During an appearance on the latest episode of the “2020’d” podcast, STEEL PANTHER guitarist Satchel discussed the recent departure of the band’s longtime bassist Lexxi Foxx. “We didn’t want him to quit,” Satchel said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET). “Nobody wanted him to quit, including a lot of fans. I’m sure a lot of fans are very sad that he left. But he’s the guy who left the band. I think he’s got his own things he’s dealing with, and he just wanted to go and do that. So, I don’t know… I can’t answer for Lexxi Foxx. But we will all miss Lexxi Foxx, and we all wish him the best in everything that he does. But we didn’t fire him; he quit the band. So we’re gonna have to move on and get somebody else who’s younger and foxier and doesn’t need as much Botox,” referencing the drug doctors have been using for years to treat wrinkles and facial creases.
As for whether STEEL PANTHER has already secured a replacement for Lexxi, Satchel said: “We did put the word out for bass players, and we’ve already gotten a lot of submissions. And we’ve gotten some really great ones as well. No musicians yet. We don’t really want a musician, though; we want a bass player. So…”
When STEEL PANTHER first announced Lexxi‘s exit in July, the band jokingly said that Foxx “started his side business, ‘Sexy Lexxi’s Prettiest Pets,’ to bring in money for Botox during the lockdown.” After realizing that “his love for making pets pretty was greater than his love for being pretty himself,” he chose “to hang up his mirror and focus on his newfound passion: making ugly dogs pretty,” the group wrote in a statement.
Back in December 2018, Lexxi, whose real name is Travis Haley, sat out a STEEL PANTHER tour after being admitted to “sex rehab.” The real reason for his absence was never officially disclosed.
Last December, STEEL PANTHER released a re-worked version of its song “Fuck Everybody” from its latest album, “Heavy Metal Rules”, now re-titled “Fuck 2020”. The newly recorded version included updated verses that reflect the insanity of last year.
“Heavy Metal Rules” was released in September 2019. The disc, which is described in a press release as a “heavy metal version of a self-help manual and ultimate party album combined,” was once again produced by Jay Ruston, who collaborated with the band on all of its previous recordings, including 2017’s “Lower The Bar”.
STEEL PANTHER specializes in imitating and exaggerating the less flattering aspects of 1980s hair metal, with unrepentantly crude, non-PC sexual content as a favorite lyrical theme.
The group’s music has been described as “VAN HALEN meets MÖTLEY CRÜE meets RATT meets ‘Wayne’s World’, complete with operatic shrieks, misogyny, shredding guitar solos and libidinal overdrive.”
Thirteen years ago, STEEL PANTHER changed its name from METAL SKOOL to its current moniker and shifted the focus of its act from ’80s metal covers to originals.
