Turning and turning in the widening gyre

The falcon cannot hear the falconer;

Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;



Turning and turning in the widening gyre

The falcon cannot hear the falconer;

Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;



These, as any lover of dusty books and much studied poetry will recognize, are the words of William Butler Yeats. They come from his poem The Second Coming, published in 1921.

It’s college level stuff, for sure, and not especially the kind of thing you’d expect a progressive and often downright experimental punk band from Tacoma to name themselves after. You expect references like that from the hot and ultra smart chick who’s way out of your league and sits behind you in Lit class, but from rockers who spend more time yelling than they do breathing and make a habit out of playing at breakneck speeds? Not necessarily.



But Tacoma’s The Centre Cannot Hold did name themselves after a William Butler Yeats poem, and this Saturday, July 19 at Hell’s Kitchen it may never be more appropriate. Indeed, things do fall apart — for a variety of reasons in life. Sometimes things change and sometimes bands break up. Sometimes bands break up and it’s not even because they hate each other, or because the bassist ODed or even because the drummer diddled the guitarist’s sister. When you’re swigging PBR at the Kitchen watching a band like the Centre Cannot Hold doing their thing, elevated like gods on the stage, it’s easy to forget they’re average people. But that’s exactly who makes up 99 percent of all bands that play Hell’s Kitchen and every other stage in Tacoma (The other one percent is really just Jason Freet).



Things fall apart, as is evident by the Centre Cannot Hold’s show with Stauffer (a solo project of Aaron Stauffer of Seaweed), Basic Radio and Raylazer this Saturday at Hell’s Kitchen. The performance will be the Centre’s last, after a brief but promising two-year career here in T-town, as lead singer Brent Carter is moving to Atlanta for family reasons. In this instance, the band remains on sterling terms, but exterior forces and the expected ebbs and flows of life have conspired to put an end to the Centre Cannot Hold. It’s a loss for Tacoma music, without a doubt, but one it’s hard to truly grieve given the understandable circumstances.



“Everyone is still on good terms. It’s just one of those things. We had a pretty good run,” says the Centre Cannot Hold drummer Chris Lipponen. “Pretty much, we’re just going to go out there and try to have one last great show. We’re going out on our own terms, which is nice.”

“Brent’s moving, and no one in this band is replacable,” Lipponen continues. “I think there’s been some disappointment from some fans. The band was just fun. The best thing about this band has been the friendship. We’re all really good friends. We’ve played some really good shows.”



For anyone not familiar with the Centre Cannot Hold’s aggressive but new school brand of punk, a helpful reference point is At the Drive-In. Of course, as a writer, I’m obviously taking the easy route with such a statement. But the easy route is nothing to be afraid of from time to time. Every once in a while the easy road will lead you exactly where you need to go. In terms of describing what the Centre Cannot Hold does — an At the Drive-In reference is easily the most effective, if not creative, way to conjure up a sonic image in the minds of Weekly Volcano readers at every Laundromat, bus stop and dive bar in Grit City.



But while an At the Drive-In reference gets me from point A to point B in this instance, deviations and sidetracks are needed to paint a full picture. A stop at indieville is in order, as the Centre — at times and for verses — can sound like the best shoegazing indie act Seattle has to offer. A nostalgia detour also should be put on the itinerary, as at other times, the anger of ’70s punk carries the Centre.



I could go on, but something tells me that’s in no one’s best interest. Suffice to say the Centre Cannot Hold sounds a lot like At the Drive-In, but then sometimes they don’t. Either way, it’s usually good.



Soon you may have a chance to purchase a piece of the band’s sound for your very own. Although, to date, the Centre Cannot Hold hasn’t released a record, even from their grave the band still hopes to put out an EP before it’s all said and done. According to Lipponen, fans can expect to hear songs like “Silver,” “Amnesia Savior” and “Upstroke” on a forthcoming Centre EP to be released ASAP.



“We’re still going to try to put out an EP,” says Lipponen. “I think there’s more we could have done. But we’re satisfied. It’s been a good run.”



The Centre Cannot Hold will play their final show, with help from Stauffer (a solo project of Aaron Stauffer of Seaweed) on Saturday, July 19 at Hell’s Kitchen. If you have yet to meet this band of poetry lovers who rock harder than you ever will, this is your last chance. And I’m not just saying that. It’s not speculation, it’s fact.



[Hell’s Kitchen, The Centre Cannot Hold, Stauffer, Basic Radio and Raylazer, Saturday, July 19, 9 p.m., $5, 3829 Sixth Ave., Tacoma, 253.759.6003]