According to Stereogum, longtime synth player Gavilán Rayna Russom has announced that she has quit LCD Soundsystem. Russom had been with the band since 2008 after contributing to their album, This Is Happening.
In an interview with Pitchfork, Russom gave her reasons for leaving. She said, “When this offer came up again [to perform at LCD Soundsystem’s Brooklyn Steel residency], I had considered it. And when I looked at the reality of this time, I was just like, “I’m just not able to do this.” My work has grown to a point where I’m not able to put it aside for a couple of years and go on tour with LCD, or double up. A lot of times I’d be on tour with LCD and making my own music in the bus between 7 and noon. It just reached a natural point based on some concerns I’ve had for a really long time.”
“The entire experience is pretty amicable,” Russom said. “It’s not about people or personalities. At some point James reached out to me about this new set of shows. I asked for a little time to think about it, and we sat down and had a nice coffee and I basically said that I couldn’t do it, but that I was super grateful.”
In October, LCD Soundsystem announced a 20-show residency at Brooklyn Steel and it sold out following overwhelming demand. Russom did not perform at this event live with the band.
Photo credit: Mehreen Rizvi
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