Longtime guitarist Jeff Schroeder has departed The Smashing Pumpkins.
The news was announced via jointly shared statements today, with Schroeder saying:
“Although it was a very difficult decision to make, I’ve decided to leave the band to make some space to explore a slightly different path.
“I wish the band all the success in the future. I will be watching and listening.”
In a statement of their own, meanwhile The Smashing Pumpkins’ Billy Corgan, Jimmy Chamberlin, and James Iha added:
“We thank Jeff for his ceaseless dedication to the band and our great fans.
“Words cannot express our gratitude and appreciation for the friend he is, and being there for SP in the good times and the tough times, too.”
Schroeder joined the band in 2007, on the comeback tour for their seventh studio album, ‘Zeitgeist’, originally replacing co-founder and guitarist James Iha.
After Iha returned to the fold in 2018, Schroeder continued to stay and would go on to record six albums with the group in total, including 2012’s ‘Oceania’, 2014’s ‘Monuments to an Elegy’ and this year’s ‘Atum’.
Here’s Schroeder’s statement in full below, which he shared to his socials:
“It’s easy to say now that when I joined The Smashing Pumpkins in 2007 I had no idea what I was getting into.
“The opportunity seemed to have come out of nowhere. I was at UCLA working on my doctorate in comparative literature when a close friend messaged me and said The Smashing Pumpkins were looking for a guitar player.
“Being a huge fan of the band, the audition was something I threw myself into. It was one of the best decisions I’ve made in my life. The amount of incredible memories created over the last 16 years with the band are almost too numerous to quantify.
“Although it was a very difficult decision to make, I’ve decided to leave the band to make some space to explore a slightly different path. I want to thank Billy, Jimmy, James, and Jack [Bates] for being both wonderful bandmates and even better friends.
“I will absolutely miss sharing the stage with you. I wish the band all the success in the future. I will be watching and listening.”
