Majority of Turkuaz Members Leave Band

Photo by Joey Wharton

A majority of the players in Turkuaz have announced that they are walking away from the band.

Those departing include vocalists Shira Elias and Sammi Garett, guitarist Craig Brodhead, drummer Michael Carubba, multi-instrumentalist Chris Brouwers and saxophonists Greg Sanderson and Josh Schwartz, as well as sound engineer Zach Fichter.

“We have made the difficult decision to step away from Turkuaz,” reads a joint statement. “…We stand unified and in full support of one another as we make this decision to end out involvement with Turkuaz. We are eternally grateful to have had the opportunity to perform for all of you, and even more grateful to have become close friends with so many of you along the way. We thank you for respecting our privacy in this matter, and for you continued support.”

Pre-pandemic, Turkuaz had made major strides in the live music scene, playing major festivals and and even teaming up with Talking Heads guitarist Jerry Harrison and touring member Adrian Belew for a special string of Remain in Light tribute shows.

Band co-founders Dave Brandwein and Taylor Shell are the remaining members of the band.

In response to the announcement, Brandwein wrote, “Today’s news is probably a shock to many of you. And unfortunately, this means any upcoming Turkuaz dates will not be happening as planned. Taylor and I respect the decision of our former bandmates to pursue their individual artistic endeavors. We love and appreciate all of our fans so much. Because of the positive moments, we enjoyed many years on the road playing the music we love to our fans across the country, and even globally.”

The full Turkuaz lineup played shows as recently as Oct. 29 and 30, celebrating a “Halloween Festivity Nightmare” at Webster Hall in New York City.

Turkuaz also released a new single, “Shaking in My Sheets” just this week. Brandwein said in a press release that the band had “a ton of material in the works” and explained how it was inspired by his struggles with addiction.

“Though my struggles continue, I’m emerging from the pandemic sober and look back at this time as a learning experience and I’m glad that Turkuaz was able to make beautiful music out of it!” he said at the time.

Read the full message from the band here or below – along with Brandwein’s statement.

The post Majority of Turkuaz Members Leave Band appeared first on Jambands.

Link to the source article – https://jambands.com/news/2021/11/02/majority-of-turkuaz-members-walk-away-from-band/