Many years ago, while browsing through the then-cool West End Wax, I bought a tape called Dry Gulch on a whim, by a band I had never heard of before. They were called The Suede Chain, and consisted of the Brians, bassist B. Hunt and guitarist B. Krumm, and the Docter brothers, guitarist Matt and drummer Jason. Th4e voices of the Docter brothers blended beautifully. Dry Gulch was better than the average local tape of the time, but nothing spectacular. Yet between the so-so concepts, there were some incredibly cool gems, including prototype of "Daisy Dawn."

So, when flyers appeared around the Washington University music department indicating that the band was looking for a string quartet for some sort of multimedia extravaganza, I became curious as to what these fellows were up to. When string players, cellist Jake Brookman and violinist Mary Weingartner (who, I've noticed, always plays without shoes, even on the dirtiest of stages.) joined as permanent members, the chain slowly metmorphed from a standard-issue rock band into one of the most powerful acts to ever come out of the midwest.

It always seemed to me that if any St. Louis area band would wind up on David Letterman or Saturday Night Live, it should be and would be The Suede Chain. But this was not to be. The new of their impending breakup came like a dagger in the kidney.

The Suede Chain toured relentlessly, rapturing aidiences throughout the nation with their "chamber-rock for bar room revellers." Their shows are always breathtaking; like many other farewell performances of recent memory (O'Ryan Island, Three Merry Widows), their good-bye concert at The Side Door seemed almost divinely inspired, with congregation singing along with every Alt-rock hymn.

Their debut CD, 1994's Ripplemark, takes on new meaning if you watch the videocassette of their multimedia performance Dream Wheel Circus. Performed only five times over three days, Dream Wheel Circus combined ingenious choreography, spoken word, spontaneous visual art, slides, film live theater, oscilloscopes, and a highly technical explanation of the rules of "Kick thge can," all while the Chain performed backlit from behind a curtain.

An early version of "Hold Me in the Trees" found it's way onto the "River of Sound" compilation, and the reworked, rerecorded "Daisy Dawn" from Ripplemark closed Pointessential Vol. 1. Their final CD, Piloted by Ghosts, was released on Valentines days 1996. Most bands would need all sorts of studio trickery to create such a disc; the fact that it was recorded entirely live underscores the flawlessness of their live performances.

On June 11th, the Suedesters put this entry on their website:

    With the last note of "Rainfall Down" we put many years of music and good times in its' appropriate place...the past. We were extremely thankful to all who made our last show one to remember. Sad as it may be, everyone is moving on with new projects, excited about what the future holds.


Members of The Suede Chain are continuing in bands such as Lanterna and The Great Crusades.

AFTER THE SHOW
Jason Docter stares straight ahead as he sits at the bar, exhausted, soaking in sweat, with one hand propping up his head. Similarly sweaty fans file out, swarming band members along the way.

Random person: "You guys were incredible."
Brian Krumm (not sweaty at all): "Thanks."
Another random person:Is this really your last show?"
Brian: "It looks that way."
Aaron: "Why aren't you going to come play with us anymore?"
Brian: "I don't know. (smiling) I blame it on the other guys."

As I'm chatting with bartender extraordinaire Christine about how much we're going to miss the band, Side Door manager Darren comes up, puts a hand on my shoulder as tells her,"we're gonna need a round of Jagermeister for the guys." As she lines up six shots, I realize what makes The Suede Chain different from so many other bands, and why this breakup is so hard to accept. Many bands, even some great ones are largely interchangeable with other bands in their genre. When one breaks up, another comes along to fiull the gap and carry the torch. Not so here. There is, always was, and will always be exactly one Suede Chain; in the musical space they created, there is now and will forever always be a void.