After it was announced over the weekend that former Kyuss members Josh Homme and Scott Reeder had filed a federal lawsuit against the members of Kyuss Lives!, fans began the patient wait to hear the other side of the story.
Today, Kyuss Lives! members John Garcia and Brant Bjork have issued a response to the lawsuit, saying, "We are both shocked and saddened that our friend and one-time band mate has chosen to file a lawsuit against us, especially after having positive discussions since our reformation. We look forward to resolving this private matter behind closed doors and moving forward with work on our new album and connecting with our amazing, loyal fans."
According to Reeder and Homme, their issue was not the use of the "Kyuss Lives!" moniker, but that the remaining members of the original lineup had attempted to gain rights to the Kyuss name.
"It sucks. To think we went to a meeting in January solely to help them with their request to continue Kyuss Lives!," said Reeder and Homme in a joint statement. "With open arms, we made every attempt to help them continue Kyuss Lives! respectfully. Only to discover while they looked us in the eye, Kyuss Lives! management and band had filed federal documents in 2011 in an attempt to steal the name Kyuss.
"This is desperately what we were trying to avoid. It's a sad day for us and for John -- but most of all for the fans. What a needless mess."
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Josh Hart is a former web producer and staff writer for Guitar World and Guitar Aficionado magazines (2010–2012). He has since pursued writing fiction under various pseudonyms while exploring the technical underpinnings of journalism, now serving as a senior software engineer for The Seattle Times.
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