Pitchfork

A month ago, Pitchfork reported the disbandment of Dischord mainstays Q and Not U, quoting band member Chris Richards as saying, "We feel we've reached all of our shared goals as Q and Not U and we're ready to move on to other projects in life." He wasn't kidding. By phone, Richards told Pitchfork that he hopes to release an album of songs under the moniker Ris Paul Ric some time this fall. (ChRIS PAUL RIChards, get it?) Describing the music, Richards said, "I just wrote them in the bedroom, so obviously they're quiet 'cause I have neighbors and roommates and all that stuff. But people have said they sound like the quieter songs on the last Q and Not U album."

Quiet, however, doesn't necessarily mean unadventurous. This past January, Richards traveled to Ottowa to record the songs with laptop scientist Tim Hecker (a relationship, Richards said, indirectly brought about by a Pitchfork interview, in which Hecker mentioned that he liked Q and Not U). Of the process, Richards said, "I went up there with the songs barely finished, and he would go to work in the daytime. I was just there for a week, and I would be tracking lots of vocal tracks and guitar tracks, some quiet percussion, a bass line here or there, and then he'd come home at night and we'd listen to it and then we'd add some more textures so that we'd have a lot of stuff to work from. And then for the past month or so he's been periodically working on it." By which, Richards means Hecker is performing his sound manipulation talents on music that falls on the softer side of the spectrum, something he's shown great talent for on records like 2001's Haunt Me, Haunt Me, Do It Again.

Before that record's release, which is expected to come out on a friend's label, Richards will be touring with Dan Caldas, formerly of Black Eyes, whose role is to approximate Hecker's sonic presence and provide auxiliary percussion. "Live, I try to make it a lot more ethereal. The guitars are run through delays...I was listening to it on vacation at the beach and I felt really good and was hoping maybe people will [hear the music] and feel like they're at the beach." The tour still has five more dates left and features opening solo sets by two other ex-Black Eyes members, Jacob Long (aka Earthen Sea) and Daniel Martin McCormick.

Richards also said he definitely will start another band, and that Ris Paul Ric is not his "life's calling," but more of a stop-gap measure. In fact, he began writing and recording the material while Q and Not U was in full swing. You can visit the Ris Paul Ric myspace page to listen to a couple of the tracks, and if you're feeling particularly East-Coastish, you can check out the rest of his tour. Look! He's playing in a children's museum!

08-11 Richmond, VA - Children's Museum of Richmond
08-12 Baltimore, MD - Current Gallery
08-13 Philadelphia, PA - Space 1026*
08-14 New York, NY - Knitting Factory
08-15 New York, NY - 169 Bar#

* with Colleen, A Hawk and A Hacksaw
# with Prewar Yardsdale, BANANAS

But wait! Q and Not U haven't exactly broken up just yet. They're following the D-Plan method of saying goodbye, as they have added three more farewell shows since they announced their demise. The final kiss-off remains in the band's hometown, Washington, D.C., but now New York and Philadelphia will get one last glimpse of the band's glory. They're content with what they've accomplished as a band, but are you content with missing their last go-round? All dates with Supersystem:

09-20 New York, NY - Knitting Factory (all-ages, early show)
09-20 New York, NY - Knitting Factory (late show)
09-21 Philadelphia, PA - First Unitarian Church
09-22 Washington, DC - Black Cat
09-23 Washington, DC - Black Cat