Photo by Max Blau
According to a statement posted on her Tumblr, Titus Andronicus guitarist Amy Klein has left the band. Klein explained: “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.”
Klein, who joined Titus Andronicus shortly after the release of their 2010 album The Monitor, and whose frenetic stage presence proved one of the highlights of the band’s live performance, added that she is “not quitting music, just gonna be focusing on my own bands from now.” Earlier this year, she released a six-track solo album called I Know What You Want, which you can listen to and/or download at her Bandcamp. She is also a member of the rock duo Hilly Eye.
Update: In an interview with SPIN, Klein revealed that Liam Betson, who played guitar on The Monitor, will join the band full-time.
You can read Klein’s full statement below.
I just got back from my last tour with the band Titus Andronicus. Yes, it’s true. As of today, I am no longer a member of the band.
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.
I want to say an enormous thank you to every one of you for supporting me over the past two years, for cheering wildly at shows, for freaking the fuck out in insane circle pits, for singing along with every word, and for devoting yourself to this music and to this band with a passion that is downright inspiring. 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.
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.
To all the kids who came to a Titus Andronicus show over the past two years, I would like to say, “You are what punk is for. Punk is in you. Now go and do whatever you want with it.” To every friend I met on the road, I would like to say, “Without you, I couldn’t have done any of this.” To the kind folks at XL, Beggars Group, Merok, Marcata Recording, 13 Artists, and Ground Control Touring—especially Sonya, Chris, Kris, Todd, Kevin, Nicole, and Chavez, I would like to say, “I appreciate all the work you’ve put into this band.”
And most of all, 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.”
And to any girl out there who still believes that she will always be a loser, let me answer you with a quote from “No Future Part III:” “That’s okay.” I was one too. Trust me. You’re gonna be someone someday. It’s a crazy world we live in, one where even your biggest, loudest, wildest, rock’n’roll dreams can come true.
Titus Andronicus Forever,
Amy (no longer Andronicus)
P.S. I am not quitting music, just gonna be focusing on my own bands from now on.
