The song "September Come Take This Heart Away" is now officially even sadder. For all the loyal fans of Seattle's sweetest-sounding heartbreakers, Carissa's Wierd, some bad news comes: The end is near, and this time the band isn't just moving to Portland. Look forward to a couple of bittersweet shows, including an appearance at Bumbershoot, in which the band will say goodbye to all that--once and for all. Following guitarist/vocalist Jenn Ghetto's announcement that she wished to quit the collective she and Mat Brooke founded more than five years ago, the members decided to disband rather than go on without Ghetto's luminous contribution.
In full efflorescence, Carissa's Wierd is a six-piece featuring acoustic and electric guitar, keyboards, violin, slide guitar, and drums. Over the course of three albums--Ugly but Honest, You Should Be at Home Here, and Songs about Leaving--the band has perfected a grace that allows listeners to crawl into a pervading sadness without fear of being swallowed up by it. The songs, with lyrics written mostly by Brooke, are whispered biographies that offer beacons of enlightenment from their outcomes (either by ruinous misadventure or timid hindsight)--and their burnished instrumentation can pull tears from even the most grizzled eyes.
As a two-piece Brooke and Ghetto were equally stunning, providing true testament to their songwriting talents. Their subdued cover of Morrissey's "Suedehead" makes the original's quiet devastation sound overstated. Beloved in Europe (I've received several e-mails in broken English, wondering if Carissa's Wierd will tour outside North America) as well as the U.S., this cult band will be missed.
Fans of Ghetto's solo project, S, and her dazzling 2001 debut, Sadstyle, will be happy to learn that the singer is at work on a follow-up album, and that she'll continue to play in Crictor, her metal duo with New Mexicans drummer Creighton Barrett. Brooke told me that he plans to keep writing and may start a new project with bandmate Ben Bridwell, and that he's looking forward to a farewell show--one that I'm sure will be sentimental and fabulous. I hope someone records it for a future release.
While riding his rare 1951 Sunbeam S7 motorcycle (which had been in his family for 40 years) recently, charming producer and family man Martin Feveyear was involved in a traffic accident with an uninsured driver. The collision sent Feveyear over the top of the car; he landed on his back 15 feet down the road and suffered severe contusions over most of his body. No bones were broken, but it will be at least a month before he'll be able to get back to work at his studio, Jupiter, and doctors say six to eight months of physical therapy are expected.
To help defray medical costs (Feveyear, a husband and father, carries a hefty insurance deductible) and pay for reconstruction of the bike, a benefit will be held at the Sunset on Friday, August 15, featuring Rosie Thomas (Feveyear produced Thomas' When We Were Small), Ben London, and Steve Turner. The show is early--happy hour--so don't be late. If you think you're too busy to attend, listen to what Feveyear had to say about the bike's history, and then decide whether or not you can make it out to Ballard: "It was our only form of transport for many years, hauling mum, dad, sister, myself, and our dog in a huge sidecar all over England, Scotland, and Wales. I shipped it from my father in England about three years ago and have ridden it just about every day."
