well that sucks...

willowzbitch | June 15, 02:27 CET

I don't think it sucks - because he'll be busy working on new film and television projects. He obviously has some set things in the works if he feels he can't devout the time to be in a band. So happy for him! (and happy for us James Marsters fans!)

Firefly Flanatic | June 15, 02:44 CET

Sigh - remember the good old days when a band member would quit the band but the band went on?

-JanR

wissxwe | June 15, 02:52 CET

And before I ever got to see them in concert! Damn.

MindPieces | June 15, 02:53 CET

ok blwessels i'm happy as a james marsters fan but it sucks as a gotr fan! :(

willowzbitch | June 15, 02:57 CET

And the news just keeps coming....

twiggy | June 15, 03:04 CET

Interesting. Was it a link from this board or something else I stumbled across in the last couple of days -- concerning JM's insecurity about his voice, that, despite two years' worth of voice lessons, it wasn't strong enough for their music. (Please help if anyone else saw it; senility has set in.) And then the news about the Macbeth project. I checked the GoTR site two days ago expecting to see the message that appears there now. Not a surprise. But I feel sorry for his bandmates. I was never a fan of GoTR. I did not think they were very good, as much as I wanted it to be otherwise for JM's sake. But it was never more than a vanity band, and I figured that as soon as JM found other employment with fewer free hours for recording, the band would vanish. Again, I feel sorry for his bandmates.

Nevertheless, this seems to suggest the Macbeth project (and perhaps the Spike TV movie?) is really a go, whatever the monetary amount.

palehorse | June 15, 03:15 CET

Well, I'm glad I got to see him in concert once, even if his music isn't my thing. It was a great show. And we got the last one here in the LA area, talk about cutting it close!

And isn't it strangely egotistical to talk only of himself (except the small 'wouldn't be fair to the band') when speaking of dissolving the band? Nothing about 'wish the guys best' or 'we'll keep you posted on what the guys are doing'. And don't tell me there are 'no bad feelings'. They may tell JM that they wish him well and even understand his decision, but these guys are on a bus back to Stockton or wherever they're from, no more Euro tours, no more hot groupies....can't be the best feeling in the world.

And yeah, why wouldn't he just say he's leaving the band? Maybe they all decided they didn't want to look for a new lead singer, because it couldn't compare to what they have now? Or maybe JM was kind of the heart of the band. Who knows. But I do feel a bit bad for his bandmates. But he's an actor first and foremost, not a singer, which I'm sure he explained to them at the onset. The band schedule always revolved around his acting, so it's nothing new for them. But man, again with hoping he's not jumping the gun here.....I hope it works out for him with Macbeth. I have no doubt he would NOT have dissolved the band if he didn't get the $50 million promise, so here's hoping!

Rogue Slayer | June 15, 03:18 CET

I don't know about that Rouge I have only seen them twice at conventions - neither performance was stellar but still their was a click between them in the first one that wasn't there at the last one - I got the feeling James was feeling like odd man out and all but they were not together on stage that night at MR unlike they were at CD a few nights before - so I think something did happen which perhaps expedited the situtation. Although I thought it was funny in Chicago when David mentioned that the convention he and James were doing in London in October James would not be going with the band.

RavenU | June 15, 03:39 CET

Well without JM there IS no band and I don't mind the end to the pretense that it's otherwise. Not that the band members weren't good musicians or anything, but the only audience they really had were James Marsters fans. I sincerely doubt there were people who didn't watch Buffy or Angel, didn't care about James Marsters and yet were huge GotR fans.

And I don't mind personally. We saw them in concert here in LA, which was cool (the last LA one as it looks like now) and now maybe James will start appearing at conventions more again. Because he really let that slip in favor of touring with the band. And I'd rather have a fun Q&A than a concert since....well, sorry I didn't think they were all that good. Not bad, but...well...their songs were a tad middle-of-the-road and as a singer James had passion and drive but he's no Tony Head. But then he's admitted as much. What did he say again recently? 'I just dont cut it, but don't feel sorry for me because the real sadness would be in denying it'.

