Craig Owens Kicked Out of Chiodos: Firing by Social Media

by Tina Kells | September 24, 2009 at 03:53 pm

7170 views | 3 Recommendations | 42 comments

Craig Owens has been officially kicked out of Chiodos even though his last actual appearance as the front man of the band was at the summer 2009 Warped Tour in LA. The other members of Chiodos announced that Craig Owens was out on their MySpace page, "We would like to let you know that we have let Craig Owens go as the singer of Chiodos..."

Brad, Jason, Pat, and Matt, the remaining members of Chiodos, gallantly refused to discuss in further detail why Craig Owens was kicked out. They did however make it crystal clear that Craig Owens' dismissal "needed to happen."

Fan reaction in social media was swift, but on Craig Owens' Twitter feed he did not directly address the situation. He did not defend himself against the veiled comments of his former band mates or give any hints about what may have facilitated the "need" to send him packing. Instead, Craig Owens told his followers that he plans to "become much better at what I already do."

Home for months - first time in a long time. I plan to write a song everyday, take vocal lessons & become much better at what I already do.

about 18 hours ago from Twittelator craigeryowens

Upon hearing this news, I ventured to the bands website to find strangely, nothing. This news was posted on their MySpace blog and I caught wind of it via various fangirl Twitter updates. The statement goes as follows:

"To all of our friends, family, and fans: We would like to let you know that we have let Craig Owens go as the singer of Chiodos. This decision was a necessary one. Out of respect for all of the hard work that we have put in together for all of these years we will not be discussing the specific reasons that this needed to happen. We wish Craig well . We will absolutely be continuing on as a band and we will keep you informed as this next chapter unfolds. Chiodos fans are the best fans in the world and all we can ask of you, after everything you have already given us, is to share in our excitement for this next album. We promise you will not be disappointed............Brad, Jason, Pat, and Matt"

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Jenna-Mae (not verified)

at 09:19 on September 25th, 2009

The fact that Craig got kicked out with, what seems like no reason behind it, is really dumb. All bands are nothing without the lead singer, and since there is none what will they do? Unless this has been planned since the past and they have a new singer lined up, what do the boys plan to do for their new album? I think the moment I heard this, being earlier today, I officially stopped being a Chiodos fan.

Marie Chi (not verified)

at 10:13 on September 26th, 2009

totally agree. instrumentally chiodos is great, but...without craig, chiodos does not exist. his high pitched notes, gut wrenching screams, stage presence, and incredible lyrics is what had me listening to their albums non-stop and had me anxiously awaiting the next show that i would get to see of them. to me, chiodos no longer exists and i will not be buying their newest album. i will support craig in whatever projects he does decide to do though.

Nino (not verified)

at 19:27 on October 20th, 2009

you obviouslly don't know music, nor play music. the lead singer is only ONE part of the puzzle. craig owens is a cocky bastard, he was too over confident and conceited, that my friends, is why he was booted.

Danyelleeeee (not verified)

at 13:40 on October 21st, 2009

Um wow, dont even talk crap about craig. He was not conceited or cocky, he was a great singer and chiodos is crazy for letting him go. They will be NOTHING without craig, theyre back up singers suck. Chiodos is nothing anymore.

ohliveah (not verified)

at 06:16 on November 6th, 2009

no one but yourself is a cocky bastard. chiodos is nothing without craig, his voice is what kept everyone coming back.. you, obviously, know NOTHING about music, bitch.

BekahDuiven (not verified)

at 10:50 on November 16th, 2009

Craig should be cocky. Hes the lead singer and hes an amazing artist. He has every right to be cocky. I for one think the band made a big mistake. They will lose hundreds of fans, and its all because they decided to kick him out. If only they could tell us the exact reason why they kicked him out, maybe we could understand. But until then, Craig still rules my world. =D

mikeydddd (not verified)

at 15:59 on September 26th, 2009

he wasn't kicked out for no reason, they just don't tell you. it was most likely cocaine.

