Letters To Cleo

Letters To Cleo Mails In Its Resignation

13 Jun 2000 06:00:00 EDT

Letters To Cleo "Here And Now"

Letters To Cleo has called it quits... sort of.

According to a report in the group's hometown paper "The Boston Globe," the eleven-year old group has disbanded, though the group's management told MTV News all the members were in the studio as recently as last Wednesday working on material for the upcoming animated series "Molly-O."

The band is contractually obligated to continue its work on the project, an animated show about an eight-year-old rock star which is set to debut on the WB Network this fall. Regardless, Letters To Cleo will not be recording another album or embarking on any road trips.

Singer Kay Hanley and her husband, guitarist Michael Eisenstein (who have a year-old daughter), are relocating to Los Angeles where Hanley, who also dabbles in theater, has landed an off-camera singing role in the live-action movie version of the '60s cartoon show "Josie And The Pussycats" (see ). Management also reports that the couple will be filming a promotional spot for "Molly-O."

Management noted that Hanley will eventually be recording a solo album, while guitarist Greg McKenna is currently writing songs for his own solo project. Bassist Scott Riebling has been taking on some production work. The band has been without a permanent drummer since the departure of Stacy Jones.

Letters To Cleo played its last show May 4 with Buffalo Tom in Boston, a benefit for local DJ Mikey Dee.

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Letters To Cleo

Members Of Veruca Salt, Letters To Cleo, Fig Dish Form New Bands

3 Feb 1999 12:00:00 EST

With Veruca Salt in transition, Letters to Cleo on a bit of a breather and Fig Dish on what may be a permanent hiatus, various grouping of those three somewhat incestuous bands are working on new projects.

Former Veruca Salt and Letters To Cleo drummer Stacy Jones has moved up front with his new band, BMX Girl, which has signed a reportedly 'substantial' deal with Geffen Records. Fig Dish's Brian Nolan is manning the drums.

The group is currently rehearsing in Maui where Jones is also working with former Veruca Salt alumni Nina Gordon on the latter's new solo project which is just wrapping up with producer Bob Rock. Although the location of the rehearsals led to speculation that Rock may also be at the controls when BMX Girl record, a spokesperson for Geffen says the band is considering a number of producers, and that Rock's participation at this stage is unlikely.

Jones apparently plans on concentrating heavily on BMX Girl but will continue to play with Gordon. One likely scenario has both groups touring together with Jones doing double duty.

Also possible for Gordon's touring band are Jones' former Letters to Cleo bandmates Scott Riebling and Mike Eisenstein on bass and guitar respectively, seeing as both played on Gordon's album. Sources close to Letters to Cleo report that while it's possible that Eisenstein and Riebling will tour with Gordon, their involvement has not been confirmed. They also confirm that Letters to Cleo singer Kay Hadley is pregnant.

When Jones initially took a now-permanent leave of absence from Letters to Cleo to join the ill-fated Veruca Salt duo of Nina Gordon and Louise Post, he became close to Gordon, who at the time had a now-defunct longterm relationship with Fig Dish frontman Blake Smith. Smith is now recovering from a bad year. Aside from splitting up with Gordon and seeing Fig Dish lose their label -- sensing the impending doom, the band negotiated their release from A&M Records last fall -- he underwent surgery for shoulder problems that left him unable to play the guitar for months, developed mono, and almost died from an allergic reaction to penicillin.

Currently on the Fig Dish front, bassist Michael Willison reports that he and the aforementioned Smith have been working on new material, and may debut it as soon as the SXSW convention in Austin next month, possibly under the band name 'Caviar.' Willison has also been playing with the band Made To Fade.

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Letters To Cleo Starring All Over

9 Oct 1998 02:45:00 EDT

Letters to Cleo

Letters to Cleo are label-less, at least for the moment, but that hasn't kept them from popping up in almost every music industry scenario possible this month -- movie soundtracks, a tribute project, a benefit record, a vintage reissue and B-sides-type release, other artists' albums, production work, a movie cameo and even live theater.

Singer Kay Hanley is starring in a three-weekend run of "Preservation," the famed rock opera written by the Kinks' Ray Davies that opened in Boston last weekend to strong reviews. This isn't Hanley's first stint with the Boston Rock Opera troupe--she previously starred in Jesus Christ Superstar.

Meanwhile, bassist Scott Riebling has been producing and playing on demos for former Veruca Salt singer Nina Gordon's new solo album. He's been re-teamed with former drummer Stacy Jones, who originally left Letters to Cleo to join Veruca Salt only to depart hand-in-hand with Gordon not long after. Letters to Cleo guitarist Mike Eisenstein is on some tracks as well. Sources close to the band say it's a very good bet that both Riebling and Eisenstein will join Gordon and Jones in Hawaii next month when they record the full album with producer Bob Rock.

On the band front, Letters To Cleo parted company with Revolution Records in May and are currently negotiating with several labels, according to their spokesperson. In the interim, they'll be issuing a record on their own label with re-released material from a rare cassette called "Sister." The cassette was first issued in 1992 and featured an earlier incarnation of the band. The initial run was very limited and the tape has been sought after by collectors. A spokesperson confirms that the new CD will include the seven cuts from "Sister" as well as other previously unreleased tracks from roughly the same era. They're hoping to have it out before Christmas.

As previously reported by MTV News, Letters To Cleo is currently mixing their performance of the song "Debaser" for a Pixies tribute album, due out in March. Additionally, they've recorded a song called "Let's Get High" for the pending pot-friendly "Hempilation II: Free The Weed" benefit album. The band will also be making a cameo appearance in the movie "TEN THINGS i hate about you" with Larisa Oleynik ("Secret World of Alex Mack").

Next up for the band is a new song to be included on the soundtrack to "Jawbreaker," a movie starring Rose McGowan, Carol Kane and Pam Grier.

And, reliable sources tell us they may well be making a surprise appearance opening for Cheap Trick in Boston on October 15. (Shhh!).

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Letters To Cleo

Letters To Cleo Discuss Getting Going Again

7 Jan 1998 12:00:00 EST

Jaunuary 7 [12:00 EDT] -- Fresh from a self-imposed hiatus and armed with new drummer Tom Polce, Boston's brightest alt-popsters Letters To Cleo, is back with their third release, "Go!"

Departing from the rapid-fire sound of the band's breakthrough single "Here And Now," front woman Kay Hanley told MTV News at last month's Lilith Fair date that artists as varied as Nat "King" Cole and Ray Charles were more influential this time around.

Hanley said. "I guess the music that's been touching me lately is stuff that was recorded before 1965 [800k QuickTime]. And I think that's true for a lot of people. But definately, we've been tapping the sources of people who came much before us as apposed to people who have come a little bit before us."

In addition to embracing varied influences, the band approached the recording process with an discerning ear to freshness.

. It's like, we had written it very much on the fly. And it was an adventure."

The album's lead video, "Veda Very Shining," debuts on MTV later this month.

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Letters To Cleo

Letters To Cleo - Awake

29 Oct 2007 12:00:00 EDT

Awake

Artist: Letters To Cleo
Label: Giant Records
Director: Neil Pollock
Album: Wholesale Meats and Fish