Ron Spears and The Breakfast to Part Ways

[Lexington]

a diorama is a shoebox with a little scenery inside it, at least thats what it was in3rd grade

[FreeSpirit]

I really hope this band doesn\'t become a "revolving-door" for musicians... it\'d be great to have them take some time and carefully choose the next bassist - one that can work well with the group.  Otherwise, we\'ll be saying goodbye to yet another musician from the Breakfast at some future point.  Losing Jordan and now Ron  =

[Ant-Man]

Leith, STFU GUY....
I\'ve never been anti-honest open opinion...but where the fuck is your class guy?!
this is the departure thread of the bass player be respectful...don\'t joke about the dead the day they die...your timing is just all sorts of fucked up, you could screw up a wet dream...and not to mention you made entirly to many f**kin post on this thread already someone cut him off please...

i always was blown away by rons ability to hit the 1st note of a measure perfectly on time while adrian was going nuts on some tension buildup.  its REALLY REALLY difficult to do this as a bass player.

freakin\' post of the century...
adrian on drums is to coltrane on sax...........
coltrane didn\'t always hit root and who knew when he was gonna hit beat 1 again.

[ds673488]

thanks man, im pretty humble about my musical knowledge, but i have been a musician my whole life so i do know a lot about fundamentals that are normally overlooked, like this example, especially in the rhythm section, since i am a drummer and piano player.

[Gordo]

This band to me will always be Tim, Ron, Adrian and Jordan.  I think that Matt is great, but I have never seen that incarnation on the band live.  I can live with the band continuing without Jordan, but Ron is a more important part of the band than just a bass player.  Those of you that think that he is just a bass player and can be easily replaced are showing a lack of respect for Ron and all of his contributions to the band\'s music.

Ridiculous. It has been proven Jordan was a HUGE part of the band with his instrument. So much so they HAD to get another keyboard player as the music demands it.

Just because the trio was so tight with each other does not mean Jordan was any less significant.  If the Trio was so damn great and Adrian,Tim AND Ron are truly the band why did they bother getting another keyboard player? Why not keep on with the Trio?

Ron is a great Bass Player but you cannot convince me that he has the same natural talent that Adrian, Tim and Matt have. He does not. I commend Ron for all the extremely hard work he put into his instrument to keep up with Adrian and Tim but it was just that. HARD WORK!
When I first saw this band I thought Ron was not even that great( and this has been agreed upon by others here) but could hold his own. I never thought that about the other 3 in the band.

Ron over the years has proven to me and anyone else listening that he deserves to be on the same stage as Tim and Adrian but he can be replaced without a really drastic change and that is not disrespectful just honest.

I personally think Matt is a shining example of hard work. Simply put, he can read sheet music and pull of some extremely hard stuff in a short amount of time and is able to learn a song on a ride to a show, but his rhythm is nowhere near as sound as the other three guys. I don\'t think this is a matter of being new to the band. You can teach a well schooled individual new songs and they\'ll learn, and Matt is UNBELIEVABLY well schooled, but you can\'t teach rhythm. You can improve your rhythm, but it\'s the separation of those clearly born with that built-in metronome and those without that separates the naturals to me. I put Matt into that category, an incredibly hard worker that has made the very most of his average to maybe above-average talent.

I\'m not about to get into a pissing contest with you but I\'ll just say your comments about *the music* have a condescending tone and I just don\'t agree with an honest ear. Maybe if you had a better relationship with Ron you\'d feel different. Maybe you\'re just hoping the replacement is a cooler guy to hang out with post-show where you can slide on your knee pads four times instead of three.

Do I think they could find a replacement and move on strong? Absolutely. But it has been less than 24 hours and there are NO guarantees. I do worry about their future. I\'ll be excited and full of anticipation when a new bass player steps on stage. I will be there fully supporting The Breakfast as always. But until then I worry, because I can\'t help it, and because Ron is an excellent bass player and, in my fucking opinion, very important to the sound of this band both musically and vocally.

[Klout]

Best of luck to ya Ron.  You have a great life to look forward to. Thanks for all the good times. You will be missed.

