Suddenly, this summer: Night Rally calls it quits

Perhaps the karma was secretly imbedded in the grooves of that Clickers/Night Rally split 12-inch on Honeypump Records: by the time the kids come back to school in the fall, all three entities will be kaput: Clickers didn't last long enough to enjoy the 12-inch; Honeypump has announced its retreat from the field effective this summer; and very recently Night Rally (or, as we would prefer not to think of them, the giraffe, the butterfly, and the lion -- ugh) issued the following bulletin:

Friends --

It is our sad duty to inform you that Luke (the
drummer, the tallest one with the lowest voice) will
be moving back to New Mexico to finish school, and
as a result we will only be playing three more shows
before going on an indefinite hiatus.

But! For those of you who remember the vague
rumblings of our recording a full length last fall,
we are pleased to announce that our final show will
also double as an album release.

We've had a good run, and we hope you're able to
join us for the tail end of it.

05.21.06 in Cambridge, MA
@ The Middle East (Downstairs)
w/ Harry and the Potters & Jason Anderson and the
Best
5pm $10 All Ages

06.16.06 in Cambridge, MA
@ The Middle East (Upstairs)
w/ Neptune, Polaris Mine & Bakula
9pm $9 18+

07.29.06 in Allston, MA
ALBUM RELEASE & FINAL SHOW
@ Great Scott
w/ Big Bear, Badman & Animal Hospital
9pm $8 18+

Left unsaid: what will become of Luke's raptastic solo project Boo Radley Bruises Badly. Holla.

For people without 617 area codes, this probably doesn't sound like much: some indie band that put out a couple of EPs has been abandoned for the academy. But if you've lived here for two or ten years or something, the Clickers/Night Rally scene represented the rebirth of something that was fairly hard to come by in Boston, even (or maybe especially) through the '90s: (sm)art rock that valued inclusivity over exclusivity, and good music over bulletproof agendas. In memoriam, we point you towards their entire recorded catalogue, which is helpfully available online:

DOWNLOAD: Night Rally, "Good Morning, You're Listening To Jazz" (mp3) 
DOWNLOAD: Night Rally, "Hey Reeces" (mp3)
DOWNLOAD: Night Rally, "remember, November, ember" (mp3) 
DOWNLOAD: Night Rally, "South Pacific, Pt. II" (mp3)
DOWNLOAD: Night Rally, "Humor Is Non Sequitur" (mp3)
DOWNLOAD: Night Rally,  "The Day That Devin Pissed Blood" (mp3)
DOWNLOAD: Night Rally, "A Birthday Party" (mp3)