The coronavirus pandemic just got worse for Static-X and Dope. The industrial-metal acts were robbed of $200,000 worth of gear when their shared Los Angeles warehouse space was recently robbed while the city is under lockdown.
The bands, who toured together for much of last year, filed a police report with the LAPD, citing the list of gear that was stolen. It’s mostly stage and backline equipment used for live shows: multiple LED video panels, two drum kits, 40-plus cymbals, various high end audio/video gear, microphones, racks, branded backdrops, etc.
Static-X and Dope went public about the robbery to warn other small businesses and bands to be wary during the pandemic as attention is diverted from robbery-prone places like storage facilities and shuttered establishments. The bands issued a joint statement:
“We want to encourage our community to keep a close eye on your property and on your facilities during this unprecedented time… We also ask for our fans to keep an eye out for the stolen items and maybe we can help the police find these people.
In the end, we recognize that there are far worse things happening around the world.
We want to send out positive vibes to everyone in this crazy time. Stay safe, protect yourself from ALL the threats, and take care of each other.
We will learn from this and take the necessary steps to rebuild during this down time, while allowing ourselves to be a cautionary tale for others.”
Static-X drummer Ken Jay remarked, “With most of us in lock down, and those who aren’t locked down, wearing masks in public, apparently it’s a great time to be a thief.”
Added Dope singer Edsel Dope, “This is tough one to swallow. Our bands are small businesses that have developed and refined our touring systems over years. The amount of time and effort that has gone into building out the tech and AV production alone is hard to quantify. It’s a lot of money. We own all of our own gear and have built our touring business through years of continuous investment back into ourselves.”
Static-X completed an extensive tour celebrating the 20th anniversary of their Wisconsin Death Trip album last year. The band performed with a masked singer (dubbed Xero) bearing resemblance to the late Wayne Static — a move that drew a mixed reaction from fans. Rumors circulated that the masked singer was Edsel Dope, given that the latter’s band supported the tour. However, Edsel refuted those rumors with photographic evidence.
Static-X are slated to release their new album, Project Regeneration Volume 1, on May 29th. The LP features compositions and posthumous vocal performances by Wayne Static that were uncovered from an archive of unreleased demos.
Anonymous tips on the whereabouts of the stolen gear can be submitted via Static-X’s website, where the band has also posted a full list and images of the missing equipment.