The holiday season has brought both good news and bad for Seattle post-grunge rockers Sunny Day Real Estate.

The bad news is that guitarist Dan Hoerner said the band has cancelled a one-month European tour, which was to kick off in February. Hoerner said the band had to use funds earmarked for the tour to wrap up a legal matter involving a management firm SDRE had considered hiring but never signed with.

Putting a positive spin on the news, Hoerner said the band is ready to begin pre-production work on a new album, and the cancellation allows the group to start on the project sooner than expected.

On a personal note, Hoerner got more good news last week — he and his wife welcomed their first child, son Rowan Jude Hoerner, born December 17.

Hoerner also recently delivered a new book via his publishing company, Clearly the Underdog. Hoerner's "The Little Monkey Chronicles" — which features illustrations by Chris Thompson — is available through www.danhoerner.com.