Jurassic 5 Go the Way of the Dinosaurs

"Yo, I'm maintaining with Jurassic 5, ya know whamsayin? With my peoples up here, Bigga B, one love."

Well, apparently this is old news, but after their current tour, Jurassic 5 is calling it quits. I was just listening to KCRW, they were playing "Radio" from their newest album Feedback. When the track ended, Nic Harcourt came on and briefly said something like, "that was Jurassic 5 from their album Feedback, they just broke up."

I felt like Steve Z when Elanor told him a rattlesnake bit his cat in the throat.

Godammit, Harcourt, why'd you have to say it like that? You couldn't try to break it a little bit nicer?

It was bad enough last year at the House of Blues, when they did a Monday night show to launch their album that was coming out the next day. I knew Cut Chemist was working on solo stuff, but I had no idea that he had actually left the group. What the hell? Why are there only 5 of them on stage? There are 6 people in Jurassic 5, damnit! It's just a clever name!




Look how lonely Nu Mark looks back there with that whole table to himself.

Granted, it was new material they were performing, but this was the most disappointing, low energy show of theirs I had ever seen. By no means was their new album terrible, but Cut Chemist left a big hole.

I guess its no surprise they are breaking up. From SOHH.com:

"After the tour, that's basically it," Soup explained. "I don't want to sit here and fake around with it--we're not seeing eye to eye right now. People see us as a harmonizing, loving group, but that's far from the truth."

Ouch. Well so long Jurassic 5 and thanks for all the memories. I remember the first time I saw you live at the Reggae Festival at the Greek Theater. Your harmonies blew me away - hip hop barbershop quartet was a great description for your unique sound. And I loved how you always saved the best tracks for last: Swing Set, Acetate Prophets, Canto de Ossanha.

Then there was the incredible show you played after Power in Numbers came out, at Northwestern's Patten Gym. I got there a little late, but with plenty of time to make my way up to the front. It was so sick when Nu Mark and Cut Chemist came out from behind their tables, with portable turntables hanging around their necks, and came right up to the edge of the stage for some scratch solos. Or when Soup, Akil, 2na, and Marc 7 broke out 4 long twisty straws, and swung them around really fast to make that whistling noise from Acetate Prophets (after the girl says "Menage a trois").

Jurassic 5 goes out as one of my most beloved bands. And probably the band I've seen live more than any other. I wish I could give a better eulogy, but this is just too sad for me today.