Esteban Zavala (not verified)

at 06:49 on September 28th, 2009

No it was niot cocaine you idiot he became an inconcienience to the band

Jacobblank (not verified)

at 13:24 on September 30th, 2009

The fact that he was kicked out for 'necessary' reasons suggests that it could have been a drug problem. I hate to say it, I really, really do, but if Craig developed a drug problem, then it would justify them letting him go. That would also be the reason they have not said why, because they respect Craig, and don't want to demean him. The other possibility was that Craig had too many side projects going on, and he wasn't devoting enough of his time to Chiodos for them to continue to be successful. I personally stand strong in the hope that Craig will overcome whatever the problem may be, and be accepted back into Chiodos.

ripper (not verified)

at 15:37 on October 15th, 2009

HAHAHA.. why would he want back in? if i was craig i would say fuck it and go start something new. he's more talented than the rest in Chiodos anyway...

jey (not verified)

at 15:10 on October 29th, 2009

like johnny craig from dgd? i heard owens was trying to take the band to a softer type of music so if anything they probably kicked him out over a disagreement. but i agree chiodos is good, BUT owens practically WAS the band. i wanna no how it all goes. its the final battle =D

SteventheWhale

at 15:24 on October 20th, 2009

Well, in most cases yes. Lead singer is the bad.

But in this case, however, people notice that Craig Owens sings very different from most others, but listen to the band. Who else sounds like Them?

I've got to say, i liked Saosin just the same with Anthony as i do with Cove.

Just open your ears, cove doesnt sound exactly like AG, but he does good and works hard. now they have a new album where Cove shines. Give Chiodos a chance, they can pull it off. I mean, what other band can use the same chords and make them different-every time?

Cpin (not verified)

at 10:51 on September 26th, 2009

You gotta understand that it wasn't for "no reason". I completely agree that the lead singer makes the band most of the time, but chiodos has had problems in the past with craig and i guess they became fed up with him. i dont think it was in any way a stupid decision, but i do think this may be the downfall of chiodos

Odium (not verified)

at 11:24 on September 26th, 2009

I can't decide if I'm mad or not until they release a reason as to why he was "let go". I do however, feel that chiodos will NEVER be the same without Craig. Who knows though this could just be a publicity stunt?

Lindsay Herriman (not verified)

at 12:45 on September 26th, 2009

I'm a huge fan of Chiodos. I've met Craig and I'm a family friend. But Chiodos without Craig, is stupid. I'm constently listening to Chiodos, and I honestly don't know a single thing about the other members of the band. I think this is the most stupidest thing that they could have done, and sadly it is not for publicty. ://

snarf (not verified)

at 19:17 on September 26th, 2009

honestly, the reason i started listening to chiodos was a combination of craig and the rest of the band. at the same time, chiodos would have never gotten where they were had craig not been there, whereas vice versa might have been different. the majority of their songs were terrible on their first album. instrumentally, chiodos is really not impressive. sorry guys, for whatever reasons you kicked craig out its a pretty overall lame situation unless he had been doing heroin and raping dogs. even if craig is mostly to blame, which he might very well be, it seems like a cove/anthony situation in the making. all im saying is that ive been kicked out a band before where they were all completely wrong so those things do actually happen. hope everything turns out alright for all parties...

fghdfh (not verified)

at 15:58 on September 27th, 2009

"I plan to write a song everyday, take vocal lessons & become much better at what I already do."I dare say he has fucked his voice and they want someone without a damaged voice to record their new album and tour with.He only just recently played solo shows here in Australia, and each night he told the crowd he was sick, which is often a singers way of saying they have screwed up their voice from years of singing without proper technique

Lissette (not verified)

at 20:23 on September 27th, 2009

Well. I don't have a favorite band anymore.

cassandra R. (not verified)

at 14:34 on September 28th, 2009

i agree, i dont have a favorite band anymore either. Craig was what made Chiodos,Chiodos. but im just glad that Craig is still writing music and in the music world, his new solo ep just came out recently and was brilliant, hands down! and im looking forward to more brilliant music and songs by him.

