Motion City Soundtrack have announced that their drummer, Tony Thaxton, has decided to leave the band. Both the band and Thaxton have issued statements which can be read below.

Dear Friends,

Our beloved drummer Tony Thaxton has decided to leave the band. We really hate to see him go, but we fully support him in his choice and wish him the absolute best in the future. Tony’s contribution to the band over the last 11+ years was immeasurable, both on the stage and off. We’re really glad to have been able to share some truly amazing times with such a great drummer and friend. He will be missed.

Here are a few words from Tony:

“I’m afraid the time has come for me to move on from Motion City Soundtrack. This was an extremely, extremely hard decision to make, but one that I felt was very necessary for me. As you get older, life can lead you different ways, and some things that were once easy become harder. Being on the road so much was really starting to take its toll on me. It just feels like it is time for me to move on. I am beyond grateful for all of the things I have been able to experience in the last 11 years with the band. I got to play shows in 19 countries. I got to be in magazines. I got to play on tv. I got to discuss Shiatsu massage with M. Night Shyamalan (seriously). I got to meet and be thankful for so many great fans. It was definitely an amazing run that I never dreamed I would be able to experience.

I am not 100% sure what exactly the future holds for me, but it does not involve MCS. MCS will continue on without me, and I wish everyone the best. I thank Justin, Josh, Jesse, and Matt for being understanding of my decision. And most of all, I thank you all for your incredible support. We never could have done anything without you all. I’ll never forget these past 11 years. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.”

As Tony said, we will be moving on. We’re currently writing new songs and rehearsing. We will be playing all upcoming shows with our good friend Claudio Rivera, who played with us in 2009 when Tony broke his arm.

We’d like to take this moment to thank each and every one of you for your support of our band, and for sticking with us through thick and thin. You’re the reason we are able to do what we do. We’ll see you at the Warped Tour this summer!

heart,

MCS