Sad News

[captainsblog]

I've been on the Girlyman email list for years, but word came today from Doris, one of their founding members, that the run is over:

When JJ and I got notice from our landlord that he had decided to sell the beautiful house we had been living in for the past two years, we realized that whatever we decided to do (move in-town or move out-of-state) that we first needed to deal with Girlyvan and equipment that had been sitting parked in Nate's driveway for over a year. It was a slow process. In order to even get the back doors open, we had to recharge the battery overnight because the van hadn't been driven in so long. We took out our in-ear monitor rack and I began the process of cleaning the inside of the van. Old Falcon Ridge programs, half-drunk water bottles, some candied ginger, as well as a professional chef's knife, cutting board, and desk lamp, were some of the remaining items. Everything was covered in spiderwebs. Miss Havisham would have approved.

     Then began the process of dismantling our in-ear monitors and pedal boards, and either saving the connectors or chucking the unusables parts. The rest we had to test to make sure it worked and put up for sale. I thought I would be horribly sad or overwhelmed with messy emotions, but I was surprised to be washed in gratitude and feeling the rightness of it all. It was time to officially end Girlyman.

Doris has been battling a form of leukemia for several years now, and is as close to remission as you can get with that particular variety, but she still found the life of the road to be too much.  I'm still getting word from Nate and Ty about solo projects of theirs, and as we've seen so many times, nothing is forever when it comes to "never again," but we have several albums of memories and an especially precious signed talisman from a night with the original three:




I'll end this retrospect with perhaps one of the best goodbye songs ever recorded:

"" (Watch on YouTube)