LaGrecia have broken up. Two different statements from the band have made their way online. Dana Berkowitz issued her statement first:
To all of our friends, family and fans…we apologize for this delayed statement It saddens us to say LaGrecia is no longer a band. Unfortunately, Jason made the decision to leave the band a few weeks ago. This is probably not surprising to some of you who know Jason and have followed his past bands. Sal and I did not want or anticipate the band to end as early as it did. Sal and I were excited with the way things were progressing and we are extremely disappointed and hurt with Jason's cold departure. Upon leaving the band, Jason stated he no longer wanted anything to do with playing music. He further said that music never meant that much to him. It was something that came easy to him, granted him success and that was it. He wanted to sell off his equipment and focus on furthering his career in broadcast. Although supportive of his decision, this was very upsetting to hear. We have all been involved with music for a very long time. Creating music, being involved with music in any way and going to shows has played an important role in Sal's life and in my life. The record title "On Parallels" is a reflection upon how all three of our lives have followed a similar path through music, all originating from New Jersey up until now all living blocks from each other in Brooklyn. Sal and I originally planned on waiting to release this statement based on the slight possibility of playing a record release show, but as the release date gets closer, that seems unlikely. We did not want any negativity to cloud around the record and hope there is none as the release date approaches. Thanks to everyone who has been emailing us words of support and to everyone inviting us to play shows. We hope this answers some of your questions. We will still be checking the myspace band page periodically and the page will remain up for a while after the record is released. For any further information on the band or how to purchase the record please check Suburban Home Records for updates. www.suburbanhomerecords.com Thank you especially to Virgil and everyone at Suburban Home Records for being so supportive through all this. We greatly appreciate all of your love and support.
Jason Shevchuk responded with his own statement:
LaGrecia formed in May of last year. By July, Dana and I found ourselves in a Romantic Relationship. The band rolled on at a good pace. It was fun. We had a fun summer. Dana decided it would be a good idea to end our relationship in January. The band pressed on and ended up becoming more a burden and an awkward situation for me. How could it not. When your escape becomes your prison things can feel crazy. I'm sorry Sal was caught in the middle. I left the band in March with the intentions of never playing in a band again. NMB getting back together was never in the back of mind. In April, Colin came up to NYC to hang with Paul and I. We had a great time, as we always do. We kicked around the idea of playing again on a casual level. NMB is going to be playing shows again.
Source: Punknews