Band Members Leave, Friendships Remain
Two bands recently announced the departure of members from the band continuing the trend of bands changing members. Tyler Jones and Donnie Vizzini of Seven Places have announced that they will be leaving the group but will still serve the Lord in other ways. PAX217 says turntablist/additional vocalist Bobby Duran has left the group.
Jones, who played the guitar and performed vocals, and Donnie, who played the bass, are now in an Oregan-based band called, Flight From Here, while spending time with family and friends. Jones plans to go to school and obtain a degree in Respiratory Therapy and marry to someone he met on tour this summer.
"We felt that the Lord was calling us in a different direction," states Jones in an e-mail. "We are still playing music together but only on a local level without the pressures of record sales, etc."
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Bobby Duran follows the footsteps of his brother Tito Duran who left the group in August 2003. Nicknamed "Bobbito The Chef" by band members, Duran played with the band for the last time after four years on December 31, 2003.
The PAX217 band members, who are working on their next release after 2002's Engage, recall their time with Bobby Duran with affection as written on the band's website: "After 4 years of sharing the stage with Bobby, the time has come for us to go on without him. Bobby-friend, brother, chef - We will miss you. Thank you for all that you have given to us: the dedication, the service, the memories, the barbecues, the salsa, 'the hammer' and the countless hours makin' tracks across the world." They are still unsure whether Bobby Duran will be replaced.
Seven Places may have lost their Jones as a band member but they still have him as a friend.
Jones says, "We're all still close friends and I wish Seth and Jeffrey the best of luck and success."
