announced his split

On September 19, 2009, drummer and co-founding member, Anthony Martone, announced his split with the band through his Twitter saying “I’m no longer in VersaEmerge. Thanks for all your support. I am currently a drummer for hire, thanks everyone…” After about a week of fan speculation in regards to Martone’s sudden departure, bassist Devin Ingelido and the band posted blogs about their parting with Martone, stating the split was for personal reasons that will not be elaborated on. The band hired musician and friend Spencer Peterson (not to be confused with the band’s former vocalist, Spencer Pearson) to fill in as a temporary replacement on drums for the OP tour Joined in latter portions of the tour by Ian Brown who came by recommendation by the Fueled by Ramen label after demonstrating his competency on the drum kit during his work on the street team for bands like Rocket to the Moon, This Providence, and Anti-Flag. On November 22, 2009, guitarist Jerry Pierce announced on Twitter that he will be leaving the band for personal reasons concerning his family. He cleared up that he remains friends with the other members, however he “just can’t keep touring as much as [VersaEmerge] does.” Jerry played his last show with the band on November 28, 2009. They released their debut album right before the 2010 Vans Warped Tour. Pierce was not a part of the recording process.