Guitarist Justin Shekoski Comments on Joining the Used, Exiting Saosin

While Quinn Allman's exit from The Used made headlines last week, it should be noted that Justin Shekoski, longtime guitarist for Saosin, has now joined The Used on a full-time basis. Shekoski had been filling in for the band during Allman's hiatus from the group and his position is now a permanent one.

With his new gig in The Used, Shekoski is no longer with Saosin, though it sounds as though his exit from the band was not of his choosing. Shekoski posted a lengthy missive about his transition between bands.

Of joining The Used, he stated, "Above all else, I have been welcomed into a family of individuals who are more caring, inspiring, cooperative, and more supportive than I could’ve ever imagined. I started working with The Used in January on a temporary basis and, in a nutshell, it has turned into something more serious. Their new guitar player, I am. I couldn’t be more excited or feel more fortunate to travel and write music with this group of guys. Over the past year of touring, fans of The Used have treated me with an incredible amount of respect and love. It was truly touching and I really can’t thank you enough for the welcome thus far."

He added, "As far as Jeph, Dan, Bert, and I, in addition to an incredible year of shows, we’ve been working on new music and putting together a bunch of ideas that I think are going surprise you in the best way possible."

Talking about his exit from Saosin, Shekoski stated, "After years of writing and waiting to produce a new record, some of the members of Saosin have decided to end our 13 year relationship for questionable reasons. This was a shock to me. Even though all of this happened a few months ago, I’m still processing it. I’m sure I’ll discuss this in greater detail at a later time. One thing I can be sure of is that I could not and would not have done anything differently over the past years. The shows were some of the best we have ever played. It truly seemed as if everyone was happy and positivity was at an all-time high. I was proud of the new music we were creating and to be turned away right before we tracked the record that we had spent years writing and our entire career working towards is saddening at best and angering at worst.
If anyone’s heart or commitment to Saosin could have possibly been in question, it certainly wasn’t mine, ever.
 C’est la vie."

He concludes, "To all of the fans that have seen Saosin play, listened to our music, shared in the emotions, supported us or in any way -- shared the ride, thank you. Thank you for everything.
 Experiences: some joyful, some tragic, some trivial, and some life-changing. Saosin has taught me a lot, Thank you." Check out Shekoski's full post below.

Though Shekoski teased new music, the band will actually release their Live & Acoustic at The Palace release first. The set is due April 1 in both CD and DVD formats. The band will also be playing a number of 15th anniversary shows in 2016, performing their first two albums in full. Stay tuned for more from The Used in 2016.