Story of the Year Has Kicked Out Bassist Philip "Moon" Sneed

St. Louis rock band Story of the Year, one of the most well-known locally based acts of the 2000s, has cut ties with bassist Philip "Moon Valjean" Sneed.

The news comes via Sneed's Instagram account. In a lengthy post, Sneed claims to have learned through the band's management that he was out. "To be clear, this was not mutual or voluntary on my part," he writes.

"This isn’t what I’ll choose to remember though," he continues. "What I will choose to remember, and keep near to my heart, is the FIFTEEN years of sacrifice, dedication, loyalty, fun and hard work that were given to this band and the incredible amount of PEOPLE, experiences, bands, crew, relationships, education and love that was given back to us throughout this amazing ride."

Story of the Year has confirmed the news though its Twitter account:

@StoryoftheYear is announcing the departure of guitarist/bassist Philip “Moon” Sneed today. He will be dedicating more time to Greek Fire, Goldfinger, and The Rizzuto Show on KPNT, 105.7 The Point. The band wishes Moon well on all of his future endeavors.

— Story of the Year (@StoryoftheYear) March 27, 2018

Sneed had been a member of the group nearly since its inception, joining as rhythm guitarist in 2003 and performing on the group's breakout album, Page Avenue. He's performed on every one of the band's albums, in fact, switching around over the years between guitar, keyboards and bass.

The news comes less than two weeks after Story of the Year announced the return of founding member Adam "the Skull" Russell, who left the group in 2014. This means the band is, so far, still operating as a four-piece, as it has been since Russell initially departed. As of now, all four members of the group are founding members.

Story of the Year is gearing up for an Australian tour in May, in support of its latest album, December's Wolves. Sneed, meanwhile, joined Goldfinger in 2016, playing lead guitar on July's The Knife. He also fronts local act Greek Fire and is a radio personality/producer on the Point's (105.7 FM) morning radio show.

Read Sneed's full statement below:

It’s with a broken heart that I confirm that Story Of The Year has decided to move on as a band without me. Shortly after performing for two back to back sold out shows I learned, through management, that the band had chosen to do so. To be clear, this was not mutual or voluntary on my part.  This isn’t what I’ll choose to remember though. What I will choose to remember, and keep near to my heart, is the FIFTEEN years of sacrifice, dedication, loyalty, fun and hard work that were given to this band and the incredible amount of PEOPLE, experiences, bands, crew, relationships, education and love that was given back to us throughout this amazing ride.  What I was able to do in my youth is nothing short of an undeserved gift and miracle given to me by each and every fan, friend and supporter of our band over these 15 years. I will forever be in the debt to my fans across the planet!  I now know dozens of personalities, hundreds of names and thousands of people's faces on a personal level that continue to be a very real and important part of my life and who I am. You all know who you are and my love for you. Do I wish things were different?  Of course. But I will not allow this or anything to sour my now or my future and what is in my control. I wish this could go on forever. I certainly wish it didn’t end like this but I will continue to strive for growth in all of the new chapters of my life. Moving forward, I’ll continue to put my family first and pour my passion and love for music into my other projects. I am living many of my dreams and enjoy being a part of the #1 morning radio show/podcast The @RizzShow on 105.7 The Point. We are also preparing the release of a new @GreekFire record and I’m touring our new @GoldfingerMusic record ‘The Knife’! Life is good. I love you all, across the globe, and I hope to see each one of you soon. In the immortal words of Dr. Peter Venkman… “See you on the other side, Ray.” Moon

A post shared by Moon Valjean (@hereliesmoon) on Mar 27, 2018 at 4:01pm PDT

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