What was to be one of the year’s most anticipated tours, the reunion of Spirit Caravan, took a hit over the weekend with the departure of drummer Gary Isom. Isom, one of the three original members of the band alongside guitarist/vocalist Scott “Wino” Weinrich and bassist/vocalist Dave Sherman, announced his departure abruptly and just a week before the legendary trio were due to set off on their return US tour alongside doom upstarts Pilgrim, prior to heading to Europe for headlining appearances at Desertfest in Berlin and London. In his statement, Isom made it clear that it was Wino with whom there was apparently persistent friction, as opposed to Sherman, with whom he still plays in Weed is Weed:

Due to situations far beyond my control. I will not be sharing the stage with spirit caravan. any hopes of the fans seeing the original lineup of the band are all but gone.I tried my very best to resolve issues in a very calm and peaceful way and was met with extreme anger beyond reality.I, like a lot of people were looking forward to seeing this once shining example of positivity and friendship thru music ride again. me and sherman have been best friends for 24 years and remain so to this day.it doesn’t matter who wino gets to replace me. the band will never sound the same….. II tried my best.

One might recall that in The Obsessed‘s recent reunion, bassist Reid Raley (Rwake) took the place of Guy Pinhas, so I guess that’s just how it goes. While it’s unfortunate that Isom won’t be involved in the tour, and his departure doesn’t do much for the prospect of a new album, it’s been announced somewhat quietly that the shows will go on and that Henry Vasquez will fill in on drums. Vasquez is of course the drummer of Saint Vitus who came aboard in 2009 in the spot formerly occupied by founding drummer Armando Acosta, and as the leader of Blood of the Sun as well, he lacks nothing for either heavy rock chops or experience. Isom is probably right that it won’t sound the same as it would if he was playing, but it looks like it’s going to be as close as we’ll get.

Spirit Caravan on tour with Pilgrim:
03/07/2014 Metro Gallery – Baltimore, MD
03/08/2014 Strange Matter – Richmond, VA
03/09/2014 Chop Shop – Charlotte, NC
03/10/2014 Drunken Unicorn – Atlanta, GA
03/15/2014 SXSW – Austin, TX
03/17/2014 Launchpad – Albuquerque, NM
03/18/2014 Cheyenne Saloon – Las Vegas, NV
03/19/2014 Thee Parkside – San Francisco, CA
03/21/2014 Rotture – Portland, OR
03/22/2014 El Corazon – Seattle, WA
03/24/2014 The Shredder – Boise, ID
03/25/2014 Burt’s Tiki Lounge – Salt Lake City, UT
03/27/2014 Marquis Theater – Denver, CO
03/29/2014 Reggies – Chicago, IL
03/30/2014 Cactus Club – Milwaukee, WI
03/31/2014 The Fifth Quarter – Indianapolis, IN
04/01/2014 Outland Ballroom – Springfield, MO
04/02/2014 Rock Island Brewing – Rock Island, IL
04/03/2014 Fubar – St. Louis, MO
04/04/2014 Hi Tone – Memphis, TN
04/05/2014 V Club – Huntington, WV
04/06/2014 Hideaway – Johnson City, TN
04/08/2014 Pyramid Scheme – Grand Rapids, MI
04/09/2014 Skully’s – Columbus ,OH
04/12/2014 31st St Pub – Pittsburgh, PA
04/13/2014 Empire – Springfield, VA
04/14/2014 AS220 – Providence, RI
04/15/2014 Saint Vitus Bar – Brooklyn NY

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Spirit-Caravan-Official/684094061621546

Spirit Caravan, Jug Fulla Sun (1999)

Well, here we are. If you told me nearly two years ago that I’d have 100 weeks of Wino Wednesday under my belt, I probably would’ve believed you, but definitely thought you were exaggerating. But now, with Wino Wednesday #100, we stand at a milestone of nerddom and no regrets. It’s been a lot of fun exploring the discographies of Scott “Wino” Weinrich and his sundry bands, The Obsessed, Saint Vitus, Spirit Caravan, The Hidden Hand, Premonition 13, Wino & Conny Ochs, the Wino trio, his solo acoustic stuff and contributions to the likes of Lost Breed, Solace, and so many more. I guess there’s nothing to do but keep going.

Before we do that, of course, we’ve got something special for Wino Wednesday #100. Recorded and mastered by Chris Gordon, I’m proud to present two exclusive live Spirit Caravan recordings that capture the three-piece of Wino, bassist Dave Sherman and drummer Gary Isom doing much the same thing that we’ve been doing these last 100 weeks — exploring the Wino catalog. Taped live at Emerson Theater in Indianapolis, IN, on Feb. 13, 2000, the tracks are “Looking Glass” and “Streamlined.”

“Looking Glass” originally appeared as the closer on Saint Vitus‘ 1988 fourth album (and second with Wino as vocalist), Mournful Cries, and it receives its due respect here with Sherman‘s bass tone and Isom‘s steady timekeeping. As far as Vitus cuts go, it’s far from the slowest, but it might seem so next to “Streamlined,” which comes from The Obsessed‘s 1994 outing, The Church Within. A quicker pace loses nothing of the thickness in the guitars and bass, and Spirit Caravan give a classically motoring riff an added sense of shuffle that almost can’t help but to shine through.

As a bit of trivia, these songs were recorded at the same gig as the version of Black Sabbath‘s “Wicked World” that ended up on Small Stone‘s first Sucking the ’70s compilation. I guess they were in a covers kind of mood that night.

Enjoy, and here’s to more Wino Wednesdays to come:

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