Bassist Eric Avery quits Jane’s Addiction again, ‘with equal parts regret and relief’

Bassist Eric Avery made it official this morning, announcing via Twitter that he has quit Jane’s Addiction for a second time as the rockers have now wrapped up their rescheduled tour of Australia — the final dates of a reunion that started with last year’s joint trek with Nine Inch Nails.

Four hours ago, Avery — pictured here in a photo from tonight’s final gig in Perth posted to Dave Navarro’s Twitpic — tweeted: “thats it. with equal parts regret and relief, the janes addiction experiment is at an end.”

Avery himself had fueled rumors he was unhappy with the comeback, revealing on Twitter in January that he was not writing new music with Jane’s, which earlier this year began work on new songs with an unnamed “new writing partner,” who may or may not be ex-Guns N’ Roses bassist Duff McKagan.

Jane’s Addiction first broke up in 1991 after Avery decided to quit; Navarro followed suit, and the band split after playing its final show in Hawaii. While Avery and Navarro played together as Deconstruction, and released a self-titled album in 1994, the bassist declined to participate in initial Jane’s reunions in 1997 and the early 2000s. He was replaced in ’97 by the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ Flea, and Chris Chaney on the band’s 2003 disc Strays (Chaney also rejoined the band for its recent New Year’s Eve gig in Aspen, Colo.).

PREVIOUSLY ON SLICING UP EYEBALLS:

• Vintage Video: Jane’s Addiction rehearses ‘Chip Away’ for ‘SNL’ in 1997
• Perry Farrell: Jane’s Addiction’s ‘Gift’ film coming out on DVD this year
• Eric Avery quits again? Jane’s Addiction writing new songs without bassist
• Jane’s Addiction cancels Australian dates after Stephen Perkins hospitalized
• Jane’s Addiction, Nine Inch Nails offer free Trent Reznor-produced EP
• Official dates: Jane’s Addiction and Nine Inch Nails to unleash joint tour
• Jane’s Addiction opens up its ‘Cabinet of Curiosities’ with new box set