Well the band members are probably not happy now, seeing how the band is over now that James quits, but then without him they never would've had the audience and the sold out tours to begin with so I don't really think he 'owes' them anything on that front.

EdDantes | June 15, 03:45 CET

Yippee! I finally get to post here!

*ahem* Sorry, I've just been itching to register here for months. I love this site.

Anyway, I can't say that this news surprises me all that much, especially given his comments at Moonlight Rising. All the same, I can't help but feel kind of bad for the band. I also felt that the message on the website seemed a tad bit egotistical, especially when he said he hoped people would continue to support his acting projects, without saying a word about continuing to support the other band members. But I guess if they don't know what they're doing or if the band is really dissolving, as opposed to losing its lead singer and reforming, that makes sense. At any rate, they're still young, and the one other member who isn't has a reasonably successful career as a musician/composer, doesn't he?

At the same time, while I enjoyed the concert I saw in SF last year, and own the CD, I was never a huge fan of the band, and do think this is probably a good decision on James' part. I think it would have been very difficult to achieve success as both an actor and a bandmember (though I suppose a few others have done it as solo artists). I hope this means that the Macbeth funding is more solid than "I met a guy on a plane" sounded, and that he's not just throwing everything out the door before everything is solidified and negotiated!

I also guess this means that there won't be a GOTR concert at any of the conventions after this and no second CD, either. Ah well.

At any rate, I hope JM's acting projects in the works pan out for him, and that the other band members don't suffer too much from this (considering how young they are, I would think not).

teenes | June 15, 04:40 CET

Someone told me there could be legal reasons why they had to dissolve the band rather than just do without James, and that makes sense. I wish every one of them success in the future.

wissxwe | June 15, 05:04 CET

They're not even finishing their scheduled gigs, so say other sources. That doesn't sound so amicable to me! Maybe it was more internal than James tries to make it appear, but like I said, the message did seem a bit 'support me and my endeavors' rather than congratulating the band or anything. I can understand that on HIS website, but on the band's website......

Rogue Slayer | June 15, 05:12 CET

Well, I went to see them two weeks ago in Long Island the week before Moonlight Rising, and they all seemed pretty chum chum to me, like they were best of friends. Glad to have seen them before the band broke up though. Thier music is not my thang and personally, they aren't that good, but wish James all the luck in the future.

nychick | June 15, 05:46 CET

wow, I was at that last LA concert too. It's amazing how many of us were there. I didn't think the band was as good as they had been in the past, but I still enjoyed them and their energy. It's a shame that he feels its time to move on, but like others, I'm glad I was able to see them live!

dawnyl | June 15, 05:56 CET

Oh what a sad day!

I'll forever be grateful that I got to see GOTR and especially that I got to see the gig at The London Forum which waS, to my mind an almost perfect show, full of energy and passion


I sort of wondered if this was coming but I wanted the band to finish the album and go out on one last farewell tour. I guess the tour isn't gonna happen but oh how I want that album . Surely that at least is possible, if not the whole album at least some of the stuff that's finished could be put out on a couple of Eps


But thank you James and Charlie and Steve and Aaron and Kevin and Sean .. it's been a blast, you've given me some of the best evenings of my life.
And whatever you all do in future I'll be cheering you on

debw | June 15, 10:37 CET

This is no surprise and is clear to me it is the right thing to do.

James got 50 million to do Hamlet, he has to devote himself to his strongest career future. Thank goodness he realizes his future is acting and not singing. He really can't spread himself too thin by continuing to try to pursue both career paths, doing so may screw up his acting future. It also is unfair to the band.

Hamlet is his next big step - this will decide his future in movies.

