Sit down. This news will be hard to take. (Well, unless you’ve already read the headline, which I assume you have, so you already get where I’m going.)
It appears as if Tom DeLonge’s departure from Blink-182 will stick this time.
The singer/guitarist’s first hiatus from the band in 2005 lasted until a reunion and new album, Neighborhoods, in 2009. But DeLonge has bailed again (and maybe gone crazy?), amidst a slew of festival dates this time, and Mark Hoppus and Travis Barker appear ready to move on.
They enlisted Alkaline Trio frontman Matt Skiba to fill in on those dates, and the relationship could continue in the form of new music. Barker already broached the idea of Blink recording a new album with Skiba instead of DeLonge, and Skiba himself has now said that it’s a possibility.
I think that’s a great idea and it’s something we have discussed. I’m pleasantly surprised to see Travis mention it to you guys. It’s something I would be very excited to do and I’ve known the Blink guys for about fifteen years and we’ve become good friends. Playing songs I haven’t written with Mark and Travis is a blast, so to go in and create music with them would be amazing.
Despite that, Skiba said it’s too early to call him a “permanent member” of Blink-182, but also left the door open, saying, “It’s a hope of mine.”
Check out footage of Blink’s first show with Skiba:
(Via Alternative Nation)
