After the 22-year wait for a reunion ended in 2019, Jawbox have announced that original guitarist/vocalist Bill Bardot has left the band. The split was described as amicable, and with Bardot’s blessing, War On Women guitarist Brooks Harlan is replacing him.
Jawbox bassist Kim Coletta wrote in a statement, “We wanted to let folks know that the inimitable Bill Barbot is leaving the band.”
Explaining the decision for the split, Coletta wrote, “He and his family left the DC area and moved to Vermont a year ago to enjoy more nature and a less hectic way of living,” she said. “I’ve visited him, and I can report that he now lives at the end of a dirt road in the countryside! It became increasingly clear that commuting to practice in Baltimore was no longer possible given the distance and his work and family obligations. It was a bittersweet announcement for the rest of us and certainly the end of an era.”
On the topic of finding a suitable replacement for Bardot’s vacant position in the band, Coletta said, “We looked for another singer/guitarist to fill his rather large shoes with Bill’s suggestion and blessing. We’re happy to report that the fabulous Brooks Harlan – a friend of the band, guitarist of War on Women, proprietor of Big Crunch Amp Repair and Design, and a frequent musical collaborator of J’s over the past decade – will be joining us for live shows.” She concluded the statement, “Bill will always be a part of Jawbox both musically and emotionally, but we will enjoy the new energy that change can bring.”
Last year, Harlan appeared on Two Minutes to Late Night for “Half Industrial Half Hardcore” Cover of Samhain’s “Mother of Mercy” with members of Converge, The Distillers and more. His band War On Women released their album Wonderful Hell in October 2020.
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