[quote:3nxaw9t3]South Bay punk pioneers PENNYWISE have announced that Zoli Teglas of Orange County's IGNITE is the band's new and permanent lead singer.

Teglas, a longtime friend and tourmate, recently played a handful of So Cal shows with PENNYWISE, including the 2009 Smokeout Festival and a sold-out Holiday Benefit concert for Amnesty International at Long Beach Arena.

Teglas will join PENNYWISE on its upcoming European tour which kicks off this April. That trek will be preceded by a few warm-up West Coast dates that start on March 17 in San Diego, CA.

PENNYWISE is currently at work on a new record, its first featuring the new lineup.

After the sudden departure of former singer Jim Lindberg, a member of PENNYWISE for 19 years, guitarist Fletcher Dragge called Teglas a "natural choice" to take over vocal duties for the band.

Bassist Randy Bradbury explains: "What started out as a temporary position was just too good to put an end to. Zoli brings to the table a tremendous vocal ability, creativity, and a die-hard work ethic. There is a bond that makes this change feel like it was simply meant to be, and considering the recent unfortunate events, having Zoli join the band is a well-needed shot of positive energy."

Teglas was excited to take the stage with his friends, noting, "I'm stoked to be singing with PENNYWISE. I'm a huge fan of the band and am super-grateful to share the stage with my longtime friends Fletcher, Byron and Randy."

Calling it quits was never in the cards for the remaining members of PENNYWISE. "We love this, we love going on the road," Dragge explained to AP back in August '09. "There's nothing more important to me than being on stage in front of our fans and having them sing our lyrics back at us and feel the energy. This has become so much bigger than just us as a band. It's become a family and a brotherhood of people that I feel depend on us. I'm still here to continue to deliver the message, as are Byron and Randy. Our motto is to follow your dreams and pursue them. Don't waste time because if you're wasting time on something you're not into, then you're not living. We're going to go out there and have fun doing what we love until it stops being fun."[/quote:3nxaw9t3]