RIP Grandaddy
One of my favorite bands. Just Like the Fambly Cat, out in May, will be their swan song, er album.
Pitchfork's Amy Phillips asks Grandaddy's mastermind for an explanation:
JASON LYTTLE: We've seen an erosion happening. I use the word 'erosion' in the most natural way I possibly can. It's not entirely such a bad thing. We have just, throughout the years, always looked at every album coming out as 'Wow we've got another album, now what?' So that's still going on right now, it's just that it's a lot different. We're not jumping on that big rock n roll conveyor belt that happens when the album's done.We'll be listening, Jason. A sad day for space rock.Everybody has been set free to pursue whatever it is they want to pursue, whether it be amateur poker playing, or [becoming] veterinarians, or working in a hot dog stand.
I think myself and the rest of the band hold [the name Grandaddy] pretty sacred. It definitely won't be this random assembly of crap shot players. There are plenty of people who are capable of standing up there and executing the songs. But it wouldn't be comfortable for anyone.
For whoever gives a shit, they can rest assured that it's not necessarily a bad thing. It's no sadder than ... I'm likening it to the natural crumbling of canyon walls. It can be sped up or done in by artificial forces. I just think we saw the opportunity to bring it to an end, to do it and still remain friends.
All I'm working on now is regaining a pure appreciation for just playing music, just sitting and playing music. It seems to have been attached to and saddled by a lot of stuff. It's getting fun again.
I don't intend on ever stopping. I've actually tried to stop a bunch of times, but it's not really possible. Sometimes I hate it so much, because it's something that fatigues me. I'm going to do something, but I have no idea what.
Posted at 2:12 PM
Tags: Grandaddy | Jason Lytle
yeah, but scott, why'd you miss the show?
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I love Grandaddy, yet to this day their show with Elbow and the Starlight Mints was the only instance in my concert-going history in which I've fallen asleep while standing up.
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i always thought grandaddy sucked. good riddance.
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Grandaddy were a great band and "Sophtware Slump" is a beautiful record. RIP...
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good band, but not great. I wont miss them
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Good band. Will be missed.
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Ah, shame... I really do love them.
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There's nobody like Grandaddy out there. What a drag.
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why would you bother posting if all you're gonna say is "grandaddy sucks"? is that the extent of your insight? here's an idea: if you make negative comment about a band it should immediately be followed by an example of a band you like. that way the rest of us will know what a tasteless douchebag you are. example:i think grandaddy sucks, i always prefered korn. ok? ok.
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its because people who read this blog listen to too much death cab for cutie. they dont realize that this news is really devestating to a lot of us or they just don't care.
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humble bands can never survive... you need to be a grand standing prick or an opportunist to be in a successful band.
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What's the point in ragging on Death Cab? Saying something like that is just as rude and pointless as saying "Grandaddy sucks." Music isn't mutually exclusive. One can be a fan of Death Cab as well as a fan of Grandaddy or even Korn. Remember the music my children! The music!!
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What's the point of ragging on Death Cab? Saying something like that is just as rude and pointless as saying "Grandaddy sucks." Music isn't mutually exclusive. One can be a fan of Death Cab as well as a fan of Grandaddy or even Korn. Remember the music my children! The music!!
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I'll admit G-Daddy didn't have a huge effect on me personally, but i'll admit i DO love to listen to "the group who couldn't say" really loud when it's warm out
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grandaddy sucks?
amazing how you fucks can judge them and i'm certain you havent accomplished a slice of what theyve done. as far as death cab for cuties goes, theyre just a band in the large scheme of things that were highly influenced by grandaddy. its evident in their new record. some will argue with me, but its the truth.
i know grandaddy on a personal level and this 'breakup' is really hard on everyone. the main beef with jason is that he doesnt want to tour at all. he see's no point in wasting hundreds of thousands of dollars a year supporting their tours and ultimitely owing the label. it's the same old argument for lots of major label artists. music making is fun, touring is grueling. i spent lots of time on the road with grandaddy and the touring/interview/over night drives yadda yadda frankly suck.
nuff said,
Staff Sargeant Rock N. Roll
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I'd like to hear from Sideshow Mel!
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i was introduced to them in 2003 from their album Sumday and thought they were a cool a power pop band. Oh well, it was good while it lasted. What a strange bewildering year this has been so far. Grandaddy breaks up, and Ozma reunites.
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what a bunch of crybabies! grandaddy still sucks. korn really sucks. death cab for cutie is good, but i hate the band name, so i refuse to listen to it.
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crybabies?
death cab for cutie is the band that makes all the gay boys cry. do you need a tissue?
St. Rock
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Screw the haters. Grandaddy are a good bunch of guys. I'd recorded one of their shows, and the next time they came around, I ran into Jason Lytle during the opening set (Bright Eyes) and told him about it, and he asked me to send him a copy. I did, and later received a cool handwritten thank you note with a photo he'd taken of a windmill farm in Cali.
