Sevendust [ tickets ] guitarist John Connolly has a broken hand, and the group--which was due to launch its spring tour Thursday (5/4)--has scrapped a big chunk of the run as a result.

"Due to a broken bone in the left hand of guitarist John Connolly, Sevendust has been forced to forgo its initial US tour dates in early May," the group's publicist said in a statement.

The group has axed its upcoming shows in La Crosse, WI; Superior, WI; Peoria, IL; Saginaw, MI; Chicago; San Antonio, TX; and McAllen, TX, and now plan to launch the outing beginning with a previously announced May 13 show in Corpus Christi, TX. The change means the group will play only 10 of its planned 17 US shows before heading across the pond for a June European trek.

The canceled dates will be "rescheduled in the future," according to a press release, but ticketholders are asked to return their tickets to the original place of purchase for a full refund.

"Sevendust apologizes to its fans for any inconvenience and look forward to appearing in the markets affected," the group's statement concluded.

Sevendust's upcoming roadwork is part of its continued support for last year's "Next." Released last October, the disc is Sevendust's first--and, apparently, only--release for indie label WineDark, with whom the group signed after parting with TVT Records. Last month, the group announced that it had already split with WineDark, but will maintain control of its wholly owned record label 7 Bros. Records, an imprint the group founded as part of its deal with WineDark.

The announcement comes not long after drummer Morgan Rose, in a recent LiveDaily interview, hinted that he was displeased with WineDark's marketing efforts behind "Next."

"I'm right on the edge of unloading on everybody that we're dealing with now ...," Rose said. "There's a lot of stuff going on that we're having a lot of trouble with, that I won't get into and I won't make a big deal out of. But I can tell you: in the very near future, if stuff doesn't get fixed, there's going to be a lot to talk about.

"I went into Target the other day and they had a sleeve that said 'Sevendust - Best of (Chapter One),' they had four of them and they didn't have any other CDs in there. I was like, 'You mean to tell me that TVT actually had four records with a sleeve and our [new] record ['Next'] that we busted our ass on doesn't have one copy in here?'" Rose continued. "We run across that all the time. New bands go through that all the time, but we have seven albums out now. I don't think we should be dealing with that kind of crap. But it's happening, but I'm basically calling them out to you. But I'm getting very close to really calling them out and making a big stink if it doesn't get fixed real soon."

"Next" features the cuts "Ugly" and "Pieces"--both of which are streaming at the Atlanta-based band's official website--as well as the group's latest single, "Failure," which is streaming at WineDark's website.