This is really sad news, I missed them recently at Eagle Rock ‘s Center For The Arts – yeah, they played on a weekday and I had too much work – but I said to myself there will be other opportunities soon. But that’s the thing with life, you should never say this and jump on the opportunity when it shows up, because now the opportunity seems gone!
According to the San Francisco Weekly, Thee Oh Sees are taking an indefinite hiatus! That’s so sad because they are an unique band with an extraordinary energy, and their stoner-garage-punk-surf-psychedelic rock combines everything you want to hear and see at a live rock show. Frontman John Dwyer announced the news, this week, during a show at the Great American Music Hall.
However, the good news (for me) is that he is leaving San Francisco for Los Angeles! Does it mean that the band is gonna play frequent shows in my neighborhood? Well, not so fast, ‘ There are currently no plans for future Oh Sees shows, and it’s not clear whether the band will reunite in the future. No plans will be made until after Dwyer finishes moving from S.F. to L.A.’ said Annie Southworth, the band’s booking agent, to the SF Weekly.
The problem is that the different members of the band are gonna be all spread out, bass guitarist Petey Dammit and drummer Mike Shoun are still living in San Francisco, keyboardist and vocalist Brigid Dawson is moving to Santa Cruz, and Dwyer to LA, so it’s gonna be difficult to reform the band.
One interesting aspect is the reason for which Dwyer is leaving San Francisco: ‘He’s been living in the Mission on 17th and Valencia, and watching that neighborhood as well as the city transform has been enough for him. He’s over it,’ explained Southworth. Wow, do you mean that Los Angeles has more appeal for musicians than San Francisco, which is apparently losing its artistic community little by little! The Haight-Ashbury days are long gone apparently, and several garage punk heroes who set up the San Francisco music scene, have also left. For example, Ty Segall is now in Los Angeles too and he could may be form a super band with Dwyer?… just saying!
But Thee Oh Sees or not, I bet someone like Dwyer will not stay out of the scene very long. Los Angelinos, he is ours now and I would be surprised if we don’t hear from him soon.