Amid conflicting personal commitments, the 9/11 attacks*, and the particular type of internal strife that can only stem from a member's substance abuse, the highly influential and ardently DIY Northwest post-hardcore band Unwound disintegrated in the middle of a 2001 tour supporting an album that many considered to be their zenith. They'd toured extensively for the last decade, released eight albums, and played hundreds of shows with acts as disparate as Beck and Sonic Youth to Fugazi and Bikini Kill—all to critical and fan acclaim. It was a fast and hard fall from apex to nadir, and then it was over.

After the split, the band members, who'd never much made a point of self-promotion in the first place, receded even further from the music scene. Drummer Sara Lund resurfaced years later with Portland's Hungry Ghost and on percussion duties for the Corin Tucker Band. Bass player Vern Rumsey flirted around with music, but he has said he "never found the chemistry" he'd enjoyed with his bandmates in Unwound...

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