Goodbye Times Three

There is the old cliché that bad things happen in threes, and right now that seems to be the case. So far this week, I have the discovered that three different bands are no more. While none of the three were groups I followed very closely, it saddens me not only for the sake of the music scene, but because I never got the opportunity to really get to know the bands.

Many of you have probably heard that Ghosthustler frontman Alan Palomo has parted ways with the band. In its relatively short existence, Ghosthustler was able to gather a large following, especially over the internet. I only got the opportunity to see the band play twice. The first time was at last year’s Wall of Sound Festival. While their performance was good, watching a band play dance music when it’s too damn hot outside to dance, well, that just defeats the point. I finally had the opportunity to see them again last Thursday at the Quick Big Thing ceremonies, and their performance was fun, quirky, and dance-worthy. Although Ghosthustler has not officially broken up per se, it is uncertain as to what the future holds for the band.

Spitfire Tumbleweeds were a band that I never had the privilege of seeing live. While I have not seen them play, let me tell you what I know. I know that everything I have heard of the band on CD is very good. I know that many people whose opinions I hold in high regard are big fans of Spitfire Tumbleweeds. I also know from seeing Record Hop that Scott Porter is one massively talent instrumentalist. I also know that fans of the Tumbleweeds have one last opportunity to see them live. The band plays Saturday at the Mudbug Boil behind Lucky Lou’s in Denton. The festival starts at 11:00 in the morning, and according to the Spitfire Tumbleweeds MySpace page, they will go on at 3:00 p.m.

Several months ago, A Pacific Model announced that the band was on hiatus. This week, the band made it official that they were no longer together. While I cannot say I am surprised to hear the news, it is still disappointing. This was a band growing in popularity that was sure to appeal to fans of Chemistry Set, Airline, and Sunward, to name a few. APM shares a certain epic and dark pop sensibility with all the aforementioned acts. It was hinted through a MySpace bulletin that the members would continue to write and perform music, but not as A Pacific Model. I can only hope this is the case.

I bid a fond farewell to all three acts, and since bad news comes in threes, perhaps there won’t be any other major breakups in the coming weeks. One can only hope.