who literally trained in sitting by Dale’s side on too many tours to count – is able to step in and take over on drums.

“With Mr. Phylzzz already on the road heading to L.A. from Chicago and Boris flying in from Japan, we all felt we needed to support Dale and the other bands on the bill, as well as the ticket holders, by continuing with the tour as scheduled.”

At the end of the post, Melvins asked fans for “solidarity during this dark time. Obviously, our primary concern right now is Dale’s health, and we’re doing everything possible on our end to make sure he gets what he needs to make a full recovery.”

We’re hoping for a successful surgery and a speedy recovery for Dale Crover.

Melvins will be performing their 1991 classic album, Bullhead, in its entirety on the tour with Boris.

The Melvins last toured in Australia in November 2017, with The Music reviewer Chris Familton praising the band for being “right in the pocket with a balanced sound across Crover's pummelling drums, Steve McDonald's "lead bass" (as Crover described it) and singer/guitarist Buzz Osborne's clinically visceral guitar.”

You can read the rest of the review here.