Dayton Daily News Article

The Dayton Daily News

September 20, 1996, FRIDAY, CITY EDITION

SECTION: METRO, Pg. 1B

LENGTH: 291 words

HEADLINE: GBV DECIDES TO SPLIT; NEW VOICES JOIN ALTERNATIVE BAND

BYLINE: Laura Dempsey; DAYTON DAILY NEWS

BODY:

Guided By Voices, as we've come to know it, is no more.

But Guided By Voices, as the brainchild of Northridge resident Robert Pollard, lives on.

The five current members of the critically acclaimed, local alternative rock band - Pollard, Tobin Sprout, Mitch Mitchell, Greg Demos and Kevin Fennell - have agreed to go their separate ways .

'The good ship Guided By Voices will continue on,' Pollard said Thursday. 'But the existing personnel has decided to split. We were getting a little sick of looking at each other. And there are certain things - personal goals - people need to do.'

Pollard, who's been running some form of Guided By Voices since founding it in 1983, will continue under the GBV flag, completing the band's three-record contract with Matador Records, a deal that produced Alien Lanes and Under the Bushes, Under the Stars. He'll record at least one more GBV album with Mitchell and musicians with whom he's wanted to work for a while.

'We were getting stagnant. The next album will sound different,' he said. 'It's not going to be drastically different, but it'll be edgier, more rock 'n' roll. We'll have a smoking lead guitar.'

Sprout, a songwriter, singer and guitarist, and Pollard released well-received solo albums earlier this month, an event that led to speculation about an acrimonious break-up. But Sprout and Pollard said Thursday all the band members are OK with the decision.

'We've been talking about it for a while. It's really no secret," Sprout said.

'We'd decided a while ago to cut down the touring. It's just too much. We've got families.'

Guided By Voices has been recognized and raved about by national publications such as Spin, Rolling Stone, and The New York Times.