[Vassillios]

this is fucking bullshit... just when things start looking good.

get claypool in the damn band

[Ren]

just stop talking.  it\'s not just about the music.  that\'s not why i came back over and over.  i guess then leith, i came for the wrong reasons.  i got a lump in my throat after reading it.  no, i wasn\'t shocked.  i had inside info but i don\'t pride myself in having it.  it\'s sad.  we should all be admonished for our inability to quickly process grief and move on.  i think it would be wise for everyone to stop whining and look back on ron\'s musical deficiencies.  stop telling people to move on, bro.  this band was not a dime a dozen band that can just go out like a sports team and hire new talent.  christ.

[Vassillios]

200 posts!!!!!!! THIS GOES TO YOU RON YOU KICKASS YOU\'LL BE A HELLUVA TEACHER!!!!!!! cantwait for 2008

[Lexington]

i love the band and the songs as much as anyone, but it will be hard for me to go to a show where ronnie spears is not on stage. more than just a bass player, thats for sure. i dunno. i\'m sad

[leith]

Leith, STFU GUY....
I\'ve never been anti-honest open opinion...but where the fuck is your class guy?!
this is the departure thread of the bass player be respectful...don\'t joke about the dead the day they die...your timing is just all sorts of fucked up, you could screw up a wet dream...and not to mention you made entirly to many f**kin post on this thread already someone cut him off please...
[

 No I will not STFU. I have every right to deal with this how I see fit. Just because I am more concerned with the band as a whole does not lessen how I feel about Ron leaving. Just because I do not think Ron is the second coming of Bass Players as you all do does not make my feelings or opinions any less valid.

This band to me will always be Tim, Ron, Adrian and Jordan.  I think that Matt is great, but I have never seen that incarnation on the band live.  I can live with the band continuing without Jordan, but Ron is a more important part of the band than just a bass player.  Those of you that think that he is just a bass player and can be easily replaced are showing a lack of respect for Ron and all of his contributions to the band\'s music.

Ridiculous. It has been proven Jordan was a HUGE part of the band with his instrument. So much so they HAD to get another keyboard player as the music demands it.

Just because the trio was so tight with each other does not mean Jordan was any less significant.  If the Trio was so damn great and Adrian,Tim AND Ron are truly the band why did they bother getting another keyboard player? Why not keep on with the Trio?

Ron is a great Bass Player but you cannot convince me that he has the same natural talent that Adrian, Tim and Matt have. He does not. I commend Ron for all the extremely hard work he put into his instrument to keep up with Adrian and Tim but it was just that. HARD WORK!
When I first saw this band I thought Ron was not even that great( and this has been agreed upon by others here) but could hold his own. I never thought that about the other 3 in the band.

Ron over the years has proven to me and anyone else listening that he deserves to be on the same stage as Tim and Adrian but he can be replaced without a really drastic change and that is not disrespectful just honest.

I personally think Matt is a shining example of hard work. Simply put, he can read sheet music and pull of some extremely hard stuff in a short amount of time and is able to learn a song on a ride to a show, but his rhythm is nowhere near as sound as the other three guys. I don\'t think this is a matter of being new to the band. You can teach a well schooled individual new songs and they\'ll learn, and Matt is UNBELIEVABLY well schooled, but you can\'t teach rhythm. You can improve your rhythm, but it\'s the separation of those clearly born with that built-in metronome and those without that separates the naturals to me. I put Matt into that category, an incredibly hard worker that has made the very most of his average to maybe above-average talent.

I\'m not about to get into a pissing contest with you but I\'ll just say your comments about *the music* have a condescending tone and I just don\'t agree with an honest ear. Maybe if you had a better relationship with Ron you\'d feel different. Maybe you\'re just hoping the replacement is a cooler guy to hang out with post-show where you can slide on your knee pads four times instead of three.

