Titus Andronicus guitarist/violinist Amy Klein has announced she's left the New Jersey outfit, marking the second shake-up in the band's roster this year. There's no bad blood between either camp, though, as Klein explained her departure via her blog.
"No, there was no big fight or anything -- no wild partying, drug, or alcohol addiction leading to me getting fired -- no dramatic story -- nothing like that. It is just time for me to move on," she wrote, adding, "I am not quitting music, just gonna be focusing on my own bands from now on."
While she may have left the gruff rock unit, the musician will still perform with Amy Klein and the Blue Star Band and Hilly Eye, among other projects.
Klein's taking with her a ton of good memories, and credits her time in Titus Andronicus with helping her find out who she really is.
"For me, the years I have spent in this band have been a time of transformation and self-discovery, and I know it is the power of music and the people who believe in it that have made me the person I am today," she said. "I can't even explain what it is like to go from believing you are a total loser to believing that you are an individual with a voice. I think sooner or later everyone learns how to believe in herself, but the thing is, not everyone is lucky enough to get to do this in front of an audience filled with people like you."
As if to further prove that the split was amicable, Klein capped the note with a nod to her now ex-bandmates, praising them for their love, support and songmanship.
"To the guys in Titus Andronicus -- Patrick, Dave, Eric, Julian, and, yes, Ian, who put up with me for the past two years, and who are truly some of the most dedicated and hardest working musicians out there, I would like to say, 'I wish you the best of success. You are the great American rock and roll band of our time.'"
Bandleader Patrick Stickles issued his own take on the split, admitting that he was a little thrown off by her departure. That said, he and the rest of the outfit are supportive of her decision.
"Even I can barely comprehend it; she has become that vital a part of the band's very identity," he said via the troupe's blog. "Strange, and sad, to think that never more may we warm ourselves by the fire of her endless enthusiasm, or that she takes with her the dream of a Titus Andronicus album complete with her certain kind of magic."
UPDATE: Below, you can check out a video of Titus Andronicus covering Nirvana's "Breed," a redo that appeared on Spin's Newermind compilation earlier this year.
"No, there was no big fight or anything -- no wild partying, drug, or alcohol addiction leading to me getting fired -- no dramatic story -- nothing like that. It is just time for me to move on," she wrote, adding, "I am not quitting music, just gonna be focusing on my own bands from now on."
While she may have left the gruff rock unit, the musician will still perform with Amy Klein and the Blue Star Band and Hilly Eye, among other projects.
Klein's taking with her a ton of good memories, and credits her time in Titus Andronicus with helping her find out who she really is.
"For me, the years I have spent in this band have been a time of transformation and self-discovery, and I know it is the power of music and the people who believe in it that have made me the person I am today," she said. "I can't even explain what it is like to go from believing you are a total loser to believing that you are an individual with a voice. I think sooner or later everyone learns how to believe in herself, but the thing is, not everyone is lucky enough to get to do this in front of an audience filled with people like you."
As if to further prove that the split was amicable, Klein capped the note with a nod to her now ex-bandmates, praising them for their love, support and songmanship.
"To the guys in Titus Andronicus -- Patrick, Dave, Eric, Julian, and, yes, Ian, who put up with me for the past two years, and who are truly some of the most dedicated and hardest working musicians out there, I would like to say, 'I wish you the best of success. You are the great American rock and roll band of our time.'"
Bandleader Patrick Stickles issued his own take on the split, admitting that he was a little thrown off by her departure. That said, he and the rest of the outfit are supportive of her decision.
"Even I can barely comprehend it; she has become that vital a part of the band's very identity," he said via the troupe's blog. "Strange, and sad, to think that never more may we warm ourselves by the fire of her endless enthusiasm, or that she takes with her the dream of a Titus Andronicus album complete with her certain kind of magic."
UPDATE: Below, you can check out a video of Titus Andronicus covering Nirvana's "Breed," a redo that appeared on Spin's Newermind compilation earlier this year.