Clearmotive can see the light. There comes a day for every band to lay down the guitars and ascend into the rock 'n' roll afterlife. After six years, that day for clearmotive has come.
But not before one last show.
On Saturday, March 11 at 7 p.m., the UB-based indie rock band clearmotive will scream their swan song and say goodbye to friends, family and fans in their final show at The Mohawk Place.
Joining them are special guests Minuet, The Old Sweethearts, Johnny Nobody, Bison Bison, and ...By Exposure - several of which have shared special moments with clearmotive over the years.
Clearmotive has played over 150 shows in 38 states, and as a part of high-profile concerts Edge Fest and The Vans Warped Tour. They've released two CDs: "Words As Weapons" and "Is There a Market for This?"
One might think that retiring a band would be emotionally taxing, but guitarist and UB law student Nick Tardif is at terms with clearmotive's finale and actually anticipates looking fondly on it.
"It's definitely sad but it's more like a celebration," Tardif said. "We've been doing this for a long time and it's been a great ride and really fun. Now is as good a time as any to go our separate ways."
The members of clearmotive may no longer have a band after Saturday but they will always have the memories.
Frontman Nicholas Mendola says it was like "a five-year road trip with your best friends." One of his favorite times with the band was driving through the Rocky Mountains on the way to a concert.
"We kept seeing these signs that said 'Caution: You Need Chains' and we didn't realize that if you drive through the mountains you need chains on your tires," he said. "But we were just like 'screw it.' We were listening to Sigur Ros - really peaceful, layered music and I was with my best friends in a van and we were slowly gliding off the Rocky Mountains and I just said, 'Ya know, if I gotta die, I'm kinda okay with that.' "
However, not all the events on tour were so pleasant. Try cuddling with four sweaty band mates in a cramped van.
"I remember we played a show in Atlanta and our van broke down in the parking lot of the place and we had to sleep in the van overnight," Tardif said. "Five guys in a van in the middle of summer in Atlanta, Georgia just wasn't a good time."
Mendola has asked his parents to come and watch their first-ever clearmotive show. The Disney execs couldn't have planned it any better.
"My mom and dad are coming to see me for the first time," Mendola said. "They've always wanted to. The story goes, my sister wrote a poem in sixth grade called 'I'm Blue' and my mom got real worried that my sister was sad. And here I am writing these political and personal anthems. So I was kind of terrified my mom would try to lock me up or something."
As clearmotive passes on, its members will go their separate ways. Three of the members are in grad school. Mendola, Tardif and Rob Ruffino have created a new, more folk-leaning group, Heaven and Hell Cotillion. Guitarist Chase Middaugh is a member of post-rock band Novelist.
"We had an incredible time," Mendola said, "with incredible stories that I could have never dreamed; pure rock star stories without ever being a rock star. I'm grateful for every single moment of it."
Nicholas Mendola is a former Senior Arts Editor of The Spectrum. Managing Editor Michael Flatt is also a member of ...By Exposure.
