Pedro the Lion Call It Quits

File this one under splits, amicable: multi-instrumentalist TW Walsh has opted to leave Pedro the Lion, the longstanding, vaguely Christian, vaguely emo rock project of songwriter David Bazan. The Walsh-less Bazan plans to soldier on under his own name, shelving the Lion moniker for the indefinite future. First Aslan and now Pedro-- it ain't easy being king of the jungle these days.

It's all gravy between these bros, though. According to a press release, Walsh had the following to say about the split: "Dave and I are still buddies. I wish him the best, and I know that he'll continue to thrive and grow as an artist on his own...I think his best work is still ahead of him. As for me, I'm thankful for all the experiences that my tenure with the band provided, but I am sure that this was the right decision for me and my family." Best of luck to you, T-dub.

Walsh plans to make an epic return to his career as a software engineer and will continue work on his own music project, christened The Soft Drugs. Meanwhile, Bazan plans to release his first solo record in early 2007 via Jade Tree and will reprise his side project Headphones shortly after that. (Walsh, who contributed to Headphones' 2005 debut album, is also no longer part of that group.)

As reported yesterday, Bazan will join forces with fellow troubadours Will Johnson (Centro-matic, South San Gabriel), Mark Eitzel (American Music Club), and Vic Chesnutt (his own damn self) to form the Voltron-esque touring entity known as the Undertow Orchestra, which will head out on the road in February. Bazan will also play a couple of solo in late January.

Winners never quit:

David Bazan solo:

01-25 Columbia, SC - University of South Carolina
01-26 Seattle, WA - Neumos *

* with Ester Drang

Undertow Orchestra Tour:

02-08 Athens, GA - 40 Watt Club
02-09 Carrboro, NC - Carrboro Arts Center
02-10 Arlington, VA - IOTA
02-11 Arlington, VA - IOTA
02-12 Philadelphia, PA - World Café Live
02-13 New York, NY - Bowery Ballroom
02-14 Boston, MA - Museum of Fine Arts, Remis Auditorium
02-16 Grand Rapids, MI - Calvin College, Fine Arts Center
02-17 Chicago, IL - Park West
02-18 Madison, WI - Orpheum Stage Door
02-19 Minneapolis, MN - First Avenue
02-20 Ames, IA - Maintenance Shop
02-21 Lawrence, KS - The Granada
02-23 Denton, TX - Hailey's
02-24 Austin, TX - The Parish
02-25 Houston, TX - Walter's on Washington
02-27 Memphis, TN - Hi-Tone
02-28 Nashville, TN - Belcourt Theatre
03-01 Atlanta, GA - Variety Playhouse

"

Posted by Matthew Solarski on Thu, Jan 5, 2006 at 1:00am