Ever heard a song by a band that seems as if it was written just for you? That perfectly captures a time and place in your life, emotionally, literally?
For us, that song is "This Is It" by The Wheat Pool. It came along at a time of endings and beginnings, of uncertainty and leaps of faith. And hearing it performed live-- and other songs we love-- in an almost private setting, made that evening one of our top shows, and most treasured moments, of last year.
So we were saddened to learn that The Wheat Pool has announced that it no longer exists as a band. You'll get no hand-wringing from us; we wouldn't be where we are today if we didn't change and grow. They left us with two beautiful albums. We're just disappointed there won't be any more. We know we haven't heard the last from them. Mike Angus has already released a fine solo album, and Glen Erickson launched a music video company, Heavy Grain. We wish them all well in their new endeavors, as we offer a fare thee well.
From The Wheat Pool:
“No one knows how to begin to say something they don’t want to say. And we are men, it is especially difficult. This March 23, 2012, it will be the seven year anniversary of the first show the four of us played as The Wheat Pool. It will also be the last show we play together as The Wheat Pool.
It is hard to name the exact reason why, although we know we are going to be asked a fair bit. From the beginning The Wheat Pool was a relationship; it was the convergence of two brothers, and the uniting of four guys who cared as much about each other as they did the music. It was a really really good thing. So who can explain how a relationship changes? When it began it was compelling and sweet; it was four guys coming together to find something special. In seven years we have had the best times and the worst times of our lives, on and off the road. That particular “something special” which bound us together and moved us forward appears to be gone, and we aren’t the types to try and force it, manufacture it, or fake it. We would rather burn bright and burn out. We have admitted that we aren’t four guys in the same place anymore, and that makes it really hard to be a great band. So we are moving on.
We of course have an impossible amount of people we could thank, because of the incredible gratitude we feel for the opportunities we have had over these years. We worked our ass off for those opportunities, very little was handed to us, but we shared all of them with as much grace and love as we could for the people we shared them with, the people who opened their doors, venues, stations and homes to us. If you have known us, hosted us, played with us, watched us or bought our music, please know how deeply grateful we are for the opportunity. The memories are so rich.”
Much love,
Mike, Robb, Stephane, and Glen
So, I guess this is it.
Photo: Russ Gordon/N2D Images
