Madball has announced the dismissal of drummer Jay Weinberg in the midst of their Canadian tour with Comeback Kid. Frontman Freddy Cricien explained:

I'm letting Jay go in Canada because I just feel he doesn't represent this band well on a character level. It would go against my own code of ethics to keep him around. Not saying he's a bad drummer. I won't take that away from him. But the reality is - he has a lot to learn about paying dues, and about life in general. Granted, he is a kid, but I'm not sure that he'll ever be built for this particular lifestyle. I wish him the best of luck, but the MADBALL machine rolls on!

The band will finish the Canadian tour with a replacement drummer. Their new record, Empire and is due out October 12, 2010 and a song from the album can be found via Stereokiller.