It has been confirmed by frontman Billy Corgan that sticksman Mike Byrne is no longer a part of Chicago’s alternative rock mainstays Smashing Pumpkins.
Byrne joined the Pumpkins in 2010, replacing founder member Jimmy Chamberlin behind the kit for Teargarden by Kaleidyscope (2009) and Oceania (2012) as well as touring with the band, all at only 19 years old.
When asked if Byrne would be drumming alongside newly recruited percussionist Tommy Lee, formerly of Motley Crue and ex-Mr Pamela Anderson fame, on their upcoming album Corgan was typically cryptic, stating that “Mike, like Elvis, has left the building”.
This leaves much speculation as to how Byrne’s departure and Lee’s involvement will affect the sound of the Pumpkin’s upcoming tenth studio release, Monuments to an Elegy, slated for a release sometime in 2015.
