Bassist Ken Gurley leaves Smoke Or Fire

Ken Gurley, bassist of Smoke or Fire, has announced his departure from the band. He explained:

I am writing to let those of you who do not yet know that this upcoming
tour with be my last playing bass in Smoke or Fire. [,,,] Our tour
ends in Richmond, an appropriate place for me to close this chapter of
my life as it was the city we emigrated to after deciding we were taking
our futures into our own hands and living our lives on our own terms. A
lot has happened since then, but the idea that it's never too late to
change your life is still very much alive.

You can click Read More for the statement in its entirety.

I am writing to let those of you who do not yet know that this upcoming
tour with be my last playing bass in Smoke or Fire. We are doing our
ever-familiar I-95 East Coast trip and I almost feel selfish about
getting to share the stage with so many of my favorite bands and best
friends. We start at CMJ in New York City, hit up the Fest in
Gainesville, and then head back to the Northeast to the play Middle East
Downstairs with AVAIL.

For me this is a full circle journey as this was
the place I first saw them back in '95 and thought "Wow, music can
actually /mean /something. It actually is /more /than haircuts and
leather jackets. This is something /I /would like to do…"

Our tour
ends in Richmond, an appropriate place for me to close this chapter of
my life as it was the city we emigrated to after deciding we were taking
our futures into our own hands and living our lives on our own terms. A
lot has happened since then, but the idea that it's never too late to
change your life is still very much alive.

If ever I wanted to be in a band, this was the one for me - I love our
little family, our shows, our fans, and our songs. That I can say this
makes me feel both lucky and proud. I would like to say a sincere "thank
you" to those I won't be seeing on this trip and solemn "goodbye" to
those I will never see again. Take care of each other out there."

Ken