Local Natives Announce Departure of Founding Member Kelcey Ayer
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Local Natives will part ways with founding vocalist, keyboardist, and songwriter Kelcey Ayer following their upcoming tour.
The announcement arrives shortly after Local Natives released their sixth album, But I’ll Wait For You, which served as a companion piece to their 2023 album Time Will Wait For No One. “A big theme of Time Will Wait For No One, But I’ll Wait For You is being there for one another, and part of that is accepting change. With that, we wanted to share that our latest album and its upcoming tours will be the last with Kelcey as a member of Local Natives,” the band wrote on Instagram.
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“We started making music together when we were teenagers, our bond is so much deeper than just bandmates; we have a true family love between us. While we’re of course sad to see our very talented and wonderfully weird friend go, we’re supportive of his decision to step away from Local Natives to focus on other projects. We’re excited to see what lies ahead for Kelc and wish him nothing but the best.”
As for the future of Local Natives, remaining members Taylor Rice, Ryan Hahn, Nik Ewing, and Matt Frazier are keen on keeping things alive: “Endings are also new beginnings. For the four of us, this next chapter gives us a chance to reimagine what it means to make music together, and ultimately has deepened our commitment to Local Natives. Any impasse or threshold in life can feel like you’re on shaky ground, but it can also be a creatively generative time. We’re working on new music, we’re psyched about the future of LN, and can’t wait to share the next chapter when the time comes.”
Ayer confirmed the split on social media, writing, “Being in a band this committed and this intense comes with a lot. It’s your entire life, and just doesn’t leave a ton of room to build anything else.” He continued, writing that he’ll be resuming his solo project Jaws of Love as well as confirming his involvement on Local Natives’ upcoming tour. “Life is long, and who knows, maybe I’ll be LN’s John Frusciante, but for now I’ll say that this is not the end of Local Natives or the end of me.”
Local Natives are gearing up for their 2024 tour in support of But I Will Wait For You, which will be their last with Ayer. The tour kicks off this weekend with a show at Redondo Beach, California’s BeachLife Festival, and continues through May with shows in Albuquerque, Oklahoma City, Louisville, Kansas City, and more. The band is also set to appear at Summerfest in Milwauee, and open one-off shows for Mt. Joy and Vance Joy. Update: Local Natives have confirmed a fall run of shows, including dates in San Antonio, Houston, New Orleans, Orlando, Charlotte, Toronto, and more. Get tickets to all Local Natives’ upcoming tour dates here.
As one of two lead vocalists in Local Natives, revisit some of Kelcey Ayer’s most memorable contributions to the band below.
Local Natives 2024 Tour Dates:
05/04 – Redondo Beach, CA @ BeachLife Festival
05/06 – Albuquerque, NM @ El Rey Theater – Presented by KBAC
05/08 – Oklahoma City, OK @ The Jones Assembly
05/09 – Fayetteville, AR @ JJ’s Live
05/10 – Columbia, MO @ The Blue Note – Presented by KBXR
05/11 – Louisville, KY @ Mercury Ballroom – Presented by WFKP
05/14 – Omaha, NE @ The Admiral Theater
05/15 – Kansas City, MO @ The Truman
05/17 – Boulder, CO @ Boulder Theater
05/18 – Aspen, CO @ Belly Up
05/23 – Las Vegas, NV @ House of Blues
05/21 – Tucson, AZ @ Rialto Theatre
05/23 – Santa Cruz, CA @ The Catalyst
07/05 – Milwaukee, WI @ Summerfest
08/23 – Bend, OR @ Hayden Homes Amphitheater *
09/21 – Columbia, MD @ Merriweather Post Pavilion #
11/06 – Fort Worth, TX @ Tannahill’s Tavern & Music Hall
11/07 – San Antonio, TX @ The Aztec Theatre
11/08 – Houston, TX @ White Oak Music Hall
11/09 – New Orleans, LA @ The Joy Theater
11/11 – Orlando, FL @ The Plaza Live
11/12 – Fort Lauderdale, FL @ Revolution Live
11/14 – Charleston, SC @ Charleston Music Hall
11/15 – Charlotte, NC @ The Fillmore Charlotte
1/16 – Raleigh, NC @ The Ritz
11/17 – Norfolk, VA @ The NorVa
11/19 – New Haven, CT @ College Street Music Hall
11/21 – Toronto, ON @ The Danforth Music Hall
11/22 – Grand Rapids, MI @ The Intersection
11/23 – Madison, WI @ The Sylvee
* = w/ Mt. Joy
# = w/ Vance Joy
Local Natives Announce Departure of Founding Member Kelcey Ayer
Paolo Ragusa
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