"Thanks," Aaron White says to the crowd gathered in the living room of Dust Congress' Nick Foreman. "We're The Make Believers, and that was our last song,"
White's remarks, which could be dismissed as everyday post-performance banter, carry a dual meaning: Though no one acknowledged it during the Saturday afternoon set, the band is breaking up. And, unless they have as many "last shows" as, say, Spitfire Tumbleweeds, then this last song marked the final performance of White, Justin "J.C." Collins, Chris Garver and Will Kapinos—at least as The Make Believers.
"It's not one of those bad band breakups," says drummer Collins. "We'll all still hang out and drink beers together."
Adds guitarist/vocalist White: "In a way, it didn't really feel like the last show, because we're all still such good friends."
But not every band breakup is so neat, tidy and, well, friendly.
Roughly 40 people showed up on Saturday for the afternoon barbecue/record release house party celebrating the release of Dust Congress' Regurgitate Sunshine State. The show, which also featured performances by Tre Orsi and Drink to Victory, got off to a late start after a neighbor's polite request resulted in a move from the Fra House to Foreman's.
"It was awesome playing our last show there in that tiny, little living room filled with people who actually cared about being there," says guitarist/vocalist Kapinos. "And I was thinking about how [my other former band] Jetscreamer's last show was in a tiny room too."
It'd be hard for Kapinos not to recall that other final gig: It took place in March 2008. The Make Believers formed almost immediately after Jetscreamer called it quits after 10 years. But that hugely popular Denton act dissolved as the marriage between Kapinos and fellow bandmate Samantha Moss ended. And it was Kapinos' decision to leave The Make Believers—so, in a weird way, for Kapinos, through no fault on anyone's part, the band became a sort of "rebound relationship."
"I'm working on some of my own stuff now," Kapinos says. "But I'll probably stick to playing some old blues covers that I've been playing since I was 17, until I get a real clear idea of what I want to do. And I'll probably do a solo record." (He says "solo" in an almost derisive fashion.)
The remaining Make Believers will continue playing as a three-piece under the moniker Old Snack.
"The cool thing about this situation is that the three of us are still playing together," White says. "We're not trying to do anything big; we like playing together, and we're still going to do that."
Catch Old Snack's first gig at Dan's Silverleaf on May 30.