Passion | June 15, 15:41 CET

wow... i would have never expected that at this time. but if he wants to spend the new time making movies...well that actually great :D but i'll miss the band

Witchy | June 15, 15:51 CET

Passion - it's MacBeth not Hamlet James is going to be working on.

RavenU | June 15, 17:12 CET

The band can go on, find a new lead singer, and spread their wings. They received a real boost by their association with JM. Doors opened. They can choose to walk through those doors and grow...or not. People leave and bands change an reform all the time. It's healthy. The guys have made some fans. Here is hoping they hang on to them and grow their fanbase as they grow musicaly.

cousine | June 15, 17:22 CET

The band can go on, find a new lead singer, and spread their wings. They received a real boost by their association with JM. Doors opened. They can choose to walk through those doors and grow...or not. People leave and bands change an reform all the time. It's healthy. The guys have made some fans. Here is hoping they hang on to them and grow their fanbase as they grow musicaly.

The band dissolved, I don't think they're going to be doing much of anything now. And a majority of the fans were James fans. If you take away the people at any given gig that were there to see/hear James, you won't have enough to fill a minivan, in my opinion. Let's face it, this was the James Marsters Band at best, the Spike Band at worst.

If the other guys want to continue, they're going to have to start over on the smaller scale. Doing the little local gigs again. Maybe they'll regroup under a different name, or maybe they know they'll never have what they had with GotR again and won't even try. Who knows......

Rogue Slayer | June 15, 18:05 CET

I knew it was inevitable, especially after the ‘I just don’t feel it’ comment, but I didn’t expect it to be this soon. I guess this means the second album is kaput, which is a shame because the first one is kind of a rough experiment to leave as a “We were here!” The boys have talent and experiences they probably wouldn’t have if not for James, so they will bounce back, slightly older and wiser. I do feel sorry for poor first drummer Aaron who’s on a mission in Mexico or South America. He will come back to the ghost of a band.
While it’s obvious JM loves music, I always felt the band was more a way for him to have his live audience fix and some artistic control over something he helped create than something he was going to be 100% devoted to. If anyone gets all uppity about it, they should remember he is an actor first. I’m sure it wasn’t the easiest realization to face, especially knowing the decision will cause some hard feelings, but I think it was a mature and self-aware choice.

bloodflowers | June 15, 18:35 CET

This is from Charlie Demars website:

A message from Charlie

Much to your surprise as well as mine the band Ghost of the Robot created by me and James Marsters is no longer. Although I do not agree I must respect the decisions made by my fellow band member. My aspiration in life is to rock as hard as possible in every aspect of entertainment, I will continue to do so and I hope that you will all join me as I hope you will go on and support everyone in the band in whatever they decide to do. I leave you but only for a moment with the lyrics to a song by a band called Power Animal. Some of you might remember them as the group that turned into Ghost of the Robot, some of you may not. I thank you all for your continued support and I thank you for giving me the chance to bleed... (then he goes on to quote a song that could be interpreted many ways)

Seems to me not everyone is happy about this, but that's no surprise! I bet there were some arguments on this one.

Rogue Slayer | June 15, 19:28 CET

I got this in my e-mailbox this morning.

Re: A personal Note from James Marsters to SlayerCon attendees...

Dear Fans of Vulkon SlayerCon Oakland:

I wanted to send a special message to my fans who will be attending the SlayerCon in Oakland, California, August 28-29. Ghost of the Robot will not be appearing at this event, however, I will be there for BOTH days to take photos with you, sign autographs and do two Q&A's. I appreciate your understanding about the changes with the band and look forward to seeing you all in Oakland.

