The Watchmen Pack It In, Look Towards New Projects

Earlier this month we told you that while The Watchmen hadn't officially called it quits, we could smell that the end was near.

Well, we were right.

The Watchmen have announced that they will disband at the end of this year, after a short farewell tour. Beginning in mid-December, the Winnipeg-based band will do a short tour of intimate Canadian venues before going their separate ways. Dubbed The Watchmen's Last Roadtrip, the group will touch down in Calgary, Edmonton, Saskatoon, Winnipeg and Toronto, playing two shows each in the latter two cities.

Check local listings for ticket info.

Don't fret though. The Watchmen have had a good run (they've been around for more than a decade) and all three members have new projects underway already and are looking forward to moving on.

"The Watchmen to me, was a fantastic culmination of the music, the guys and the fans," said Watchman Daniel Greaves in a statement. "I can't think of a better way to have spent my teens and twenties, traveling this country and others gaining a whole host of experiences that I'm sure will help me in the future. I feel like I've only begun to scratch the surface of what I want to create and share."

"The Watchmen has been an intensely important part of my life for a long time," added Joey Serlin. "I look back on our career and body of work with pride. I'll miss the fans the most. We've had the most incredibly supportive fans a band could ask for. I feel that creatively it's time for me to move on to new challenges."

Serlin's new challenges will include fronting a new band called Redline, which also features Ryan Ahoff and ex-Headstones bassist Tim White. He's also been doing production duties for Toronto's The Populars and has been working on film scores. Best of all, he did some writing for Canadian Idol Ryan Malcolm and also plays on Malcolm's debut, Home, which will be in stores on December 9.

Greaves has been plenty busy as well, also working on film scores and developing a career as a solo artist. He's currently recording an album with producer Rob Higgins. In addition to all that, he's doing a little production work of his own, with plans to go into the studio with Toronto's Charmer to record an EP for that band.

As for the third Watchman, Ken Tizzard, he's been playing with Ian Thornley's new band Thornley, who will have a record out in early 2004. He's also been working on his own project, Shadrak, with whom he released an EP last May.

"I am somewhat sad now that The Watchmen's journey is over, however, part of me remains optimistic towards the future," Tizzard says to Watchmen fans. "I want to say thank you to all the people who made this trip so truly amazing. Without you we never would have existed. It seems that this is the beginning of an amazing new chapter."

Check out The Watchmen on the following dates:
December 16 Calgary, AB @ The Palace
December 17 Edmonton, AB @ Red's
December 18 Saskatoon, SK @ The Patricia Hotel
December 19 & 20 Winnipeg, MB @ The Pyramid
December 26 & 27 Toronto, ON @ The Horseshoe