Agreed on Byrne as new vocalist

During this time, the band went through hundreds of demo tapes, all the while maintaining the tour schedule and dealing with the aforementioned business issues. One tape, sent in by Brian Byrne , was instantly thrown in the trash, until former Slik Toxik drummer Neal Busby , who was briefly in a band called Klaven with Byrne, recommended the singer. IME finally listened to the tape, and after auditioning Byrne, immediately agreed that he was their new vocalist. The band members waited several months to inform him before finally putting an I Mother Earth T-shirt on him in late 1997, symbolizing his membership in the band. David Usher made the news public, telling the audience at a Moist concert at Massey Hall in November of that year that Byrne was the new singer and then introducing him on stage. IME made its first public performances with Byrne on Our Lady Peace ‘s Summersault tour in mid-1998, and was well received by the crowds through both old and new material.