SNOT Announces 2025 Reunion Shows with New Vocalist
Legendary Santa Barbara Nu-Metal Band Returns with Hometown Show on February 8
In a surprising but exciting turn of events, Santa Barbara nu-metal band SNOT is returning in 2025 for a series of shows and festivals. And the most exciting part: a not-yet-revealed new vocalist.
He will be taking the place of Lynn Strait, who passed away in a car accident in 1998 along with his dog, Dobbs. Since then, SNOT has seen a few small comebacks, but as guitarist Mikey Doling commented, none of those were very “serious.” The timing just wasn’t right.
The original band is returning with guitarists Doling and Sonny Mayo, bassist John “Tumor” Fahnestock, and drummer Jamie Miller. They have announced 2025 shows at the Welcome to Rockville festival, House of Blues in Anaheim, Brick by Brick in San Diego, and a hometown show at SOhO on February 8.
“It seems like in the last few years, the genre of music that we played, the late ’90s thing, has totally come back,” Doling said. After watching a resurgence in bands they used to play with and considering the upcoming festivals, Doling reached out to the other band members. This time, they were ready and excited to come back.
So began their search for a new lead vocalist. Though he hasn’t been named yet, Doling revealed that he and the rest of the band are very excited to come back with him. Their search began on social media, where Doling received about eight videos and audios sent to him, but “nothing really hit the mark.” Just as he was about ready to give up the search, a friend from Santa Barbara contacted him with confidence, saying she had seen a band and that this vocalist would be perfect.
Despite Doling’s initial hesitance, he was in contact with the vocalist, and asked him to send in a video of him singing to their debut album, Get Some.
“He looked cool and sounded amazing and I was blown away,” Doling said. “So I sent this video over to the guys in SNOT, the original guys, and everybody was blown away.” Singing like Strait and meeting his energy would be a challenge, but the vocalist was ready to meet that standard. As they’ve been rehearsing, it’s as if he had been in the band for years. The one big hint that Doling gave is that their new singer is from the 805 area. Turns out, their worldwide search for a new singer led them right back home.
Their excitement to return has only been echoed by fans. Though they only made one album, it’s still been selling and streaming since its release. Now, they’re bringing it back years later and with a new vocalist, to more festivals and shows.
“We’re gonna be very selective about what we choose to do, and we’re gonna make sure everything is epic,” Doling explained. They’re already looking to book shows in Europe and Asia, and want to ensure that they make their return worthwhile.
Coming back has brought plenty of enthusiasm for all members of the band, who have still been playing music since they disbanded.
“It’s gonna be the same vibe. We’re just a little older; a little wiser, I would hope; and I think we’re even better musicians,” Doling said. Getting back together with the band has felt like magic to him, and despite the years-long break, they’re all still close.
The Santa Barbara show at SOhO on February 8 will be opened by PetMez and The Framerz. As their hometown show, they’re all looking forward to coming back to play and extend an invitation to everyone to come out and see the band. For more information, see bit.ly/408M5vH.
