[UPDATED] Yesterday, drummer Raymond Weber announced on Facebook, “Well, I guess it’s official now. Raymond Weber is no longer the drummer for Dumpstaphunk. I’m now independent for hire.” When Facebook friends asked what happened, he wrote, “They fired me.” Later in the conversation, he wrote, “7 years with DP building and being loyal, not taking big money gigs like Warren Haynes gigs, Joe Sample gigs, and John Scofield, Maze, Frankie Beverly, Dr. John – had plenty of offers but did not take them because of loyalty to to the band. Where does dat leave me now?”

Raymond Weber (second from left) no longer in Dumpstaphunk. Photo by Elsa Hahne.

Eventually, Dumpstaphunk’s Ivan Neville joined the conversation. “Love you like a brother Raymond … we all know you’re an amazing drummer/musician …. but when you purposely tank & half play gigs … that is unfair to yourself, your band mates, & more importantly unfair to the fans who pay to see you !!”

To which Weber replied, “O, so that’s the deal. I tank on the gig. I don’t think so bra. I think it’s because I had a lot of other opportunities coming my way, and you guys jumped the gun thinking I was going to take a certain gig.”

To one fan who quoted the line from Treme that Raymond hadn’t dropped a beat since 1983, Neville wrote, “Randy … you don’t know … there must be a good reason for moving on without arguably the best drummer out of Nola right now … that’s all I’m gonna say.” To a woman who said that the band was family and needed to work its stuff out privately, Neville wrote, “Roxanne … you are right !!! But, I don’t want Ray to be making it out to be all our faults !! He knows what he did !!”

Weber and Neville were approached for comments; neither responded.

Updated June 24, 11:57 a.m.

In the interim, Dumpstaphunk will be playing with Nikki Glaspie on drums.