"Hello everybody. First off I just want you all to know that I love you and appreciate very much all your encouragement and support through the years. Its meant so much to me and my family.

I wanted to tell you, some of my closest friends first before rumors started flying around. As of a few days ago, I have officially stepped out of Pillar. Its been an amazing 10 years of my life that I will never forget thanks to many of you. There are many reasons why, but it is just the right time. I have a real peace in my heart about the decision. Lester leaving Pillar was part of it. He is one of my closest friends and it would just be hard to continue on without Tuga. Another big reason is my family. I just wasn't looking forward to leaving them, especially Kaden and Kyler, for this upcoming Creation Tour. Shows here and there are fine, but leaving for weeks on end was getting too hard. Not to mention my old back and knees starting to give me trouble. I am just old lol. I know God has some big plans for me still.

I wish Rob, Noah, and Pillar the absolute best. They are going to continue on with a few new dudes. We've all been through a lot in the last 10 years and I am going to miss them dearly. I feel very blessed to have had the opportunity to be apart of something that has changed so many lives.

What will I be up to now???? Well, I will be spending a lot more time with the kids. Instead of going to daycare they will probably be hanging with dad everyday. I will continue managing and consulting Christian artists with my friend Joey Avalos (jmamusic.com). We are working with two great bands right now: One Minute Halo (myspace.com/oneminutehalo) and A Road Less Traveled (myspace.com/aroadlesstraveled). Both of these groups will be doing big things in the near future. Besides playing bass, the business/marketing/artist development side of things has always been a gift of mine. I am really excited to give back to these younger groups and help them to be their best. Then I will be jamming with Lester, Joey, and our friend Chris in our group Stars Go Dim- myspace.com/starsgodim. I like all styles of music so its been fun doing something different. Sometimes Lester cannot make these shows because he is so busy (he is in demand) and when that happens Lester's buddy Tony fills-in for him. Lester has been working hard to finish up our full length record Love Gone Mad (he is producing) around all his session work and gigs. We just posted up new SGD music and you can pre-order our new EP coming out October 21. Tour dates throughout the midwest are being booked now and will soon posted on our myspace.com/starsgodim. Hopefully we will see some of you soon at these shows.

I know this is sad news for some of you. Though I have a peace it is still very hard. Change is hard. God is in control and sees the bigger picture. Please keep Pillar, Rob, Noah, Lester, myself, and all our families in your prayers. Don't forget I won't be disappearing...

Love you guys,
Michael "Kalel" Wittig"