Guitarist Jeff Howard will leave The McLovins at the end of the year. Howard is the youngest member of the trio, and his bandmates recently entered college near their Hartford, CT hometown. The group will continue on by adding two additional musicians. The current lineup’s final shows will take place at Manchester, CT’s The Main Pub on December 16 and Northampton, MA’s Pearl Street on December 30. A note from the band reads:

Citing the need to focus more on school and other interests, Jeff Howard, the beloved guitarist for The McLovins, will be leaving the band following their December 30th Pearl Street performance. We are sad to see our close friend and bandmate, Jeffrey, leave. He is a truly remarkable guitarist and has been an integral part of an extraordinary journey that the… McLovins embarked on three years ago. We will always share incredible memories of that journey, and we want to sincerely thank Jeffrey and wish him all the best in the future.

As The McLovins move forward, we are also excited about our new lineup for the band. Beginning December 31, the McLovins will evolve into a four member group. Seasoned guitarists Justin Berger, originally from Philadelphia, and Atticus Kelley, from New Britain, Connecticut, will join the band, bringing with them significant performance experience. Justin, who has played with bands in the Philadelphia area, is currently at the Hartt School of Music and will also be sharing singing with us on stage. Atticus, a multi-instrumentalist, is a studying at the Hartt School [where bassist Jason Ott is enrolled] as well and will also add singing depth to the group.

The band is so thankful for the love and support from the McLovins families, fans and friends who have helped to bring us to this point in just three short but amazing years. We look forward to continuing our journey, seeking venues beyond our New England base and great opportunities in 2012.

Happy Holidays and Peace to You All,
The McLovins

A video of the group’s new lineup can be found above.