Nine Inch Nails Bassist Quits Band, Issues Statement On Facebook

Nine Inch Nails bassist Eric Avery has decided to quit the band.

Frontman Trent Reznor announced in February that NIN would be returning for several shows this year. In order to make that happen, the singer brought in Adrian Belew, Josh Eustis, Alessandro Cortini, Ilan Rubin, and Eric Avery.

Unfortunately for Reznor and company, the search is now on for a new bassist. Avery explained his decision to leave the group on Wednesday. In his Facebook statement to fans, Avery wrote that he was quitting the group with “very mixed emotions.”

The bassist continued:

“It’s been a tough call and i don’t know if its the right one. But I really want to focus on my musical life here in [Los Angeles], on film work in particular. As the tour dates kept growing … I just got overwhelmed. I just got home from a year of heavy travel with Garbage, the idea of leaving town for another year and a half, and with all the intensity that [Nine Inch Nails] demands … fortunately my friend Trent understands all this and appreciated my pulling the plug now instead of deep into 2013 and 2014. Go get ’em gentlemen.”

Trent Reznor announced the return of Nine Inch Nails last February. Although the band will reunite first in Japan, the group is expected to make its triumphant return in the US during Lollapalooza this August.

“I was working with Adrian Belew on some musical ideas, which led to some discussion on performing, which led to some beard-scratching, which (many steps later) led to the decision to re-think the idea of what Nine Inch Nails could be, and the idea of playing a show,” Reznor explained earlier this year.

He added, “Calls were made to some friends, lots of new ideas were discussed, and a show was booked — which led to another, which somehow led to a lot of shows.”

Are you disappointed that Nine Inch Nails bassist Eric Avery has quit the band?

[Trent Reznor Image via Ferenc Szelepcsenyi / Shutterstock.com]