As abrupt as its breakup news two months ago (but not as surprising), Roma di Luna has called off its Dec. 17-18 farewell concerts at the Cedar Cultural Center. The dates were originally booked as the familial folk/rock/soul band's annual holiday concerts, and then retooled to be RdL's last waltz. Sadly, though, things are apparently still too out-of-step for that. "They have decided not to move forward with those shows," was the nearest thing to an explanation from the Cedar.
The thousands of local music lovers who saw Roma di Luna open for Trampled by Turtles outside the Cabooze on July 23 thus saw the group's last performance in town. There is still one more RdL gig left on the books: the Minnesota Music Coalition's Caravan du Norde date with Heiruspecs in Luverne, Minn., on Saturday (don't bother Google Mapping it; Luverne is almost four hours west of the Cities). However, that show will only feature the truncated version of the band -- without Alexei Moon Casselle, who started the group with his wife Channy. The couple is now separated.
Channy and Alexei have already moved on with other music projects. The initial recordings by her new group Polica is already in rotation on the Current and online, and the band had a big coming-out last week opening several dates for Clap Your Hands Say Yeah out east. He is back working with his floor-kicking, teeth-gnashing hip-hop duo Kill the Vultures, which is opening Friday's very promising release party by Andrew Broder's new band the Cloak Ox at the Loring Theater.
