NEMO calling it a day...

Sad news to start off the prog year, this was just posted on Nemo's official Facebook page:

From vocalist/guitar player Jean Pierre Louveton:

"Good or bad first?

It had to happen. Why? Because nothing lasts forever, because every good thing has an end, because to be deeply involved in music nowadays is getting harder? Maybe all of this to tell the truth. In brief, it had to happen. But what? Lets start with the bad news, it’s better.

2015 will be the year when, after 15 years of fight to make our music known, Nemo will take a pause. Temporary? Permanent? Nobody knows it yet, and it will depend on a thousand parameters on which we don’t necessarily have the control over. So let’s cry together, we who love this band and without whom life will inevitably be different. Our tears and hope will keep it alive and, who knows, maybe it will not have sunk into oblivion if, with chance, it comes back to life in the future.

This was the bad news. We can talk about it if you wish. But there also are good ones that, if they don’t outshine the bad news, will make us forget it for a while.

First, it seems possible to reunite the band members for big opportunities, as festivals or important concerts. So if we receive such invitations it's likely we’ll accept. Just a small death thus.

Second, we couldn’t go like this, without leaving a final mark. By chance the latest months of work with the band have allowed us to write our ninth album. The last one? Nobody knows it yet, and it will depend on a thousand parameters on which we don’t necessarily have the control over. Anyway it will be recorded this year and will probably be out next autumn, which postpones a little the fatal term!

Third, every end is a beginning, and new projects will come to life. My collaboration with good friend Guillaume Fontaine doesn’t seem to end!

To finish, the wonderful welcome that my solo album `MMXIV' have received (it’s the first time that one of my side projects aroused such interest) will probably lead to the creation of a live band to play some of the music I recorded under the name of JPL during the 13 last years. Or even more...

Here is it, you probably are as sad as I am, but let’s go ahead without being dejected by such events, as hard as they are. And above all, go on supporting the bands you love, as you did with Nemo! All we have done, we succeeded thanks to your unstinting support. In the meantime, let’s take advantage of this new year, waiting for this new album that – it’s the first time I say that – sounds a lot like our best.

Friendly,
JP

PS: of course I'll keep you aware of what's going on next through this FB page"

******

This is a real blow....Nemo may be one of the best modern prog bands, and their albums are all so strongly written and played. But man, if they called it a day for good, what a discography to treasure.

Though I cannot call myself a fan, this kind of news always makes me sad. Hopefully, this will be just a break, and they will get back together when the stars are right once again. Just look at what happened with Discipline.... They had dropped off the radar, and now they are back, bigger and better than ever!

Such a pity. At least they had a good run.

Just counted my Nemo studio CD's to make sure I have all 8. I do. I will certainly make it 9 if and when that happens. Crying shame. The artwork, packaging and production were always top shelf for a band that seemed to have very little support or funding. JP is a sincerely under appreciated guitarist and songwriter. The music business being what it is, we should be thankful that we got 9 albums out of this special band.

"Don't cry because it is over. Smile because it happened."

Good luck fellas.