Do I think they could find a replacement and move on strong? Absolutely. But it has been less than 24 hours and there are NO guarantees. I do worry about their future. I\'ll be excited and full of anticipation when a new bass player steps on stage. I will be there fully supporting The Breakfast as always. But until then I worry, because I can\'t help it, and because Ron is an excellent bass player and, in my fucking opinion, very important to the sound of this band both musically and vocally.

You know you\'re better than that bold type.
We can agree to disagree though.
I personally am not worried because the band is actively working on making the transition as smooth as possible I am sure.

Ron\'s place will be alot harder to fill than the keys when Jordan left and I am sure the band feels the momentum they have begun to build cannot be lost this time and are working on finding someone that will surprise a lot of people with his abilities.

just stop talking.  it\'s not just about the music.  that\'s not why i came back over and over.  i guess then leith, i came for the wrong reasons.  i got a lump in my throat after reading it.  no, i wasn\'t shocked.  i had inside info but i don\'t pride myself in having it.  it\'s sad.  we should all be admonished for our inability to quickly process grief and move on.  i think it would be wise for everyone to stop whining and look back on ron\'s musical deficiencies.  stop telling people to move on, bro.  this band was not a dime a dozen band that can just go out like a sports team and hire new talent.  christ.

Yeah I was not shocked either by the news maybe that\'s why i feel as I do. I have had time to digest this possibility and just because I am moving on does not mean I think everyone else should be able to do so as easily. I have never posted anything to the point of "get over it he\'s gone" as you are accusing me of.

[Gordo]

You know you\'re better than that bold type.
We can agree to disagree though.
I personally am not worried because the band is actively working on making the transition as smooth as possible I am sure.

Ron\'s place will be alot harder to fill than the keys when Jordan left and I am sure the band feels the momentum they have begun to build cannot be lost this time and are working on finding someone that will surprise a lot of people with his abilities.

Of course I am. I really didn\'t mean it either. I just couldn\'t resist the foul-mouthed, but somewhat poignant, jab though.

I am glad to see your second batch here. Ron\'s place will definitely be harder to fill than Jordan\'s. I was reading all of your previous comments in the opposite light. We cool baby....

[SonOfSimpleton]

i\'ve had sort of a b\'fast tribute day today, listening to all the studio albums in progression and to a few live shows as well... and if anyone is ready to dismiss ron\'s talent as a bassist, you\'re all wet.  being a (mediocre) bassist myself, i listen to the bassists\' contributions a little more closely than your average listener and ronnie tears the roof off the sucka!  from the more delicate songs (\'? and the mind\', \'vera street\', etc.) to the funky (\'score\', \'may fly disarray\', \'gravity\', etc.) and the intense rockers (\'doughboy\', \'intension\', etc.)... RONNIE KNOCKS THAT SHIT OUT!!!  the parts just mesh so nicely with adrian\'s parts and compliment tim & jordan quite well.  his style is also very different from most bassists of the "jam" scene, so i don\'t how easily finding a replacement will go as their style is bound to be markedly different.

anyway, enough of that ranting.  i just wanted to say \'thanks\' to ron for some of the most memorable moments of the last 7 years of my life.  i\'ll always look back on the 80+ shows i\'ve seen and remember the good times i\'ve had with the \'good time boys\'.

that said, i\'ll always look forward to the breakfast coming around and i\'ll never stop supporting the band no matter what the lineup.  stay strong, fellas.

[skalnbyc]

The press release is now up on jambands/jambase

[Jim Cobb]

Leith, STFU GUY....
I\'ve never been anti-honest open opinion...but where the fuck is your class guy?!
this is the departure thread of the bass player be respectful...don\'t joke about the dead the day they die...your timing is just all sorts of fucked up, you could screw up a wet dream...and not to mention you made entirly to many f**kin post on this thread already someone cut him off please...
[

 No I will not STFU. I have every right to deal with this how I see fit. Just because I am more concerned with the band as a whole does not lessen how I feel about Ron leaving. Just because I do not think Ron is the second coming of Bass Players as you all do does not make my feelings or opinions any less valid.

