The Motet Keyboardist Joey Porter Departs After 17 Years

Joey Porter, photo by Marc Millman

The Motet have announced the departure of keyboardist Joey Porter, who has been a fixture of the beloved funk and fusion ensemble for 17 years. The band confirmed the meaningful shift in their fluid lineup with a post to their social channels, and Porter responded with a post of his own.

“After almost 20 years of playing in the Motet I have decided to leave the band to pursue new musical avenues,” Porter disclosed. “I have enjoyed my time in the band and appreciate all of the opportunities that it brought. I wish the band luck with all of their future endeavors.”

Porter signed on as a full-time member of The Motet in 2009, and beyond his electrifying presence in the band’s live shows, his keyboard mastery deepened their sound on 2009’s Dig Deep, 2014’s The Motet, 2016’s Totem, 2019’s Death Or Devotion and 2023’s All Day. The Motet have seen many shifts in their makeup since founding bandleader Dave Watts spearheaded the group in 1998, with the Denver-based outfit of road warriors ranging in scale from an 11-piece band at their largest to a tight five-piece unit. 

With Porter’s departure, The Motet’s fixed lineup now includes drummer and bandleader Watts, bassist Garrett Sayers (since 2002), guitarist Ryan Jalbert (since 2005), saxophonist and multi-instrumentalist Drew Sayers (since 2016), and vocalist Sarah Clarke (since 2023). The keyboardist’s seat will be filled by former Goose member Kris Yunker for the band’s two February dates, then Steve “Swatkins” Watkins for their March and April touring.

Read The Motet’s full statement below.

Throughout The Motet’s 28 year history, we’ve built our musical identity around an evolving cast of incredible musicians – sometimes with horn sections, percussionists, background vocalists, or multiple guitarists, or keyboardists. 5 piece bands, 7 piece bands, 11 piece bands.

The past few years have been transformational and extraordinary as we’ve welcomed Sarah Clarke as our singer, and shifted from a larger horn section to Drew Sayers’ double duty on sax and keyboards.

As 2026 starts, we’re opening another chapter in the band’s history.

After 17 years of performing with The Motet, our illustriously funky keyboardist Joey Porter is leaving the group to pursue other musical endeavors. It’s been a great run and we wish him the best. Joey’s creative contributions to the band will remain a permanent influence on the sound of The Motet as we continue to evolve and produce new music.

While Joey’s departure is bittersweet, we are extremely excited about what the future holds for The Motet and what’s to come for the keyboard position. That being said, we are happy to let you know that our Feb 7th and Feb 20th dates will feature our friend and powerhouse keyboardist Kris Yunker, who will join us playing both Motet music and the return of Funk is Dead! And for our March 19th – April 11th shows (including Jamiroquai tributes in Portland + Seattle) we’ll have the incredibly funky Steve Watkins crushing the clav, synth, rhodes, and talkbox!

So while we join you right now in saying farewell to Joey, we want you to know that The Motet will always continue to move forward and transform, because music is the bigger force that connects all of us together.

Stay tuned for more info on Kris, Steve, and future musicians who are going to play with us as we dive into the next chapter of The Motet! We’re excited to have a new look as a band as we continue to grow and find inspiration.

-Dave, Garrett, Ryan, Drew, and Sarah