[12-17-97 Wed] The Presidents of the United States of America have decided to end their term in office since frontman Chris Bellew left the band for more time to spend with his family and to move in the direction of his own musical interests. The break-up of The Presidents was formally announced with a statement from Columbia Record, their label, which said that Bellew wants "to spend more time being a father and husband and to pursue other musical interests." Also in the press release, drummer Jason Finn explained that Bellew's quitting meant the end of the band, saying, "We broke up for the same reason Soundgarden did... Chris left the band."
The Seattle band's short career, only included two albums. The first, their 1995 self-titled album, featured the smash hit "Lump" and other popular tunes, "Peaches" and "Kitty". The band's second album wasn't anywhere close to a hit, only producing one known single, "Mach 5".
The Presidents will play together for the last time in Seattle in February. Columbia will release one final album featuring the band's rarities and previously unreleased material next year.
Presidents of the USA - December 17, 1997
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