News of doom!

So sad!!!Bleh! We love you Jody.

Guitarist Jody Davis recently resigned from the Newsboys to spend more time with his family and to help care for his 3-year-old daughter, Bethany, who is ill. Brian Olesen of the indie band Casting Pearls stood in for Davis during the Newsboys Adoration tour, also featuring Rebecca St. James and Jeremy Camp. Peter Furler has asked Oleson to take Davis' place as the new guitarist. Oleson has accepted.

Peter recently told Christian Music Planet Magazine why Jody left the Newsboys after more than 10 years and his thoughts on the future of the band.

Everyone is wondering why Jody Davis left the band. Can you tell us why?

About three years ago, we (the band members and their wives) were out to dinner for my 10th wedding anniversary. Jody, and his wife, Erica, were there with their 1-month-old baby, Bethany. They had forgotten to bring formula for the baby, so Erica said she was going to Walgreens to grab some formula. So Erica left. Our food had just come and were talking when we got a call at the restaurant that the baby, Bethany, had stopped breathing. Everyone just split and went to the hospital. When we get to the hospital, its not looking good. Bethany has massive brain damage and the doctors at Vanderbilt Childrens Hospital, which is one of the best in the country, told us, to say our goodbyes. Obviously it wasnt a good time. Jody was torn up and Erica was hysterical. Amazingly enough, Jodys whole church was there praying for the baby and the doctors are saying, This is not going to happen. But 10 days later the baby is still alive. She is in the hospital and its still not looking good.

Why did the baby stop breathing?

We dont know why she quit breathing. The baby was born premature, so we think it might have been that, but were not sure. The doctors said they had no records of this kind of thing happening to any baby before, especially with that type of damage. Jody and Erica slept at the hospital for 10 days and finally, the doctors said they were going to release the baby and send her home. They still didnt know if she was going to live because she hasnt made any progress from the time she went into the hospital. The baby had to be watched 24 hours a day and be fed through her stomach. So the band hired a nurse for the baby.

There came a time that Jody and Erica felt, and rightfully so, that they didnt want to trust a nurse. They felt that if the baby died, they wouldnt forgive themselves because they had left it with a nurse. So the baby was definitely disabled. It was this little child lying there not able to do anything. Here we are three years later and Bethany is still alive, but she is unable to talk and still requires 24-hour care.
About six months ago it had been about two and a half years of hiring a nurse, with the band doing shows and Jody flying back home right afterward. Jody had been going down to Atltanta, Ga. where they had met a specialist. Jody is a very methodical kind of guy. He is incredible. He will put his mind to something and he will do it. He will read every book on it (a subject) and go for it. Well this (helping his daughter) was his new thing. So eight hours a day when he was home he would be doing therapy, moving his daughter around in all of these exercises. She started to have some kind of improvement, but not much. Many people would have just left the baby, but these guys kept going at it.

About six months ago, right before the fall tour, Jody said things were getting really bad at home. In two years he and Erica hadnt been on a vacation togetherthey couldnt. They wouldnt leave the baby with a nurse. It was killing their marriage. It was all going downhill. Jody came to us about a week before we went out on tour and said, I cant go out on this tour. If I do, my wife has said, This is pretty much it, so you make your choice. Obviously, we didnt know it was that bad. Jody told us, This is something I have to do. I have to take care of my kid. I have to take care of my marriage. I have to put that first. There was no debate because we said, Of course you do. That (your marriage and family) is higher than what we are doing here. So that was it.

In the meantime, I had been talking to a guy named Brian Oleson, who I was looking to sign to Inpop. He is with a band called Casting Pearls out of Nebraska. I had been talking to him for about a year. I was at peace because I knew the right decision had been made. I didnt know why this had happened, but I felt peace and I knew I had to trust God. The blessings of the Lord make you rich and dont add any sorrow, so I wasnt worried about this being some kind of curse. I said, There is something going on here; I just know it. So I was at peace. The night Jody told me, he was in tears. It was supposedly going to be temporary. He was going to sit out this (the Adoration tour and make a final decision later. So I thought, who do I get? I knew that the Lords hand was on this. I thought, Ill call Brian. I kind of felt guilty about the peace that I felt. I told Brian, Something has come up and Jody is not going to be able to make this tour. Is there any way you can fill in? Brian said yes. He stepped in and started playing.

Jody let us know a few weeks ago that he is not coming back to the band. The guy is totally changed in the sense of you know when you make the right decision? It was crazy. It was like, he moved to Yuma Arizona with his in-laws. And while Jody and Ericas house is being built they are living there in this huge house. It has been a blessing because he and Erica can go out and shop and they have Ericas sisters to watch Bethany. Bethany is still being fed through her stomach and they dont know if she is going to live.

For the last two-and-a-half years it was like this: It was four oclock in the morning and we were on a tour bus in Kansas City, Mo. and the phone rings and the baby is being rushed to the hospital. Jody would have to get to the airport to fly home. It was happening all the time. And it was just too much on Erica.

So, they are down there in Yuma, Ariz. and I can tell a weight has been lifted off of him. When he said it (that he wasnt coming back), he was so at peace. We knew it was the right decision. I was sad because I have been 10 or 11 years in the same band with the guy. I dont know what it all means, but I do know this: When I say the blessings of the Lord it is Brian has come in. And man, talk about someone who has come in and totally given us a fresh vision and who has made us appreciate what we have. He is a guy who fits in (the band) like he was always there. I am on the bus with him every day and it has made it all new for me. Its incredible.

Will Brian continue with his band, Casting Pearls?

I hope to sign him to Inpop Records. Right now, his priority is the Newsboys and I think it will stay what way. We are just sort of playing it by ear. But as far as Im concerned he is in the band with us, he is on tour with us and he will be on the next record.