Word got out late January. She had returned from auditions in Spain with a new outlet: voicing a cartoon (whose name hasn't been released to schlubs like us yet) that will run in America and Europe in English and Spanish. After beating out other auditioning musicians, Mel got the spot. After a crash course in Spanish, she'll be doing voice acting and recording pop songs for the show. Her Web site has the particulars, few as they are right now.

So is that that? Does the band ever get back together? I wouldn't hold my breath. That sort of thing is reserved for the world of rock n' roll cliche, and The Eagles. (But I repeat myself.) I can't speak for bass as the Gentlemen went through bassists like Spinal Tap went through drummers, but I've seen the rest play plenty of times - they're all talented musicians in their own right and there's no reason they can't land on their feet.

But I can't help but feel like John Madden and want to drop a "you hate to see that happen" or two in the wake of it all. Success and destiny seem to come in the damndest disguises for Denver musicians. I'm reminded of what must have been 2001 when local hip-hop outfit nGoma, a promising, fun group that mixed in live instrumentation, split when producer and emcee Reese took off for greener pastures - last I heard he was producing for commercials and the like in California.

There's no stopping a determined Melissa Ivey, though. In rapid succession, the news broke, the disbanding took place and after a call to wish my best, I found her phone already disconnected. Kid doesn't mess around.