Steel Panther are still in the process of securing an official bass guitar player, despite earlier reports that the band had recruited Rikki Dazzle to fill the spot.
In a new Instagram post, singer Michael Starr addressed the situation, suggesting the misunderstanding was down to him being intoxicated.
“After getting 432 texts this morning regarding my last post about Rikki Dazzle being our permanent bass player, I went back and had my assistant read me the actual headline,” he writes.
“I must have been super stoned, but to be clear: We are still in the audition process. Rikki killed it hard and he will be hard to beat, but when we finally decide who the permanent guy or girl is, we will make an official announcement. Until then, stay high and rock hard.”
Steel Panther are auditioning bassists to fill the spot left by longtime bass player Lexxi Foxx, whose real name is Travis Haley. The band called Haley's departure earlier this year the “end of an era."
“Lexxi has chosen to hang up his mirror and focus on his newfound passion: making ugly dogs pretty,” a statement released by the band at the time read.
“After nearly 40 years of rocking together and taking Steel Panther from the Viper Room to headlining Wembley Arena, it is with heavy hearts – but great heavy metal memories – that we bid Lexxi Foxx farewell. We love you and we wish you a wonderful future putting eyeliner on chihuahuas.”
However, speaking to Rocking With Jam Man earlier this month, Haley hinted that the split wasn't as harmonious as the band had made it seem.
“I still talk to [Michael Starr] a little bit; I have in the past,” he said. “But I think that those scars and I think that the departure, the way that it went down, I think there's some sore spots. But that's tough for me to talk about.”
He added: “That's something that I'm very proud of – to be that character for such a long period of time, and to play with those cats. They're all amazing musicians. I just think that it is different to not have that [in my life] – I'd been in character for so long – but I have to say it's a little refreshing as well.”
Further telling the band's side of the story, guitarist Satchel – real name Russ Parrish – revealed on an episode of the 2020'd podcast back in September that they “didn't want Lexxi to quit."
“Nobody wanted him to quit, including a lot of fans,” Satchel said. “I'm sure a lot of fans are very sad that he left. But he's the guy who left the band. I think he's got his own things he's dealing with, and he just wanted to go and do that...
“We will all miss Lexxi Foxx, and we all wish him the best in everything that he does. But we didn't fire him; he quit the band. So we're going to have to move on and get somebody else who's younger and foxier and doesn't need as much Botox.”
Since his departure from Steel Panther, Haley has started a new band, Hollywood Gods N' Monsters, whose music his bandmate Diggity Dave describes as a “bigass American jukebox, where all the records in it have melted together."
