Taking Back Sunday surprised fans on Tuesday with the announcement that guitarist Matt Fazzi and bassist Matt Rubano have left the group. The band has not announced their replacements BUT when you visit their website you are greeted with a pop-up photo of the band with the members faces partially covered. FMQB reports that the photo feature original members John Nolan and Shaun Cooper, who had left the group in 2003 to form Straylight Run.
We will wait for some kind of official announcement, but for now here are the farewell messages from Fazzi and Rubano. Matt Fazzi tells fans: To everyone in the TBS family, it is with great sadness I am announcing today that I am no longer a part of Taking Back Sunday. The last 2 years with Taking Back Sunday have been beyond a dream come true, from touring and playing with bands that I really admire, to playing new places all around the world, to meeting and working with so many wonderful people along the way. Its something that I never once took for granted and that I will never forget. I want to thank Eddie, Matt, Adam and Mark for giving me the chance to play and make music with them, if even for a short while. Weve accomplished a lot in a short time that I will forever be proud of. Thanks to everyone involved for making this such a beautiful experience for me, especially YOU, the fans. You have been so warm and receptive to me since I joined and for this I am forever grateful. As for me, I will continue on with my own music and I hope to see some of your smiling faces around soon.
Matt Rubano tells fans: After seven years I'm sad to announce that I will no longer be playing the bass with Taking Back Sunday. I would like to thank Adam, Eddie and Mark for giving me this amazing opportunity that changed my life. I am proud of the music we made together and cherished every moment of it. And to Taking Back Sunday fans, there isn't anything I can say that will express the way I feel toward you. It's literally been a dream come true and you were the cast of that dream. I am happy to have met and befriended so many of you. I will miss you all.
