Juan Croucier says that RATT has not yet found a replacement for guitarist Chris Sanders, who left the band earlier this year. Sanders joined RATT in 2018 after the departure of original axeman Warren DeMartini. He spent most of the last two years playing sporadic shows with the band, which also features Croucier, singer Stephen Pearcy, drummer Pete Holmes (BLACK 'N BLUE, RATT'S JUAN CROUCIER) and guitarist Jordan Ziff (RAZER). This past February, RATT played a one-off show in Oklahoma as a four-piece following Sanders's departure. But according to Croucier, the tentative plan is for RATT to hire a new second guitarist prior to the launch of the group's next round of dates. Asked in a new interview with Myglobalmind if RATT has been auditioning a replacement for Chris, the bassist said: "Right now, everything is on hold for obvious reasons. That's the issue with the timing of everything. There is work that needs to be done, yet we are aware of the circumstances. On February 22nd, we played a show in Oklahoma where we elected to play it as a four-piece. It went really well. We changed a few minor things in the arrangements to facilitate one guitar versus two. With Pete Holmes and Jordan Ziff, the band is tight. At this point in time, we are just going to have to wait and see how things unfold. It's not just about getting a good guitar player; there several other factors that come into consideration. Some important ones are that we all get along and have the same goals. Even though it seems like a simple task, it really isn’t. There are a lot of little details that you want to get right so you don’t end up having to address the issue again in the future." During the Myglobalmind chat, Croucier also offered an update on the songwriting sessions for RATT's first new music since 2010's "Infestation" album. He said: "We had time before the start of the tour and had planned on working on new music. We intend to move forward with it again as soon as we get the green light to get closer with social distancing." Asked if there are plans to revisit older demos that the band created back in the 1980s, Juan said: "I have a pretty large backlog of music that I haven’t had time to lay into. I have songs that are in their infant stages, songs that I've demoed, and some which are just riff ideas. I have a lot of catching up to do. We had some ligation that occurred, which reset a lot of things. We intended to 'right' the band, get it working again, and get out there. It changed our plans from what I thought I would have time to do. There are old ideas, new ideas, and all types of applicable material, but we need the time to sit down and go through it all. RATT has a certain format and style that we adhere to, so not everything is going to work. We have to find the right songs that are going to fit. The fans know what to expect from us and we don't want to disappoint them." Two months ago, Chris released a statement to Mike Gaube's Headbangers announcing his retirement from the music industry. He wrote: "At the beginning of the year, I sent an email to [RATT's] management that I would not be renewing my contract for 2020. After playing music in some form for 25 years, I've retired from the industry." RATT is scheduled to join forces with Tom Keifer, SKID ROW and SLAUGHTER for a U.S. tour, dubbed "The Big Rock Summer Tour", this spring and summer.
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