By: Anand Harsh

In the midst of what has been a trying time, The Werks' bassist Dino Dimitrouleas today announced he will be taking a leave of absence from the band to be with his family. Earlier this month, Dino's brother Norman Dimitrouleas passed away unexpectedly. Norm was, himself, a former keyboard player for The Werks.

The jam rock and electronica band is slated to set off on tour next week with BIG Something, hitting the midwest and northeast before heading to Colorado for a mountain swing which includes a February 13th date at the Fillmore Auditorium with Railroad Earth in Denver. The four-piece has several festivals on the docket, including AURA in early March down in Florida, Summer Camp in central Illinois over Memorial Day Weekend, and The Untz Festival in early June in northern California. Dimitrouleas has stated he will rejoin the band after this winter/spring tour.

In his stead, Jake "Baby Hands" Goldberg of fellow Ohio jam act SassafraZ will be sitting in on bass. Goldberg simultaneously announced today he will be replaced by multi-instrumentalist Doni Jai in SassafraZ's lineup, who has played with Drake, Justin Bieber, and Bono. Goldberg's final SassafraZ show (for now) will take place tonight in Cleveland, OH at The Grog Shop, before he jumps on The Werks tour next week.

Norm Dimitrouleas left a gaping hole in the Ohio jam scene with his passing. You can read more about his memorial show in Dayton, OH here. The Werks are touring in support of their new album, which was released in November, Inside A Dream.