The Convalescence vs. Otep: Round 1, FIGHT!

Toledo, Ohio metal band The Convalescence are an impressive touring outfit, to be sure. Having been on multiple national and even overseas tours with the likes of Rings Of Saturn, Suffocation, and even on Mayhem Festival dates, the band’s most recent record Poison Words certainly raised their profile a bit – especially when they opened for the recent Testament/Sepultura/Prong tour earlier this year.

The band was also the main support band for Otep’s The Resistance Tour, but as of late Tuesday night (June 20th), that is apparently no longer the case. Why exactly did they get kicked off the tour, though?

Here’s The Convalescence’s side of the story. Clearly, many people are backing them at this point.

And here’s what Otep had to say about it – many are backing her as well, but even some of her loyal fans have spoken up about what transpired.

In an exclusive statement, we were able to get the perspective of Michigan metal band Fate Of Misery, specifically their drummer/guitarist Shawn Pillen. Shawn also related to us about who they’ve toured with and how they’ve been treated by other bands they’ve played with.

“Well, we (fate of misery) entered into the night with good spirits. Busted our asses to sell out of tickets. And succeeded , only for otep to force us to take our merchandise down. Now anyone that’s not new knows, most merch sales are done at the end of the night. She basically wanted no competition. Also, the convelescence was scrambling around BEFORE her set selling stuff but during otep’s set , they (the convelescence) were all on the patio with me. Discussing old history I had with them here in flint Michigan and sharing on stage experiences. At the end of the night, the convelescence were carrying otep’s gear… not just the her crew. I opened the superjoint, battlecross, child bite tour. I got paid well from tickets. Got to keep my merch open. Got treated with respect.”

“…Yes and this year alone, we’ve opened for mushroomhead twice, ventana, superjoint, battlecross, child bite, death division. The list will continue to grow as I’m opening for whitechapel, miss may I and we came as Romans in July and battlecross again in September”

We honestly know little about what happened other than what each band stated. While it’s likely more will come up in the next few days or so, this is a lesson for smaller bands to consider whether to buy onto larger tours, knowing any “rules” that may be in place as far as selling merch, and/or always being professional. Because if you’re always working with a professional mindset, nobody can tell you that you’re not worthy of the opportunities you’re given. Always treat each other the same and with respect, too, because burning bridges is not a wise move.