"About a year before we disbanded, Lisa [Jorgensen] and I made a pinkie swear that if [2005's] Extroversion didn't get us to the next level professionally, we'd stop playing original music and start playing Led Zeppelin covers in the style of Furnace St.," says singer-guitarist Adam Boose, half of the Cleveland-based electro-rock duo. "We've since nixed that idea, but that ought to give you some insight into how we've felt over the past couple years. We've just sort of run out of steam and decided it's time to reevaluate our priorities, musically and professionally."
The band formed in 1994, when Boose and Jorgensen met at Firelands High School. They moved to Cleveland in 1998, started playing shows across Ohio regularly, took runs through the Midwest and East Coast, and played some European shows and festivals.
Furnace St.'s debut, Ladykiller, was released in 2000 on Avon Lake's Steadfast records, followed by two LPs, a demos compilation, and a remix EP. The band's momentum has been waning since 2002, but the group continued to write, record, and practice. Negotiations broke off with a California-based label to distribute Extroversion, their third album; it's now available as a free download via www.furnacest.com.
Boose will remain active on the music scene as a mastering engineer at Fairview Park's A to Z Audio, and he's also involved in some developing projects. Jorgensen says that the duo could reconvene, but won't be doing so anytime soon.
"It's always nice to keep options open," she says. "But we have to take care of our personal things before anything Furnace St. can be revisited. In the future, when and if the time ever comes, we could rekindle our musical relationship. It was a very hard decision, but we both agreed it was much-needed. We've had a pretty good run, but it's time to slow down and get our shit together."
· Chimaira's new self-titled LP is due August 9, and a deluxe European edition will include a second disc with seven live tracks and studio covers of "Clayden" and "Malignant" from guitarist Matt DeVries' previous metalcore band, Ascension.
· Oberlin art rockers Skeletons & the Git-Faced Boys -- formerly known simply as Skeletons -- have cracked the CMJ top 30, reaching No. 25 on the music journal's airplay chart with Git, their fourth album. They play the Grog Shop on Tuesday, August 26.
· The Akron Jillian's (363 S. Main Street) is hosting its third annual Band Battle on July 21, July 28, and August 4. Pending available slots, the competition remains open through the 28th. A videotape of the winning band from the August 4 final will be sent to the contest's national finals, and judges will select one band to showcase at New York City's AmsterJam festival on August 20.
· Cleveland hip-hop DJ extraordinaire Mick Boogie appears in this month's issue of rap journal XXL, starring in a full-page fashion spread beside Terror Squad DJ Khaled. Boogie has also returned to John Carroll University's radio station, WJCU-FM 88.7, spinning tracks too hot for commercial radio on Mondays at midnight.
