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Nine Inch Nails Recruit Replacement Drummer

Australian Alex Carapetis has performed with Lenny Kravitz, Nikka Costa.

Nine Inch Nails have been on the road with Queens of the Stone Age for close to a month now, but the ride hasn't exactly been smooth.

Drummer Jerome Dillon's ongoing health concerns forced the band to postpone two of the tour's gigs last month (see [article id="1510691"]"Nine Inch Nails Postpone Show Due To Drummer's Heart Trouble"[/article]); he dropped off the run following an October 1 performance to seek treatment for an unspecified heart condition. Over the weekend, Trent Reznor revealed through Nine Inch Nails' Web site that the group had found someone to fill the void left at Jerome Dillon's drum kit, naming Australian Alex Carapetis to the post.

Carapetis took the stage with Reznor's team for the first time on Friday at Chicago's Allstate Arena, replacing temporary drummer Josh Freese, who'd filled in for Dillon last week. Freese, best known for his work with A Perfect Circle, played with Nine Inch Nails on October 4 in West Valley City, Utah, and October 5 in Denver.

Touring drummer Carapetis' résumé, which lacks in the hard rock department, might surprise some Nine Inch Nails fans. He's traveled with the likes of former Cold Chisel mainman Jimmy Barnes, blues rocker Nathan Cavaleri, Diesel, Emmanuel Carella (who opened Christina Aguilera's 2003 Australian tour) and Teenager (featuring Nick Littlemore from acid house outfit Pnau). Carapetis has also performed with Nikka Costa, Lenny Kravitz and Aussie pop star Delta Goodrem.

In postings to Nine Inch Nails' Web site, Reznor said, "Alex is doing great and fitting in well. Josh Freese helped us out by playing the Salt Lake City and Denver shows as a substitute, while Alex Carapetis took over in Chicago. I can't begin to tell you what a difficult job it is to replace your drummer in this band, and these guys have truly risen to the high-pressure situation that it is."

Dates for the Nine Inch Nails and Queens of the Stone Age trek run through November 20 (see [article id="1504048"]"My, What Paralyzing Teeth You Have: Queens, NIN To Tour"[/article]).

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