Neighbor Announces Rob Compa As New Guitarist After Lyle Brewer’s Exit

Neighbor just celebrated their sixth anniversary as a band but this next year will be one of transition for the quartet. Co-founding guitarist Lyle Brewer will depart Neighbor starting on February 23 at a concert in Beverly, Massachusetts where new guitarist Rob Compa of Dopapod will come aboard to begin his tenure in the group.

Lyle Brewer and his childhood neighbor keyboardist Richard James formed Neighbor in 2019 with drummer Dean “Dux” Johnston and bassist Dan Kelly. The four-piece developed a devoted fanbase in the Boston area thanks to weekly residencies at the since-shuttered Thunder Road in Somerville and then at Soundcheck Studios in Pembroke.

Lyle Brewer, the guitarist’s three bandmates and Rob Compa each issued statements addressing the situation. “After 6 years, hundreds of shows, a studio album and countless national tours I have made the difficult decision to step away from Neighbor,” wrote Brewer. “I have had a wonderful time sharing the stage and the road with my brothers Rick, Dan and Dux. These guys have given me friendship, camaraderie and a lifetime of musical memories that I’ll never forget. Thank you for always having my back and pushing me to be my best.”

Brewer continued by addressing the fans and said Compa is “the only person I would trust to take the reigns.” His reasoning for selecting the Dopapod guitarist is “1. He is a stone cold guitar player and a superhuman musician. 2. He is a wonderful guy” and “3. He sings like a bird, I sing more like a congested frog.”

Dopapod began an indefinite hiatus following their recent New Year's Eve concert in Columbus. The first chapter of Neighbor’s career and next era starts at The Cabot Theatre in Beverly on February 23.

“The people that support and follow Neighbor mean the world to us. Together as a community, we’ve treated this roller coaster of sound with more tender love and care than we could’ve ever imagined, but with time comes change,” wrote James, Dux and Kelly. “Through all of the ups and downs in our lives, the one constant that the neighbor community has been able to embrace in stride has been having each other’s backs. We lift each other up and help push through the hard times, and really know how to celebrate the good times. Today is very difficult for us, but also very exciting, as we announce the departure of our guitarist Lyle Brewer, and welcome our long time friend and guitarist Rob Compa from Dopapod into the band.”

“Lyle is the best, there’s no other way to put it. Respected around the world for his innate skill as a guitarist, and revered by not only anyone who takes the time to listen to his original music, but also by the boat loads of students from across the globe that spend time studying from him at Berklee and beyond. We’re excited to see what’s next for our brother Lyle, and we all hope you’ll follow his musical journey forward as he continues to break barriers of what’s possible on the guitar. Lyle, we thank you for everything you’ve helped us accomplish, and have nothing but the utmost respect for you. Your friendship, your hard work and diligence, your insane musical ideas, and determination to push the boundaries musically all while being a great family man has been incredibly inspiring. Thank you!”

“As far as Rob goes, we couldn’t find a better fit for Neighbor. He walked into the rehearsal room with us, delivered his own unique approach to the music, nailed the composed sections of the music, and dove straight into the deep end commanding some heavy improvisation that blew us all away! With Rob, the future of Neighbor is in very good hands, and we can’t wait to experience all of the new and exciting music that we’re about to make together as both musicians, and friends.”

“Our final run with Lyle will begin this weekend starting in Saratoga NY, and end at The Cabot Theatre in Beverly. Rob will be joining us on 2nd guitar at the Cabot for a portion of the performance, and we hope you all come out to wish Lyle well, and give Rob a warm welcome.”

“This band may have started as a couple childhood neighbors exploring new music together in 2019, but what it’s become over these last 6 years is something so much bigger and beautiful, there was no way we could let this ride end…,” concluded Neighbor.

Read the full statements from Brewer, Compa and the rest of Neighbor below: