Tumbleweed guitarist Lenny Curley says the band’s upcoming gigs, including a spot at the Small World Street Festival in Sydney, could be their last. Speaking recently in an interview, the guitarist implied that the “magic” of the band has gone following the recent death of his brother and bassist Jay Curley.
“In all honesty, the magic of the band was in the lineup with Jay,” Lenny Curley told the Sydney Morning Herald. Curley said the band could potentially split or simply take a break. “That might suggest these will be our last shows… it might be a good time to hang up our guitars, at least for a while,” he explained.
Jay Curley was a founding member of the popular New South Wales rock outfit, best known for hits like Acid Rain and Stoned. Jay’s death was announced late last month. His brother has denied rumours that he died of an overdose, telling Fairfax, “Jay died as a consequence of a long-term alcohol problem.”
The band will perform at Small World in honour of Jay, with the eldest Curley, Pat, filling in on bass. “Jay’s playing was focused on rhythm and inspired by African American music, it was more rock’n’roll than just rock. We got a lot of that through Pat… So in a way this will bring us full circle,” explained Lenny.
Speaking on the band’s recent practice sessions, which have involved re-learning Jay’s signature tune, Acid Rain, Lenny told Fairfax, “[The grief] comes in waves, we get overcome with emotion. We will be practising and aware [Jay] is missing. There are a lot of quiet moments when we are reflecting.”
In addition to the Small World Street Festival, the band have decided to honour four performances booked before Jay died, in part to help cover funeral costs and partly to honour Jay’s memory. In a statement, the band indicated that they have not come to a decision on the fate of future bookings.
Watch: Tumbleweed – Acid Rain
Small World Street Festival 2014
Saturday, 20th September
Jabez Street, Marrickville, NSW
Tickets: Young Henrys
Small World 2014 Lineup
Tumbleweed
The Snowdroppers
The Delta Riggs
Little Bastard
True Vibenation
Steve Smyth
Pat Capocci
The Upskirts
Richard In Your Mind
Bloods
Royal Tennyson