James Marsters

randygiles | June 15, 19:41 CET

If you happen to own a GotR CD, take good care of it - it might become a collector's item someday. :-)

wissxwe | June 15, 20:39 CET

Huh. If this wasn't a mutually agreed-upon decision, I wonder anew at one member choosing to dissolve a 5-member band instead of just leaving it. And I also wonder why the remaining 4 members don't seem to be making the decision to give it a go without JM, if they want to continue in music ("I hope that you will all join me as I hope you will go on and support everyone in the band in whatever they decide to do."). Oddness. I'm not trying to speculate on the behind-the-scenes dynamics between JM and the rest of the band. I'm just a little confused. Then again, maybe some members of the band (like Charlie) were a bit more devoted to making a go at it in the music industry than the others.

At any rate, I can't be too unhappy about the prospect of two JM Q&A's at the Vulkon convention in Oakland. Probably a bit selfish on my part.

While it’s obvious JM loves music, I always felt the band was more a way for him to have his live audience fix and some artistic control over something he helped create than something he was going to be 100% devoted to.

That's a good point, bloodflowers - I think the artistic control is definitely part of it, and now that he's got that Macbeth project to devote himself to, he doesn't need this outlet for it anymore. Not to mention the time and attention issues.

teenes | June 15, 21:05 CET

I just got a message from Vulkon saying that those of us who bought tickets to the Saturday concert in San Francisco have two options. We can use them for the new concert - they moved Common Rotation to Saturday and are adding a band - or we can get a refund. They say they'll be announcing the other band this weekend.

chicklet | June 15, 21:23 CET

If you have a chance to see CR, do so. As much as I like GotR, CR are by far my favorite of the two.

zeitgeist | June 15, 22:15 CET

Yes and they have had a lot of votes for Christian Kane's band - Kane - the full band to replace GOTR.

Also I think James was the monitarily force behind the band so once he left the guys didn't have the money to carry on. James was the one paying for the majority of recordings they made, not the band as a whole. So I think with one him being unemplyed and working primarily for himself now as a sort of independant contractor on MacBeth - the money he was putting in the band was not really showing a return on investment. Also by not attending the conventions with the band, the convention can more than likely afford to pay him for a two day appearance days so he can get more money.

RavenU | June 15, 22:57 CET

Thanks RavenU for the correction on plays - I wrote the incorrect play, sorry for the mistake on my earlier post. Your comment about James being the financial force behind the band makes sense too. I am self employed as well and it is very different than having a steady gig/job. Money isn't everything but...it is important and it impacts our decisions every day.

Someone else wrote they were surprised this happened so fast - I am too - when James commented at the Moonlight Rising convention about his singing, and taking voice lessons and how he was feeling about it I figure he would eventually wind up leaving the band, but I didn't expect this announcement so soon.

Passion | June 16, 00:08 CET

I think this is ultimately the best decision for James and for the band. As I've said elsewhere, I think James is a wonderful actor and I'm thrilled that he'll be working on new projects. On the other hand, I have seen GOTR live and heard some recordings, and it was apparent to me that JM has charisma and energy but neither the vocal power nor range to front a rock band.

As for the other band members, let us keep in mind that the other members of GOTR --with the exception of Steve Sellers who is 33 or 34-- are barely 21 years old. They will have other opportunities and other bands. In the meantime, it seems to me that with James at the front of GOTR, they got some visibility, they traveled, they recorded two CDs and they played live. They may not yet have had these chances without JM's popularity... not to mention his money, since he was supporting the band.

DeniseDM | June 17, 04:57 CET

I agree, they received a ton of exposure they might not have gotten without him and he got a chance to cut loose and be creative, perhaps during a time when he couldn't otherwise do that as much - as an actor on an ensemble show(s) - versus his time in theatre where he probably could be more creative and had some control over such things...while I've enjoyed the band, watching it's potential and growth (there's something fun for me in watching what is basically a "garage" band get it's feet wet and learn) I'm looking forward to where he goes from here.

[ edited by T. on 2004-06-17 04:13 ]

Grace | June 17, 06:10 CET

The other members of GOTR have already formed a new band called "Gods of the Radio." The announcement was posted at: http://www.gotr-promo.com/

DeniseDM | June 18, 00:47 CET