YOB have been forced to postpone a number of upcoming live appearances after vocalist/guitarist Mike Scheidt began experiencing serious nerve issues stemming from spinal stenosis.
The progressive doom metal outfit announced that they will no longer perform at Ripple Fest, while their October appearances at St. Vitus, Soulcrusher in the Netherlands, and Smoke The Fuzz in Greece have also been called off.
According to the band, Scheidt initially began experiencing tingling in his left hand several weeks ago. The symptoms eventually progressed into severe nerve pain in his left arm and shoulder, leaving him unable to properly use the arm.
An MRI subsequently revealed cervical spinal stenosis caused by calcium deposits, which are pinching a nerve and affecting his left arm and hand. The band are currently waiting for an appointment with a neurologist to discuss treatment options, with surgery potentially required.
YOB explained:
“Hey friends! We are sad to say that we need to cancel our upcoming appearance at Ripple Fest, and our October shows at St Vitus, Soulcrusher in the Netherlands, and with Smoke The Fuzz in Greece. Mike started experiencing some tingling in his left hand a few weeks back, but it would go away upon wiggling his fingers and so he didn’t think much of it. Recently, he woke up one morning and his left arm and shoulder were on fire from nerve pain with his left arm not functioning properly.”
The band continued:
“An MRI revealed a cervical spinal stenosis due to calcium deposits which are pinching a nerve and causing his left arm and hand issues. We’re currently waiting on an appointment with a neurologist to discuss treatment options though surgery will likely be involved. Luckily it’s a minimally invasive one, but we’re in a holding pattern until we find out more. We were so looking forward to these shows! The good news is we have a lot of exciting things to share and we can’t wait to show you what we’ve been cooking up!”
Scheidt also addressed the situation in a video statement, explaining that the symptoms eventually became severe enough that he could no longer properly move his left arm or play guitar.
“A few weeks ago — maybe a little bit longer, but not much — I started noticing some tingling in my left hand in the middle of the night. I’d wiggle my fingers and it’d go away, I didn’t think too much of it. Then about two and a half weeks ago, I started experiencing a lot of pain in my neck, and I thought I’d thrown my neck out, and I did it pretty good.”
He went on to describe what happened the following morning:
“The next morning I woke up and I couldn’t move my arm correctly and was in a crazy amount of pain. So I went to urgent care and they sent me to the ER and I was able to get a MRI. And a surgeon looked at the MRI and determined that I have spinal stenosis due to calcium deposits building up in my neck around this place where I have some arthritis. I wonder how that happened [makes headbanging gesture.]”
Scheidt added:
“Regardless, it has made for a situation where my left arm and hand aren’t working and I can’t play guitar very well at the moment. So we are currently in a holding pattern waiting to hear from a surgeon.”
Despite the setback, Scheidt characterized the situation as a “minor setback.”
The timing comes as YOB continue working toward their long-awaited next studio album, which will mark their first full-length release since 2018.
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