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What's all this talk about Ya-Ne-Zniyoo's last show ever? Those who have followed this band know that its 17 year career has been a topsy turvy one. Not to mention that, for the past five plus years, Eric Schmitz and I have been performing primarily as an acoustic duo at various open mics in the NYC area. The electric shows were few and far between.
The last real loud full-band show we played in the US was in November 2001 at the now defunct Rodeo/Ristra Lounge in Hoboken. There was a brief reunion of the original line up. Ed 'Edzo' Zimmer on bass and vocals, Nelson Pla on djembe and me on guitar. That was in June of 2003, also at the Rodeo/Ristra. After that, we played a couple of rowdy shows in July 2003 in Graz, Austria thanks to the support of some very dear and talented friends. Anne Weinhardt on drums, Albi Klinger on bass and Norbert Wally on guitar.
Why end it now? Recently Eric, his wife Hilary and there young son Felix had the good fortune of finding a house to buy in Pensacola, FL. They got married there in May of 2003 and ever since then had been hinting at relocation. So the idea that they may move was not a new one, but one that never seemed real until now. But over time, the desire to live and raise a child in a less stressful and less expensive environment then that of the NY/NJ metro area became more urgent.
This combined with the fact that, over the past year or so for me, music had taken a backseat to life. I began a new freelance design and writing career and was considering an extended time of travel to get back in touch with myself. Even though in recent months music had once again begun to tickle my creative bones, I really wasn't sure what direction it would take. If music were to play a part, trying to replace or recreate what Eric and I had for the last 12 1/2 years would be impossible and something I'm not prepared to do. So the time just seemed right to retire the live version of Ya-Ne-Zniyoo and move on.
Which brings us to this special night at Maxwell's in Hoboken. Though not always an easy town for us to play thanks to what we refer to as the 'Ya-Ne-Zniyoo Curse', Hoboken has played an important role in our career. The band has seen a good deal of beginnings, endings and other happenings in this town and we've in a way become part of its folklore. The aforementioned curse, by the way, has on occasion brought about record snow fall, driving rain storms, electrical outages, broken strings, cut fingers and more. Tonight would turn out to be no different.
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