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Janet Weiss announces departure from Sleater-Kinney

"The band is heading in a new direction and it is time for me to move on"

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Janet Weiss announces departure from Sleater-Kinney
Janet Weiss of Sleater-Kinney, photo by Heather Kaplan

    Sleater-Kinney drummer Janet Weiss has announced she’s leaving the band.

    In a statement posted to Twitter on Monday, Weiss wrote, “After intense deliberation and with heavy sadness, I have decided to leave Sleater-Kinney. The band is heading in a new direction and it is time for me to move on.”

    “I will never forget the heights we reached or the magnificent times Corin [Tucker], Carrie [Brownstein] and I shared. We were a force of nature,” Weiss continued.

    “To the dearest SK fans — you’re the raddest fans in the universe and I love you. Experiencing the music together has been an honor of a lifetime. Thank you for sustaining me for the past 24 years and proving without a doubt that love and connection are what saves us,” Weiss concluded.

    In their own statement, Tucker and Brownstein said they are “saddened by Janet’s decision to leave Sleater-Kinney. It’s been an incredible privilege to work with such a talent musician and drummer over the course of so many albums.”

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    “We thank her for joining us on this journey many years ago; we will aways cherrish our friendship and time together,” the statement added. “We wish Janet all the best as she starts a new chapter in her life.”

    Weiss’ departure comes as Sleater-Kinney is gearing up to release their new album, The Center Won’t Hold, on August 16th. The band’s ninth full-length to date was produced by St. Vincent’s Annie Clark and early singles “Hurry on Home” and “The Future is Here” suggest they’re embracing a more layered sound, with greater emphasis on synth and other electronics.

    Weiss joined Sleater-Kinney in 1996 and appeared on all of the band’s albums beginning with 1997’s Dig Me Out and through The Center Won’t Hold. Over the years, she’s also drummed for Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks, Wild Flag, and Bright Eyes in addition to her longtime project with Sam Coomes, Quasi.

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