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blog post Tariq's Basement Studio: A Week of Band Milestones - Breaking Up w/ Oh No Forest Fires

posted by Tariq Hussain on Jan 14, 2010

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Good morning, welcome to Thursday and the fourth in our series of Band Milestones.

Recently, Toronto band Oh No Forest Fires posted this rather cryptic message on their Facebook page:

Sometimes, things that are good and that also jump around and play a little too loud even in small rooms and we're really sorry but we yell at you and tell you to make out with your friends and to believe in something you can taste and to be okay with what's actually happening around you, those things also come to an end.

Whatever you make of it, the bad news is that ONFF is throwing in the towel.

Now I know what you're thinking - since when is "breaking up" is a Band Milestone? Well, it may not be what anyone is striving for, but it does represent a defining watermark in a band's career. Some bands leave great legacies when they go. Some break up only to be re-born as something new. And all of them leave behind some amazing music.

So why do bands break up anyway? Egos, infighting, failed inter-band relationships? To tell you the truth, I didn't come up with a whole lot of 'dramatic' endings in my research of recent Canadian band breakups. The explanations were more along the lines of: it was just time to move on.

So, in the interest of sparking some drama here, I want to hear from you...

WHAT BAND BREAKUP AFFECTED YOU THE MOST? Why did it matter so much? How did you react? Did you weep or did you smash your records? Or did you celebrate? How did it change your life?

Post your comments on the blog.

Now I wonder if ONFF broke up for one of these 7 reasons. We'll find out when we talk to them on today's show.

posted by Tariq Hussain on Jan 14, 2010

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#1 posted by
Matt B
on Jan 14, 2010

Chalk Circle in 1990 - what a huge disappointment that was!

#2 posted by
suckamc
on Jan 14, 2010

Death From Above 1979. They were making such excellent music, then it was over. too soon!

Children of the CPU. I had just found out about them from Radio 3, and they were done. Luckily they have joined a new band World of Science

The Organ. This band I was actually into for a couple of albums before they called it quits. Nothing has quite filled the void they have left behind.

I don't weep, because often the members of these bands go on to other projects, and those projects themselves will most likely be new and interesting.

Martin

#3 posted by
Michael Wynn
on Jan 14, 2010

I became a Pixies fan after they broke up. Other than that, I guess it was some of the bands that I was in that affected me the most.

There are definitely a lot of bands that I would have hoped had broken up, and haven't. Nickelback comes to mind.

I was also at Sloan's "Last Show" in about '95 or '96 at the Molson amp. That has to be the best break-up ever, as they never really did break up did they.

#4 posted by
MoniSki
on Jan 14, 2010

The Bicycles

#5 posted by
suckamc
on Jan 14, 2010

oh yes! I forgot The Bicycles! Good call.

#6 posted by
tb3
on Jan 14, 2010

For me it was Ned's Atomic Dustbin.

They were the first real band that I found all on my own in university – up until that point most of my musical finds came through my older brothers, who were in bands.

But I remember how proud I was when I discovered them, and then shared them with my brothers, and they liked something I had found.

I got into them on their Godfodder album and saw them every single tour that stopped through Detroit (when I went to school at University of Windsor).

I was lucky enough on their album brainbloodvolume to win an 89X (local radio station) contest that got me their entire catalogue (including hard to find UK singles) on CD as well as tickets to the show and a meet and greet after the show.

I was on cloud 11…

And then like a couple months later, I heard they were splitting up.

Devastated, was I. But at least I had their albums.

It's funny you should bring this up, because on my drive to work just this morning I was thinking I need to put their albums on the iPhone so I can listen to them in the car.

And then in looking for links to include here, I just now found out they reunited, have recorded and released a new CD and live DVD!!

That just made my week.

#7 posted by
like a shark
on Jan 14, 2010

For my two cents: Why do bands stay together? Keeping a band in one piece for any chunk of time is a piece of work in itself.

It's almost more normal and ho hum for them to break up.

But, for the record...Galaxie 500 (the original one)

#8 posted by
Benoit from Ottawa
on Jan 14, 2010

Sometimes bands are mostly centred on the main talent(s) or performer(s). Sometimes extremely so: the band may come around with different personnel, perhaps more than just one new person.

At the oother extreme, sometimes band members are more coequals, despite the different roles and perhaps despite the fact there is a main songwriter (the Tragically Hip come to mind). In a way, those guys aren't at all willing to break up -- they recognise the chemistry that's there.

Just thought I'd seed those reflections for what they're worth.