​Spoon Bassist Rob Pope Leaves Band

Spoon bass player Rob Pope has announced his departure from the band.
 
Pope joined the band in 2006 but has decided to leave in order to spend more time with his family and focus on different musical projects.
 
"As Spoon's bass player since 2006, I've never taken for granted the thrills and challenges that have come with being in this band," Pope wrote in a statement. "Now, after some serious thought, the timing feels right for me to leave Spoon in order to spend more time with family and personal projects."
 
Among those projects, he will continue to record and tour as a member of the Get Up Kids, who released their latest album Problems earlier this year.
 
Pope continued by thanking his Spoon bandmates, tour crew and fans for the last 13 years.
 
Spoon are gearing up to release a greatest-hits album called Everything Hits at Once, which arrives on July 26 via Matador.
 
The band will also kick off a tour with Beck and Cage the Elephant tomorrow night (July 11). Pope will not be with Spoon on the tour, but he encouraged anyone going to "buy 'em a few ice cream sandwiches for me."
 
Read Pope's full message below.
 

 

 

 

 

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A message from Rob Pope: . As Spoon's bass player since 2006, I've never taken for granted the thrills and challenges that have come with being in this band.  Now, after some serious thought, the timing feels right for me to leave Spoon in order to spend more time with family and personal projects. . I have nothing but love for ‪Britt Daniel‬, Jim Eno, Eric Harvey, Alex Fischel, and Gerardo Larios — the gentlemen dudes I was lucky to share the stage, bus, and studio with. . I'd also like to shout out the countless people who worked to make my life easier as our road crew and management, many of whom became my lifelong friends. The show can't happen without them. . I'll continue to work on new music, including touring and recording with ‪The Get Up Kids‬, but I'll always be particularly proud of the amazing things Spoon accomplished over nearly 13 years of my involvement (and sometimes in spite of it). . Before I sign off, I have to thank all of you — the fans. It's been an absolute honor to share this experience with you. If you are lucky enough to see Spoon on the road this summer, buy 'em a few ice cream sandwiches for me. . For evah yours, Rob Pope (AKA Robert Pop, AKA Sherpa, AKA The Queen of Sheba, AKA The Last Living Member of the Supremes, AKA The Horizontal Striped Hustler)

A post shared by SPOON (@spoontheband) on Jul 9, 2019 at 5:35pm PDT