TOTAL ECLIPSE OF THE MOON

After 12 years and 7 studio albums, my favorite band is breaking up. Dean Wareham's Luna, who have done everything from opening for the Velvet Underground's reunion tour to covering Guns 'n' Roses' "Sweet Child of Mine" (it crushes Sheryl Crow's version like a grape), are calling it quits.

I first saw Luna at Central Park's Summerstage shortly after moving to New York nine years ago. They were playing with Throwing Muses, and it was the same day I saw the Who perform Quardrophenia at Madison Square Garden. Needless to say, I still haven't bought a Who record but own all of Luna's, as well as Dean's first band Galaxie 500. I've seen them live lots of times, and met Dean on a few occasions. We even smoked cigarettes together in my old office at the Daily Show, talking about Latrell Sprewell coming to the Knicks (remember those days?). Dean seemed unfazed that there was a picture of his band on my bulletin board, and his hair was as crazy in person as it was in Luna's pubicity shots.

Luna grew and changed over the years, moving well beyond their initial comparisons with the Velvet Underground, but still sounding familiar. Great guitar sounds, hypnotized vocals, guest appearances by Tom Verlaine (Television) and Sterling Morrison (Velvets), tours with Sonic Boom (Spacemen 3), covers of Serge Gainsbourg tunes, getting dropped by their label (Elektra), parenthood... they lived some kind of alternative rock dream. They were also responsible for turning me on to the Velvets themselves, no small feat and one that changed music for me forever.

I'm sure the members of Luna won't fade into obscurity-I have a feeling Dean Wareham will be around New York for a while. I'm just bummed that there won't be any new Luna songs to learn and cover.

I'm sure that makes my partner Ted sad as well.