Spaceman Jack breaks up

After their five-year mission of boldly going where no band has gone before – musically speaking – Spaceman Jack is breaking up. July 14, they played their last show at the Trevi Entertainment Center in Lake Elsinore.

Their last show sounded far from a death rattle; they were loud, precise and energetic. Valley News caught up with Ian Williamson, the vocalist of Spaceman Jack, just before their show to ask about their breakup.

Valley News: Why are you guys breaking up?

Ian Williamson: Our guitar player is a teacher up in Fresno now. He’s a professor of geography at the colleges up there. He’s on his way down here now. He’s also had a recent death in the family – yesterday, while we were practicing. It was his grandfather. So, he’s leaving his family now and is on his way here to do the show.

We feel like the monster will lose its head if one or two of us leave. We’ve all been best friends for ten years or so now. We used to play in separate bands and open for each other. Then, the time ca.m.e to get together in this band, and we’ve been together for the last five or six years. VN: What has changed since you guys started?

IW: Wow, that was six or seven years ago. You know, there was a time when we were a six-piece. We played a more hippie style of classic rock back in the day when we first started. We had a percussionist, a separate rhythm guitar player and a different drummer. Since that point in time, the band disbanded.

Me, the bass player, the lead guitar player and the new drummer ca.m.e together and created the second part of Spaceman Jack. Then we recorded a second album. We will release that this evening, at our last show.

VN: What will you guys do now that you’ve released the CD and broken up?

IW: The future of Spaceman Jack relies solely on what the CD does from this night out. We got a lot of sponsors this evening, but a lucrative offer would be the only thing that would bring the band together again, other than as best friends. As a band and as a deal it would have to depend on the new CD and what it does. Otherwise, we’ll always support each other and go on from there.

VN: What about you? What do you have planned for the future?

IW: My future is working on a solo album. My pen na.m.e, as far as I’ve been published writing poetry and things of that nature, is Sorrowful, so my solo project will be called “Sorrow Springs Eternal.”

[The project] will be all about the feelings that music can bring you, whether it’s happy or sad. Several times throughout my career I’ve been nickna.m.ed Sorrowful; they call me Sorrowful, but I’m mostly happy.

VN: What will be influencing this new project?

IW: I try not to listen to anybody when I’m writing. I try to stay away from anything new that’s coming out. I’m sure I have my influences from the past. I believe Spaceman is based on Primus, Black Sabbath and the Doors. But there’s no telling, really, because we try to be as eclectic as possible and play every type of rock and roll.

To hear Spaceman Jack’s music, or to buy their final album, visit http://www.myspace.com/spacemanjack.