This band to me will always be Tim, Ron, Adrian and Jordan.  I think that Matt is great, but I have never seen that incarnation on the band live.  I can live with the band continuing without Jordan, but Ron is a more important part of the band than just a bass player.  Those of you that think that he is just a bass player and can be easily replaced are showing a lack of respect for Ron and all of his contributions to the band\'s music.

Ridiculous. It has been proven Jordan was a HUGE part of the band with his instrument. So much so they HAD to get another keyboard player as the music demands it.

Just because the trio was so tight with each other does not mean Jordan was any less significant.  If the Trio was so damn great and Adrian,Tim AND Ron are truly the band why did they bother getting another keyboard player? Why not keep on with the Trio?

Ron is a great Bass Player but you cannot convince me that he has the same natural talent that Adrian, Tim and Matt have. He does not. I commend Ron for all the extremely hard work he put into his instrument to keep up with Adrian and Tim but it was just that. HARD WORK!
When I first saw this band I thought Ron was not even that great( and this has been agreed upon by others here) but could hold his own. I never thought that about the other 3 in the band.

Ron over the years has proven to me and anyone else listening that he deserves to be on the same stage as Tim and Adrian but he can be replaced without a really drastic change and that is not disrespectful just honest.

I personally think Matt is a shining example of hard work. Simply put, he can read sheet music and pull of some extremely hard stuff in a short amount of time and is able to learn a song on a ride to a show, but his rhythm is nowhere near as sound as the other three guys. I don\'t think this is a matter of being new to the band. You can teach a well schooled individual new songs and they\'ll learn, and Matt is UNBELIEVABLY well schooled, but you can\'t teach rhythm. You can improve your rhythm, but it\'s the separation of those clearly born with that built-in metronome and those without that separates the naturals to me. I put Matt into that category, an incredibly hard worker that has made the very most of his average to maybe above-average talent.

I\'m not about to get into a pissing contest with you but I\'ll just say your comments about *the music* have a condescending tone and I just don\'t agree with an honest ear. Maybe if you had a better relationship with Ron you\'d feel different. Maybe you\'re just hoping the replacement is a cooler guy to hang out with post-show where you can slide on your knee pads four times instead of three.

Do I think they could find a replacement and move on strong? Absolutely. But it has been less than 24 hours and there are NO guarantees. I do worry about their future. I\'ll be excited and full of anticipation when a new bass player steps on stage. I will be there fully supporting The Breakfast as always. But until then I worry, because I can\'t help it, and because Ron is an excellent bass player and, in my fucking opinion, very important to the sound of this band both musically and vocally.

You know you\'re better than that bold type.
We can agree to disagree though.
I personally am not worried because the band is actively working on making the transition as smooth as possible I am sure.

Ron\'s place will be alot harder to fill than the keys when Jordan left and I am sure the band feels the momentum they have begun to build cannot be lost this time and are working on finding someone that will surprise a lot of people with his abilities.

just stop talking.  it\'s not just about the music.  that\'s not why i came back over and over.  i guess then leith, i came for the wrong reasons.  i got a lump in my throat after reading it.  no, i wasn\'t shocked.  i had inside info but i don\'t pride myself in having it.  it\'s sad.  we should all be admonished for our inability to quickly process grief and move on.  i think it would be wise for everyone to stop whining and look back on ron\'s musical deficiencies.  stop telling people to move on, bro.  this band was not a dime a dozen band that can just go out like a sports team and hire new talent.  christ.

Yeah I was not shocked either by the news maybe that\'s why i feel as I do. I have had time to digest this possibility and just because I am moving on does not mean I think everyone else should be able to do so as easily. I have never posted anything to the point of "get over it he\'s gone" as you are accusing me of.

honestly, i think a lot of you need to back the fuck off of leith.  think everyone\'s gotten into this habit of having a kneejerk reaction that whatever leith says is dick and meant to be dick.  everyone\'s upset that ron is leaving the band, and we\'re on an internet message board which means that people are going to talk about their opinions and thoughts and shit.  inevitably some opinions and thoughts won\'t align with other opinions and thoughts.  this doesn\'t mean we need to start ganging up on each other.