Later on, they toured as the opener for Pete Yorn. Me and my friend stayed for about 20 minutes of Yorn's set, and it was the most awful, boring, and lifeless set I've witnessed by any artist, ever. We left and as we were driving past the venue, we saw Aaron Burtch, the drummer, crossing the street. We stopped to say hi and he poked his head in the car window, and we told him we couldn't handle Pete Yawn. His advice to us: "Go get some drinks".
Hope things work out for all involved.
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i saw grandaddy/pete yorn a few years ago in vancouver. it was a good show. grandaddy were a good band... i never got really into them though - they just weren't my thing. but it was clear from their performance that night that they had a lot of fans, and their work was meaningful to a lot of people. my buddy had never heard of them before that night, and was totally converted into a major fan.
they did have that rad film playing in the background of their set... the one with the pre-teens enacting their 'rock 'n' roll life'. hilarious!
p.s. pete yorn put on a good show that night.
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i am not afraid to say that grandaddy is my favorite band ever and this saddens me very much.
they are sure going out with a bang though:
- just like the fambly cat comes out may 9th
- as gdaddy fans know, that also means singles and b-sides aplenty
- there's a split/ep with earlimart sometime later this year
- a dvd this year
and first up is a song on some weird compilation cd that comes out on v-day.
so at least we have that.
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This saddens me very much as well. I am a huge fan of the band, and coming on the heels of the Pedro the Lion breakup news, it's like a double-shot of bad news for underappreciated but truly wonderful little indie rock bands.
I put up a little tribute post with a few of their harder to find singles at my website if you want to check it out.
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wow, do you guys read the whole post, or just the first sentence and twist off? all i was saying is that one should aspire to say more than just "grandaddy sucks". just explain yourself. i'll listen to a well thought out argument about why you think grandaddy sucks, but if that's all you can say then don't say anything. nobody cares that you don't like something, but why you don't like something. that is what is interesting. i never said anything about death cab for cutie. where did that come from? and yes, korn does suck. that was an example of a band that someone who thinks "grandaddy sucks" might listen to. jesus! are we all clear now? for the record, i like grandaddy and i wish them the best of luck in their individual future endeavors.
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Grandaddy were one of the last solid straight-forward indie rock bands, and it's a shame to see them go, but I do feel like they were beginning to fizzle a bit musically. I hear the new record leaves a little to be desired, and as good as Sumday was, it was no Sophtware Slump in that it lacked that record's creative juices. It's better for them to go out before they do something really embarrassing or irrelevent.
That said, I think Sophtware Slump is an incredibly overlooked record, as well as Under The Western Freeway, and it's upsetting that they never received the following so much of this over-hyped crap does in the indie rock world.
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Grandaddy was good not great. Sophtware Slump was pretty killer (at least at the time), but their last album was pretty weak. anyways, I got the chance to see Grandaddy open for Elliott Smith in Detroit (St. Andrews, I think) in late 2000. Jason Lyttle was rocking the trucker hat way before Mr. A-Z. More importantly, ES was great. Not mopey at all. He even covered "Don't Fear the Reaper." great show. For me anyways, the loss of Elliott Smith cuts a littler deeper than the breakup of grandaddy.
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"For me anyways, the loss of Elliott Smith cuts a littler deeper than the breakup of grandaddy."
touche.
and great cover of fear the reaper as well.
maybe they'll have one of those fucking reunion tours who knows. Get over it. Worse shit has happened.
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Under the Western Freeway is an incredibly overlooked album because of its inaccessibility. Even on first listen to the ears of a die hard fan, it's not nearly as solid as other efforts. But it really grows on you. It's just not as gripping as The Sophtware Slump.
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grandaddy sucks.
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Haha. Thanks Scott.
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Um - I think there's kind of a big difference between Elliot Smith COMMITING SUICIDE than Grandaddy breaking up. You can't really compare the two. One's was a complete tragedy, and the other is part of the group's evolution. I love grandaddy. JL's voice breaks my heart. I'm 100% sure this is not the last we've heard of him.
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I will always love "Miner at a Dial-a-View," "Chartsengrafs," and "The Saddest Vacant Lot In All the World." My three favorite Grandaddy songs.
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I hate the term "space rock".
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But I love Grandaddy.
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i think it sucks that there is one less fantastic band to go see live. i saw them in brooklyn in 2003 and was blown away and i really loved that film they had projected behind them. but 15 years is a long time to be hustling in a smoke-filled van back and forth across the country, eating in diners. i hope they have a happy future and continue to make unique and enjoyable contributions to the art world.
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i tried to listen to and like this band but honestly its horrible. how can anyone actually listen to this crap. worst thing ever, i can't wait to delete it off of my ipod!!
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