Schoolyard Heroes ::: photo by Abbey Simmons

Sad news for the Skeleton Army, Schoolyard Heroes is returning from the grave from whence they came. The band has just announced their break up and final show on their website.

Friday November 20, 2009

After 8 years of driving, eating, rocking, driving some more, eating even more than we did before, and then rocking harder than god, Schoolyard Heroes will be returning to the soil from whence it came. This year’s Home for the Horrordays on December 19th at El Corazon will be the fourth and final installment of the series, and the final show by Schoolyard Heroes: Jonah, Brian, Steve, and Ryann.

We love all of you Skeleton Army soldiers and thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your support and love.

ROCK,
Schoolyard

P.S. Don’t freak out! If Schoolyard Heroes has taught you anything over the years, it is that death is always around you… and that from death shall emerge new channels of destruction. Loud, distorted, maybe even operatic channels

New Faces ::: photo by Josh Lovseth

Bad news on the great up-and-coming local band mortality front folks, angular all-age rockers New Faces  are also no more.  All scheduled future shows are cancelled, so if you happened to see New Faces at the Crocodile this Saturday (November 14th) you saw their final show. (Your 25$ plus tickets were totally worth seeing that alone, not to mention the charity you donated to.)

Here is the band’s statement on their break-up, which they posted late this afternoon:

New Faces Announce Break-Up

*11/16/09*

Due to irreconcilable conflicts, we have decided to break up. We want to thank everyone that supported us - there are too many to thank so we won’t start but hopefully we can thank you individually soon enough. Sorry there wasn’t a second album - If it’s any consolation we’re putting up some outtakes and oldies on myspace - more will be put up tonight and tomorrow. Please look out for future projects from Conor, Kyle, Sky and Nico in the future.

Logistical note - All shows that were upcoming have been cancelled. 

Cheers,
NEW FACES

We look forward to supporting the guys in their new projects, but tonight we’ll be listening to Two Years and feeling sad we don’t get another chance to hear Kyle’s bass-lines that strutted like a man’s first stroll in his most finely tailored mod suit, or the Brit-Pop bravado of Nico’s vocals. Tonight all we can hope is that from the end of New Faces comes a couple great new local bands. Considering how talented these kids are, we have no doubt there will be.

The Hands at their Final Show ::: photo by Abbey

Unbeknownst to me when I was getting tickets to tonight’s Hands show at The Mars Bar, I was buying a ticket to their last. Before the band launched into a short set of their anthemic throwback tunes, those songs that sounded like classics on listen one,  lead guitarist Eli unceremoniously announced “Fitting we’re at The Mars Bar, where we played our first show, and now we’ll play our last.” 

While I’ll post more about the show in the coming days, suffice to say right now, we’re yet again mourning the passing of one of Seattle’s most promising rock bands.

The Hands bluesy tunes about mortality have never seemed more bittersweet or prophetic than when they were sung tonight. The band ended the night and their time together as a band with one last rocking performance of “So Sweet,” and it certainly was while it lasted.

You made me watch all my friends die, die, die…and it was so sweet.

See More: Photos from The Hands final show

It always sucks when a really great line up has a tinge of sadness to it, but that doesn’t make tomorrow night’s line up at The High Dive any less worthy of recommending or attending. On a night filled with a plethora of great options, I’d recommend you be nowhere but The High Dive for Ms. Led’s final performance.

Ms. Led has been a long time favorite of this here blog and we’re incredibly sad to see the band parting ways. In a scene as treacherous and ever-changing as the Seattle local music scene, Ms. Led has been making music together for nearly 10 years. Local band years are at least equal to dog years, so that puts Ms. Led at a whopping 70 years old. 70 years old and surrounded by hyped bands that aren’t even old enough to drink–it doesn’t sound like the easiest place to be. However, you’ve never heard a word of complaint for Ms. Led who has year-after-year put out some of the catchiest, upbeat, and intelligent punk-pop out there. We have never seen a bad or depressing Ms. Led show, and we have seen many.

Lesli Wood, lead singer and song-writer for Ms. Led is one of Seattle’s most extraordinary performers with more energy and talent in her petite 5′0 frame than most entire bands. But Ms. Led isn’t a one woman show, Lesli has been backed brilliantly by a trio of Seattle’s most talented performers: Peg Wood, Matt Menovcik, and Steph Hasselman. While we mourn the loss of Ms. Led we hope that out of its punk ashes sprout at least four great new Seattle bands.

To celebrate one last frenetic night of punk magic Ms. Led will be joined by two up and coming local bands, Wallpaper and The Camellias. So come on out tomorrow night and celebrate the passing of one of your favorite Seattle bands and perhaps you’ll discover a couple new favorites.

The Trucks Finale ::: photo by Josh

The holidays are over, we’re back to our day jobs, and it’s still snowing…all things that make us sad. But nothing compares to the woe we feel about a number of our favorite local bands calling it quits during 2008.  We thought 2007 was brutal for our favorite bands (and it was!) but 2008 kept the brutality going–taking The Trucks, Hopscotch Boys, Iceage Cobra, Das Llamas, and Ms. Led to the big gig in the sky.

We were lucky enough to catch each of these bands finales (well, we will see Ms. Led’s final show on 1/23/09) and each and every one was bittersweet. On one hand we were seeing a show of one of our favorite bands that never dissapoint, on the other, it was the last time we’d ever see them share the stage (to our knowledge). So, we figured today, when you’re suffering the post-holiday hangover and wishing you were anywhere but work…we’d share with you some of the great losses of 2008.

Hopscotch Boys Finale ::: photo by Josh

Brad Kaufman singing Acid Pony at the Cobra Finale ::: photo by Josh

Das Llamas Finale ::: photo by Abbey

Ms. Led at GMF ::: photo by Abbey

See More Photos from these bands final shows by clicking the links below:

Hopscotch Boys
Iceage Cobra
The Trucks
Das Llamas