What ever happened to James Gray? I've been wondering for a long time. He was a good member of the band and an excellant piano player.(But at least theres someone good to replace him!)

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Summer Girls they sure are fun, get so Golden in the sun that they could block out any other thought.

Hey Josh, I'm not sure why James left the band but it seemed to happen quite suddenly.  The band started the Are You Ready tour in Prince George, BC.  AlreadyGone was at that show & phoned our friend Laurel to say James wasn't there but there was another person playing piano.  That was Bob Packwood's first show and he's been there ever since.  

I do remember when it happened there was something on the home page about James leaving the band and asking the fans to respect the band's privacy with respect to the change.  At the time it made me think perhaps it wasn't a happy parting but who knows.

For my money I just love what Bob Packwood adds to the band.  James was a great piano player but I have to say I much prefer Bob Packwood.

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Greg Keelor met Jim Cuddy and then I met you people. Serendipity is a marvellous thing.


"I guess I don't know if I believe in God but
I know a song can make you feel good once
in a while." ~Greg Keelor~

 I never really knew about the respect privicey thing, but I thought it might have been something like that because I never heard anyone talk about it.

 And I 100 percent agree with you, James was a good player, but they found an encellant replacement, hes funny to watch sometimes when he gets into the music.

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Summer Girls they sure are fun, get so Golden in the sun that they could block out any other thought.

JoshDwyer:

 I never really knew about the respect privicey thing, but I thought it might have been something like that because I never heard anyone talk about it.

 And I 100 percent agree with you, James was a good player, but they found an encellant replacement, hes funny to watch sometimes when he gets into the music.

I have a feeling they posted the note about privacy because they were just starting a tour and didn't want everyone they ran into asking them what happened.  I, of course, would love to know but probably never will.

Bob is a riot to watch isn't he, he's is so into the music.  I get a kick out of how he hovers above his piano bench.  The only time he really needs the bench is when he isn't playing.

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Greg Keelor met Jim Cuddy and then I met you people. Serendipity is a marvellous thing.


"I guess I don't know if I believe in God but
I know a song can make you feel good once
in a while." ~Greg Keelor~

I too love watching Bob, his enthusiasm and energy are just the best and so much fun.  I have a couple of videos from last year's Stratford Saturday show, my seat was perfect for Bob watching...I just love them 

 

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Recalculating....


"A gun rack... a gun rack. I don't even own *a* gun, let alone many guns that would necessitate an entire rack. What am I gonna do... with a gun rack?" Wayne Campbell

I think I'll add that James is still gigging in and around Toronto on a regular basis. I see him busking at Spadina Station pretty often and my sister (coincidentally) hired him to play a gala at the theatre she works with just last week.

Aaron 

He's busking? In the truest sense of the word? hmmm...

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"It's a far cry from the world we thought we'd inherit~
It's a far cry from the way we thought we'd share it~"

Aaron, I too have spotted James busking around town at various locations - Union Station after Argos/Jays games, and on Bloor St just a few doors down from the James Joyce Irish Pub, a favorite watering hole of mine.

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~ ...and all the demons are saints, and the saints I'll never trust...~ Blue Rodeo - "Graveyard"

~...Had a dream where everybody looked like someone else, and the farthest I could get from was the closest to myself...~ Men Without Hats - "Sideways"