Since the departure of longtime Slipknot keyboardist Craig James last month, the band has kept the name of his replacement a mystery. Ironically, one-time mystery Slipknot member Michael “Tortilla Man” Pfaff may have inadvertently revealed the new key player’s identity.
Pfaff posted a selfie on Instagram from backstage at a recent show. In the since-deleted post, Pfaff is standing in front of a clothing rack labeled with the legal names of each member of Slipknot: “Corey” for frontman Corey Taylor, “Sid” for DJ Sid Wilson, “Mick” for guitarist Mick Thomson, and one tag that appears to read “Zac” … only there is no known member of Slipknot with that name.
The Slipknot faithful were quick to jump on the post, capturing a screenshot and posting it to Reddit. The consensus is that the “Zac” in question is journeyman keyboardist Zac Baird, who’s played with Korn and Ghost and has a programming credit on Evanescence’s Fallen.
It’s mere speculation as of now, as the name “Zac” is slightly obscured in the selfie (though it sure looks like it reads “Zac”), and no official announcement has been made regarding the keyboardist’s identity. That said, the fact that Pfaff was quick to cover his tracks and delete the post is intriguing.
Slipknot recently wrapped up a European tour and have US festival dates on the horizon this month (Rock Fest and Inkcarceration) and in September (Blue Ridge Rock Festival). Tickets to Slipknot’s shows are available here.
You can see the Reddit conversation about the mystery keyboardist’s identity, as well as Tortilla Man’s selfie, below.
you guys might be right about zac baird…
by u/Economy_Tonight5882 in Slipknot
