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Tickle Me Pink has announced plans to move towards the future following the passing of band member Johnny Schou. Singer Sean Kennedy shared, "Johnny always wanted to bring purpose to other people's lives. He had a quiet leadership that lives in all of us as a band. His legacy is in his music and every show we play we are sharing a piece of Johnny's heart with our listeners. Not only would he want us to carry on, but we owe it to him." He continued, "We have had to do some major soul searching as a band. We not only have lost a band member, but our best friend. The process is just beginning. We will never be able to replace Johnny, but through this tragedy we have all grown even closer together and are going to make him proud." Drummer Stefan Runstrom added, "Following a period of mourning over the loss of a great friend, it was only natural to want to move on. For two weeks, we were wrapped up in what seemed to be an enormous setback for our band. Now, it's proven to be more of an opportunity to unite and see something through till the end."
Tickle Me Pink has enlisted long-time friend
Joey Barba to join them on the road as guitarist. On this selection, singer
Sean Kennedy offers, "
Joey has been a long time band friend. His old band, The Brotherhood of Dae Han, and Tickle Me Pink have grown up playing shows together. Through this, we have all made a special bond, especially with Joey. He appears on our nationally released live DVD on a few songs, and was in the studio with us during some of the recordings. Joey is not only a brilliant player; he is a great friend to us and was to Johnny. Johnny would want it this way if he could somehow have a say." Drummer
Stefan Runstrom adds, "
Joey has been a great friend of ours and Johnny's since the very beginning. In addition to being an amazing musician with reputable songwriting ability, he is also one of the nicest guys I know."
In moving towards the future, Kennedy concludes, "It is somewhat ironic that many of our songs deal with death and a higher purpose. We don't think it is a coincidence that these songs came about on our record. We want to let the world know how short life is; embrace the ones you love and treasure each moment without regret."
The band will resume touring this week in San Diego, California on July 18th. The complete itinerary includes the following appearances:
07/18 - San Diego, CA - Soma
07/19 - Pomona, CA - The Glass House
07/20 - POMONA, CA - THE GLASS HOUSE
07/22 - St. George, UT - The Electric Theater
07/23 - Loas Vegas, NV - House Of Blues
07/24 - Los Angeles, CA - The Key Club
07/25 - Ventura, CA - Majestic Ventura Theater
07/26 - San Jose, CA - Pbsj
07/27 - San Francisco, CA - Slim’s
07/28 - Sacramento, CA - The Boardwalk
07/30 - Portland, OR - Hawthorne Theater
07/31 - Seattle, WA - El Corazon
08/01 - Boise, ID - The Big Easy
08/02 - Salt Lake City, UT - Avalon Theater
08/03 - Denver, CO - Cervante’s Masterpiece Ballroom
08/04 - Albuquerque, NM - Sunshine Theater
08/05 - Tempe, AZ - The Clubhouse
08/15 - Louisville, CO - Downtown Street Fair (w/o Sksk & Finch)
08/16 - Fort Collins, CO - Bohemian Nights @ New West (w/o Sksk & F)
08/25 - Lawrence, KS - The Bottleneck
08/26 - Omaha, NE - Sokol Aud
08/27 - St. Paul, MN - Station 4
08/28 - Chicago, IL - Metro
08/29 - Detroit, MI - St. Andrews Hall
08/30 - Cleveland, OH - House Of Blues
08/31 - Buffalo, NY - Xtreme Wheelz
09/02 - Cambridge, MA - Middle East
09/03 - New York, NY - Irving Plaza
09/04 - Baltimore, MD - Rams Head Live
09/05 - Sayreville, NJ - Starland Ballroom
09/06 - Philadelphia, PA - Trocadero Theater
09/07 - Norfolk, VA - Norva Theater
09/09 - Charlotte, NC - Tremont Music Hall
09/10 - Nashville, TN - Rocketown
09/11 - Atlanta, GA - Masquerade Music Park
09/12 - Lake Buena Vista, FL - House Of Blues
09/13 - St. Petersburg, FL - State Theater
09/14 - Ft. Lauderdale, FL - Culture Room
09/16 - Metaire, LA - The High Ground
09/17 - Houston, TX - Meridian
09/18 - Dallas, TX - House Of Blues
09/19 - San Antonio, TX - White Rabbit
09/20 - Austin, TX - Antones
