Lucas Mann confused over guitarist's exit, but reaffirms "Rings Of Saturn IS the Lucas Mann project"

Over the weekend Rings of Saturn head honcho Lucas Mann put out a response to guitarist Joel Omans leaving the band a few weeks back. 

In his response, Mann acknowledged Omans' decision to part ways and although feeling confused over the whole situation, seemed to respect Omans' decision to leave even though it came as a "complete surprise" to him. 

Mann said that he supports Omans' new project, Animation Sequence, and that fans should respect Omans' new project in the same way as his own, reiterating his viewpoint that "Rings Of Saturn IS the Lucas Mann project."

Mann shared:

Recently Joel Omans left Rings Of Saturn for the second time. I 100% respect and support his decision. I encourage everyone to support his project Animation Sequence and any other future project that he may create or become a part of. Joel was one of the few people in the music industry who I not only considered a business partner, but also a friend. I still feel this way, and continue to have the utmost support and respect for him.I have always valued Joel and his contributions to the band over the years. He is a very talented guitarist and goes above and beyond for whatever project that he is a part of.

Joel Omans' departure from the band came as a complete surprise to me because he was publicly and privately a big part of the decisions the band made after he had rejoined. The band's instrumental direction, what members were in the band, and even the 'No Vocals' shirt for example were all discussed thoroughly and agreed upon before moving forward together. Having healthy communication is important, and if Joel and I couldn't come to an agreement or compromise on something then it simply wouldn't happen. This is why I can't help but to also feel confused with his sudden departure and lack of communication over the whole situation because we both were planning to release a new Rings Of Saturn album (or EP) this year, planned on attending the next NAMM as a band, and had solid tour offers for next year. This is a big change, but Rings Of Saturn still plans on releasing new music sometime later this year, and there will be more announcements to come as our plans shift.

As for defensive comments I have made recently acknowledging that 'Rings Of Saturn IS the Lucas Mann project,' I stand by those. I originally founded the band, so that is fair for me to say. Joel Omans originally founded Animation Sequence, so it would be fair to say that Animation Sequence IS the Joel Omans project in the same regard. I would have no issues with statements like that for anyone in the position of being the sole founder of a project, and I have seen more established bands similarly acknowledge this same thing.As for my comments about the extent of my roles in Rings Of Saturn, I stand by those too. I have always overseen every aspect of Rings Of Saturn, just like Joel Omans has overseen every aspect of Animation Sequence. They are both our projects respectively, so that makes sense. These statements do not discredit or overshadow anyone, and are a fair thing to say in both instances. Our new single 'Theogony' was well received as being Joel Omans' creative writing direction. He received hundreds of thousands of plays on his reels, and all of the promotion benefited him and the band as a whole. As long as Rings Of Saturn is prioritized, I have always encouraged members to start other musical projects, join other bands, or fill in for tours during any downtime Rings Of Saturn has. I feel that it is a good thing for musicians to stay as active as possible and I have often helped promote any project that they are a part of.

I wish the best of luck to Joel Omans in all of his musical endeavors and personal life. The clarifications I needed to make in this post have zero intention of being negative toward him or anyone else in any way whatsoever. I respect him as a person, but also as a friend in his decision to leave the band.