What a drag. It sucks when longterm relationships come to an end, but I suppose it happens to all good things. Randy Nichols, a longtime band manager and label rep, was working with Underoath since they were kids, basically. Now, Nichols has taken to a long post on Facebook to reveal some pretty lame news—Nichols and the band will no longer be in partnership together… after over two decades.
Nichols’ post reads…:
“I raised them for 23 years, and now they’re heading off into the world to grow up. After more than two decades together, Underoath and I have decided to part ways.
“We started together when they were playing in storage spaces and warehouses, and climbed mountains together — figuratively and literally (see photo from this post). Underoath grew to sell out shows for thousands of fans on six continents and earn gold records and Grammy nominations. In that time, they became influential to a generation of new artists and industry executives — not just for their music, but for their marketing prowess as well.
“I’ve been here through it all: Dallas leaving the band and being replaced by Spencer in 2003, Aaron leaving and coming back, James leaving, returning, and leaving again. A special recent moment was seeing Dallas reunite with them on When the Sun Sleeps — from their 2002 album The Changing of Times — to close out the Chasing Safety 20th anniversary tour, which became the most successful of Underoath’s career.
“Through all the years, the band has continued to grow — and last year, they had the most financially successful tour of their career. This isn’t a one-off event; it’s the result of sustained growth and endless hours, days, months, and years of hard work over more than two decades.
“The Place After This One, Underoath’s most recent record, didn’t perform as well as any of us had hoped. Fans seemed to love it, and the press couldn’t have been more supportive — but it just didn’t move the needle the way it should have. It’s incredibly difficult for a band with such a powerful legacy to continue breaking through with new music the way they once did. I did everything I could with the partners we had to get the band the exposure and growth they deserve — but in the end, I fell short. I failed them.
“At the end of the day, bands are businesses. The members are the board of directors; managers are the CEOs. And eventually, every business needs a new leader to steer the next era. This is that moment for Underoath — a time to bring in fresh energy that can help them reignite their original fanbase and reach a whole new audience.
“There’s no drama — just time. Time to close one of the most meaningful chapters of my career and create something new and exciting, and time for them to begin their next.
I’m deeply proud of what we built. I’ll always root for them.”
Sad news, but at least Nichols’ is glad to see his little birdies leave the nest.
