Hey guys,

Alex here from apollos, this is just something official to announce that Jonny, Donagh and Donal are Leaving Apollos.

Jonny firstly wants to thank "everyone behind the scenes at apollos, laura, joan and frank, especially joan and frank for all those days and nights playing loud music in their house, but unfortunatly my time in the band has passed due to other commitments and i wish brian and alex all the best with the future and wish them all the success in the world - and finally i want to thank alex dunne because without him we wouldn't have achieved what apollos has in the past year and a half"

Donagh wishes to say "unfortunatly i won't be playing with the lads anymore. Sad day . It's been an amazing time of my life playing with the lads. Just wanna say thanks to everybody who has supported us and believed in us over the last year or two. Its been amazing playin with the lads and i hope everyone will support them in whatever way it'l be as much as you have in the past. Alex and Fogo are no doubt gona do some really great stuff in the future whether its with us or not. Hopefully ill be back again with the lads in the future but until then, good luck. . . . . and cheers for everything.

Donal would like to say "Hey Apollos fans! Sorry to say to everyone that for the moment, with startin college and and the lack of time coupled with that, that i will not be able to continue with the band for the near future hopefully we can all come back together soon make our music again. Thank you all for the support you have given us at gigs, in supporting our cd's and just in general for all the good times you all have given us. Thank you

For me (alex) this is simply the worst, and i'd be lying to you all if i said i wasn't lost or that me and fogo have a plan of a direction we want to go in or a next step for the band that we gotta take. For each of us, 2009 has been a very difficult year on an emotional level for us all, and no doubt that has added the way things have turned out. This band ment so much to us all and we gave so much for it, we all gained and lost, i myself have lost the one i loved with the work load that a band demands, its things like that, that really put things into perspective. Finally for me and indeed fogo, Jonny , Donagh And Donal are not band mates, there our brothers and my bestfriends and our hearts are broken seeing them leave. A chapter closed, hopefully only for now, you guys are the best.

On that, me and fogo are in the process of whether to continue apollos or not. Or where is the best direction more towards. Anyway, watch this space and thank you all so much for everything..

Alex

Apollos Thebe - Seize the music, and so you should


Prendo: definition - after an extensive look through the ‘Wiktionary’ (a wiki can answer anything these days), I finally discovered ‘prendo’ to mean something along the lines of ‘to seize’, ‘to take’, ‘to hold’, ‘to charm’, and ‘to keep’ in Galician, Spanish and/or French. If I’m wrong, correct me now and I shall forever hold my silence.

Nowhere, though, did I find a definition saying ‘to lose’. And yet, that’s what Apollos Thebe’s new single ‘Prendo’ is all about - a man losing a lover and a friend, losing the person as they change and start to sound “like everyone else but who you are to me.”

And maybe that epiphany is the point? Maybe when vocalist Alex Dunne loses “something oh so terrible”, he’s thinking of the beauty of the word ‘prendo’ itself while sadly conceding that seizing, holding and keeping the one you think you want is impossible because the landscape of his relationship with the person is shifting without him even noticing?

“Things are not the same as they used to be, and I can’t tell this.”

Or maybe Dunne and the rest of Apollos Thebe simply felt the word ‘prendo’ was a nice title for a song? Either way, over elaboration or not, the fact is Apollos have struck again with this beautiful new single.

‘Prendo’ is typical of what we’ve come to expect from Apollos Thebe. The vocals with thought provoking lyrics are at the forefront along with rhythmic drumming and catchy guitar riffs, which are backed by a piano, an acoustic guitar and backing vocals, all of which combine to form this uplifting song.

While new bands arriving on the commercial music scene, like Florence and the Machine and The Temper Trap, continue their foray into a more alternative side of music - moving away from the overplayed three chord indie Kooks sound that has long since lost its hold (not intended as a dig, more so meant as an example of a ‘fad’ band that couldn’t learn a new trick, seeing their popularity die as a result - and I liked their first album!) - Apollos Thebe remain true to their unique sound, “bettering ourselves”, to use their own words, through music with each and every song they write.

The B-side of the ‘Prendo’ single is ‘G’, a song which featured on their self-titled EP but was confined to a 38 second intro. The elongated version featured on the new release is three minutes 28 seconds long and features lyrics, as well as the introduction of a glockenspiel just over a minute into the song - the resulting instrumental succeeding in bringing a smile to my face. How can a song with a well deployed glockenspiel NOT raise a smile?

A stand out feature of Apollos Thebe is their ability to create good rhythm. A band can make a reputation off of strong, catchy rhythms and in both songs on this single - whether it be the instrumental part of ‘Prendo’ or the layered lyrics at the end of ‘G’ - Apollos create various rhythms that grab the listener’s attention and holds it for the duration of the two songs.

And if nothing else, presentation is something to be appreciated, and presentation is everything to this band, which can be seen in the sleeve design for ‘Prendo’ (unfortunately the picture I took below doesn't do it justice).

The single is available in Tower Records now. Apollos Thebe perform live on FM104 this Sunday, August 30th from 10pm. Seize the opportunity to hear them live for free in the comfort of your own home!

Guys, if your gonna be in town before thursday, go to city hall, and sign the book of solidarity for Aung San Suu Kyi... Its open 10 til 5 both tomorrow and thursday.. Do it =] (Thank You C.H.)

http://www.burmaactionireland.org/au...

Here's Where To Find Out More Information

Apollos Thebe