Ska guys Reel Big Fish announced on their website that trumpet player/background vocalist Scott Klopfenstein has left the group to focus on his growing family:
It is with overwhelming mixed emotions that I write this letter to announce my departure from Reel Big Fish. This decision has weighed heavily on the heart and mind of my wife and I. We found out in September that we were pregnant with our first child. A baby girl. We spent many nights debating back and forth over the subject of how to best arrange our lives to create the most safe and comfortable environment for our daughter. After much deliberation, we arrived at the conclusion that there was no way to create the home we envisioned without us both being present, to watch over and participate in the building of that home. Brick by loving Brick. In light of this announcement, I would like to take this opportunity to say thank you from the bottom of my heart.
Read the full statement here. The band plans to continue touring with their remaining line-up, but as of right now no announcement has been made regarding a replacement trumpeter.
Reel Big Fish released their 2nd greatest hits album, Best of Us for the Rest of Us, last year.