Hey Monday Needs a New Bassist

West Palm Beach pop-punk act Hey Monday has announced a significant lineup change: bassist Michael "Jersey" Moriarty has left the band. His departure is the second major lineup shakeup in less than a year after drummer Elliot James announced his departure back in October.

According to Hey Monday singer Cassadee Pope, the decision came from Moriarty while the band was still on the Warped tour, but they decided to keep it quiet until they got off the road. He broke the news via his Tumblr earlier this week.

Read full statements from Hey Monday and Moriarty below.

Hey Monday's official statement:

We have some news that we are sad to announce. Our beloved bassist

Jersey Moriarty has decided it is best for him to leave Hey Monday. This

was a well thought out decision that he made towards the end of Warped

Tour. We wanted to wait until everyone had some time for the news to

sink in before making it public knowledge. This is in no way, shape, or

form a bitter break between us and Jersey and we wish him the best in

any of his future endeavors. We'll miss the hell out of him and his

Peewee Herman impressions.

Dear Fans, Friends and Family:

The past three years of my life have undoubtedly been three of the

best. I had been given the chance to truly live a dream and took full

advantage of that. I have made more friends and acquaintances than ever

expected. I have met fans that have made me feel like someone bigger

than I will ever EVER really be. The photos, gifts and recurrences of

these kids has kept the drive in me. I have seen places I could only

imagine and dream of beforehand. I can now say, I've been around the

world and back and have appreciated every step, flight, bus and train

ride of the way. I've found love, hate and everything in between. I have

been fortunate enough to make family away from family and find homes

away from home. I have willingly learned and accepted more knowledge

than any teacher could ever drill through my thick skull.

I am hesitant to announce with all the bright amazing new things

this opportunity has brought, I feel it is my time to break from the Hey

Monday family and move on. Warped Tour 2010, one of the best things to

happen in my life, will be my last tour with Hey Monday. I wish to leave

everyone in the Hey Monday family with nothing but happy thoughts and

amazing memories. We've had lots. I wish Hey Monday nothing but luck and

incredible amounts of success in their near and far futures. I am

convinced they will continue to take over the pop rock world day by day,

song by song. I will indeed miss the times we've had as a family and on

personal levels. Brother-sister chats with Cass when one of us was down

or needed to get something out. Personal time with Alex, "living the

dream" and realizing where were and what we were actually doing. Of

course most won't forget Mike and me causing our night after night of

ridiculous, reckless trouble and being late to lobby calls. You are all

some of the best people to have come into my life. Thank you for taking

me in. Thank you to your families for letting me belong. It means the

world. You are all very understanding and I'll never forget everything

we've been through together.

I hope to leave this picture on nothing but good terms and

hopefully remain to mean as much to every person I've brushed up against

in the last 3 years as they'll remain to me... I am not completely sure

where I will be headed, however will proceed chin up and continue to

remain in touch with everyone I've been so blessed to meet and become

anything more than strangers with. Please do not hesitate to stay in

touch with me and when I figure where this life of mine is headed I will

gladly let you know.

The only way to end this choked up cheesy string of cluttered run on sentences is simple:

From the bottom of my New Jersey heart... THANK YOU.

I love and will miss each and everyone of you that have made these

last 3 years of an old dream a reality. I am lucky, don't you DARE

think I'll forget...

Don't be strangers.

Yours Truly,

Jersey

xoxo

There was also this bit that has since been deleted from Wikipedia, "However, there have been rumors that the band kicked Moriarty out. These

rumors started mainly on the Paramore forum, and moving around the

internet." Hey Monday's rep responded to this by simply saying, "Jersey left the band of his own accord and Hey

Monday wishes him nothing but the best in his future endeavors."