Ra Ra Riot Drummer Leaving Band

The indie rock band broke the news to fans on Tuesday with a statement on its official website.

“This week’s performance on Jimmy Kimmel Live will be his last with our band,” the band wrote. “We can’t thank him enough for the time he spent with us, the bountiful hysterical memories, and we wish him all the best.”

Ra Ra Riot noted that Kenny Bernard will fill in on the drums for the band’s upcoming tour. The statement didn’t specify whether Bernard was being added to the lineup as a permanent member.

The band also posted a statement from Duquette:

“Goodbye, RRR fans! Thanks for helping me feel famous for a short while. If any of you live in the vicinity of West Hartford, CT, I’ll be giving drum lessons there. Seek me out on my website-in-progress, gabrielduquette.com. Thanks, of course, to the rest of the band. They unwittingly helped me find my fashion sense. I will miss eating big meals together and saying weird things to make them laugh uncomfortably. My two favorite memories are Beyonce and Jay-Z in the audience at Coachella and dangling my feet in a stream at Yellowstone.

“As for me, I’m off to prepare for the collapse of industrial civilization! I recommend you do the same.”

Duquette joined the band two and a half years ago as a replacement for the group’s original drummer, John Pike.

Pike died in June 2007. According to NME.com, he was reported missing after attending a party that followed a show the band played in Providence, R.I. Pike’s body was found in seven feet of water in nearby Buzzards Bay.

Ra Ra Riot is set to perform tonight at Soho Restaurant & Music Club in Santa Barbara, Calif. U.S. and Canadian dates are booked through the end of the month. The band has also lined up a March 3 gig at Rams Head Live! in Baltimore.

Click here for Ra Ra Riot’s website.

Click here for the NME.com story.