ALEXISONFIRE Calls It Quits

August 5, 2011

St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada-based post-hardcore act ALEXISONFIRE has called it a day.

In a statement posted on the band's official web site, ALEXISONFIRE vocalist George Pettit explained that the group played what its last-ever show with guitarist/vocalist Dallas Green on December 19, 2010 in ALEXISONFIRE's hometown.

"Almost a year ago, Dallas informed us he would be leaving after we finished our [2009 album] 'Old Crows/Young Cardinals' tour cycle," Pettit said. "Trying to balance his life between touring with us [and] CITY AND COLOUR was a task too difficult to continue managing. He informed us he wanted to focus his efforts on CITY AND COLOUR."

George added that the remaining members of ALEXISONFIRE had planned to continue, but a series of "personal issues . . pulled [us] further and further" from the band. Finally, after guitarist Wade MacNeil's recent decision to quit in order to focus on another project, the rest of the musicians drummer Jordan "Ratbeard" Hastings and bassist Chris Steele felt it was better to go their separate ways than to let it "get old and ugly."

"Replacing one guitar player/singer/writer was something we thought possible, but replacing two would run the serious risk of perverting the legacy of what we had achieved," explained George. "We took a good hard swallow and decided to end it so it would never get old and ugly. Was the break-up amicable? Not really. Was it necessary? Probably. The members of this band are my family and I wish them nothing but good fortune."

ALEXISONFIRE's 2007 album "Crisis" achieved platinum-selling status in Canada after debuting at #1 on the Top 200 Nielsen Soundscan chart there.

The band's fourth studio album, "Old Crows/Young Cardinals", came out in June 2009 via Vagrant Records in the U.S.A. and on Dine Alone in the rest of the world.

ALEXISONFIRE is planning to commemorate its 10th anniversary with a series of releases and one last run of Canadian headline shows.

"In closing, I'd like to offer my sincerest gratitude to our fans," said George. "You were the coal that stoked our engines. You've given us a spectacular decade, rich with experience and joy. I love you all."

Find more on
  • facebook
  • twitter
  • reddit
  • email

Comments Disclaimer And Information

BLABBERMOUTH.NET uses the Facebook Comments plugin to let people comment on content on the site using their Facebook account. The comments reside on Facebook servers and are not stored on BLABBERMOUTH.NET. To comment on a BLABBERMOUTH.NET story or review, you must be logged in to an active personal account on Facebook. Once you're logged in, you will be able to comment. User comments or postings do not reflect the viewpoint of BLABBERMOUTH.NET and BLABBERMOUTH.NET does not endorse, or guarantee the accuracy of, any user comment. To report spam or any abusive, obscene, defamatory, racist, homophobic or threatening comments, or anything that may violate any applicable laws, use the "Report to Facebook" and "Mark as spam" links that appear next to the comments themselves. To do so, click the downward arrow on the top-right corner of the Facebook comment (the arrow is invisible until you roll over it) and select the appropriate action. You can also send an e-mail to blabbermouthinbox(@)gmail.com with pertinent details. BLABBERMOUTH.NET reserves the right to "hide" comments that may be considered offensive, illegal or inappropriate and to "ban" users that violate the site's Terms Of Service. Hidden comments will still appear to the user and to the user's Facebook friends. If a new comment is published from a "banned" user or contains a blacklisted word, this comment will automatically have limited visibility (the "banned" user's comments will only be visible to the user and the user's Facebook friends).