El Grupo Sexo Officially Disbands on Eve of Holiday Benefit, Release of 2nd Album

It’s official. El Grupo Sexo has called it quits on the eve of a holiday benefit show the band was to headline and just as the band’s second album is due to be released.

After six years, the Orange County musicians whose funk-punk sounds and outrageous stage shows have endeared them to local audiences, music critics and college radio programmers nationwide, have disbanded, citing personality conflicts.

“The band broke up, that’s about it,” lead singer Jason Mann said this week. “We definitely won’t be playing together.”

According to woodwind player Tony Atherton, the split resulted from “a lack of communication and a lack of understanding. It was very surprising to me because it happened very fast and essentially, we all had the rug pulled out from under us.”

Saxophonist and vocalist Vince Meghrouni added: “The decision to break up was a very painful and difficult one. When you’ve been together six years, you’re not capricious about it (breaking up).

“There were definite ramifications to this decision because we had dates in San Francisco and at the ‘Christmas for the Needy’ benefit that we very much wanted to play. But it was one of those things--if we could have kept it together for 10 more minutes, we could have kept it together, period,” Meghrouni said.

Mann owns the group name and plans to continue making music on his own, while some of the other members said they are considering forming another band. But everyone involved said it is still too early to assess the future.

In the meantime, Dr. Dream Records, the band’s label, is readying the new El Grupo Sexo album for release. Originally slated for a Jan. 5 release, the album will be held until later in the month, according to label head Dave Hansen, while label officials decide how to market an album with no band to promote it.