Zack G (not verified)

at 11:58 on September 28th, 2009

R.I.P Chiodos of Davison MI, 2001-2009. The reason I say this is because without Derrick, but even moreso without Craigery, Chiodos is nothing but Brad, Matt, Pat, and Jason. Chiodos will always be my favorite band. But seeing as without Craig, they no longer exist, I'm not sure I dig this lineup.

"Welcoming to the Stage, Brad, Matt, Pat, and Jason!"

...No.

I plan on buying the album they are almost done with, but after that, most likely not.

I have supported you since 07 Craig (Not very long I know, but I'm loyal just the same) and I will continue to for the rest of your career and beyond. You are, and always will be, my Hero.

Lenard Shadow (not verified)

at 07:57 on September 29th, 2009

Chiodos got me into screamo, but craig's amazing vocals, and lyrics kept me there. I love the original chiodos. This new chiodos makes me sad

christian dunford (not verified)

at 07:05 on October 1st, 2009

Chiodos is just screwing up big time i mean not only did they get rid of craig derrick frost wasnt even drumming with them at warped this year so the only thing they r doing is falling

mystery (not verified)

at 02:23 on October 2nd, 2009

chiodos is nothing without craig</3

mystery (not verified)

at 17:49 on October 2nd, 2009

you all have no idea why he was really kicked out. i got friends that talk to chiodos. its becuz basically hes an asswhole whos very concided. and it was needed for them to kick him out. but chiodos is just another band trying to make it without craig. craig was their band.

Nick Corley (not verified)

at 01:08 on October 3rd, 2009

i mean i know craig owens "made the band" and that he's really talented. but from my standpoint, can't you see that he seemed very dramatic, selfish, and arrogant. he had three or four other side projects, devoting most of his time to his SOLO career. i'm sure the rest of the band members felt as if he was hanging them out to dry. i mean they had been together for over eight years, and now he has like four side projects. is that many side projects even neccessary? i'm sure they wanted to work on THEIR band alot quicker, instead of waiting on craig to do what he had to do, but instead he devoted his time to everything else. what are they supposed to do? sit and wait on him? no. they had to do something about it, and unfortunatly this is what it had to come to. which is why bradley bell quoted, " you have become an inconvenience," on his twitter account. this being said, craig is an amazingly talented vocalist and i'm sure will go on to do great things, but maybe this time he was out of line, and did not have his priorities straight. i wish the best of luck to chiodos, and hope to see them thriving, even without craig.

steven! (not verified)

at 10:02 on October 4th, 2009

CCCCCCOOOOCCCCAIIIIIN

Wizard (not verified)

at 10:12 on October 7th, 2009

Craig was the voice of Chiodos. What will they be now? Hardly nothing. I will never be able to listen to them again. I miss Craig's feminie-like voice. It was weird, yet unique. And it made him the star of the band. Now they are going to get some guy that has the same voice as every other male singer. What the hell did Craig do anyway? It's not like he raped them in his sleep.

Haley. (not verified)

at 08:35 on October 8th, 2009

This news makes me sad, but personaly I dont know what went on. But like Nick Corley said above me, he did have a lot of side projects and if he wasnt divoting the majority of his time to Chiodos, and he was makeing them wait till HE was ready, well that just dosent seem fair. And if its a different reason I just hope that kicking him out was worth it. I know i will truely miss him in the new album, his voice is the reasion I started listning to Chiodos, its what caught my attention, BUT Bitching and Troling about it isent going to make a difference. And im sure the other members of Chiodos will make a great new album, it might not be what we know and love, BUT ThEy are still Chiodos.. and im curious as to what there new album will consist of. But im allso excited to see what will become of Craig Owens, I know ill support him in his next project. But Ill allways have a secret hope that the band gets back together how it was origionaly singer, drummer and all. Good luck to Chiodos in their new album & Good luck to Craig with what he decides to do next.

Gahh (not verified)

at 08:37 on October 8th, 2009

-sigh- i guess

Anahi (not verified)

at 19:41 on October 13th, 2009

i think this is a huge mistake on the bands part. i mean for the most part ppl go watch chiodos because of craig! like without him i feel that they'll be losing a lot of long time fans but i think they will still follow any of craigs projects. craig pretty much is chiodos without him they're... well nothing.