CESAR SOTO Leaves PISSING RAZORS, Teams Up With Old Bandmates In FUELED II FIRE

Guitarist Cesar Soto has left PISSING RAZORS and has teamed up with fellow ex-PR members Joe Rodriguez (vocals) and Mat Lynch (guitar) in a new band called FUELED II FIRE.

In a recent posting to the FUELED II FIRE (formerly WICK=WAR=BURN) message board, Soto stated that "I just wanted to let the fans know that I have left [PISSING RAZORS]. Because of personal differences with the band, I have stepped out. I wanted to thank all the fans for the support on the tours and the records. I gave the band 110% and am very thankful for every fan out there. I will be appearing on the live record 'Live In The Devil's Triangle', coming out soon. This is not the end, though, and I am looking forward to my new band here with my old friends Mat Lynch, Joe Rodriguez and [drummer] Danny Diggler [a.k.a. Danny Contreras]."

Soto's exit from the group comes on the heels of the departure of frontman Jason Bragg, who was reported to have left due to "creative differences." Jason has since been replaced in the group by Andre Acosta.

Bragg recently addressed the reasons for his split from PISSING RAZORS in the following post to the band's official message board:

"Hey, everybody. I decided to post this to explain my feelings about being replaced. First of all, I never 'quit' PISSING RAZORS — I was replaced. The only reason I can give for this is 'irreconcilable differences.' I think the band felt that when I moved back to California. it meant I was losing interest in the RAZORS, but that wasn't the case. I had every intention to stay with the band, but I just didn't wanna live in El Paso. Financial issues made it difficult for the band to get me to Texas for local shows, and after missing the HATEBREED gig, I guess they made the decision to replace me. Lack of communication was a big factor in our split. I want to stress that I have no ill will toward the RAZORS — we spent over a year of our lives together and had our good times as well as our bad times… I wish them luck in the future. As for myself, I am currently writing music with my new band DEADSETT. We hope to have some music up at www.deadsett.com by the end of October. If you like [PISSING RAZORS' last studio album] 'Where We Come From', you will love DEADSETT. The music is very heavy, but also has a lot of depth. I think you will be pleasantly surprised when you hear us. I am looking forward to seeing all the friends I made while in the RAZORS. Keep checking the DEADSETT site for tour info. Hope to see you all soon. You can contact me at [email protected]. Feel free to e-mail me anytime. L8TeR Jason B"

Bragg's account of his split with the group was challenged by bassist PISSING RAZORS bassist Rick Vallez, who posted the following message to the band's site:

"First of all, I'd like to wish Jason the best and to tell the band's side. Our decision to move on as a band without Jason has nothing to do with him moving back to L.A. It has a lot to do with personal problems we experienced with him on our last couple of tours. I feel he never made an effort to fix the problems he had, so we had to move on. Jason is a great singer and I wish him the best of luck in his new band..."

Drummer Eddy Garcia confirmed the lineup changes and assured the fans of the group's intention to carry on via another posting to the band's official web site.

"Hello to everyone. Just here to confirm that changes have been made. These things happen, and no one wants them to, but we are left with no choice but to go on. The live CD is done and sounds killer. Andre is an amazing talent and a very positive force for the RAZORS. The reason we did not go on tour was because our label wants our new studio album by January, which means we are going to be working on that for the next couple of months. As with every time we have had to through these changes, it is never easy for us, or the fans who have followed us through the years, but with every change, it has always moved the band forward, and this time is no exception. We look forward to proving that once again to all who have doubt. Peace and thanks to you all for sticking by us. We wont let you down with some weak-ass shit!"