A clip of the rise and demise...

A Fine Farewell

Hey Xerus fans.

Well, we did it.
We had the last show and we had a blast doing it.
Thanks to everyone who made it out to witness
what will be a very important moment in
my life for many years to come.

I do plan on posting video from the show on
You Tube, once I sort through all of it.
Please check back here for the links.

As far as this website and the future of Xerus
I guess we will have to see.
I do plan on keeping this site active for
quite awhile and will probably flip it
over to the new band site in the coming
months.

That does not mean that I already have a
band waiting for me in LA or anything,
I just like having this as an archive of sorts
for anyone who still gives a shit about
Xerus and/or what Im up to.

I dont really see me using the Xerus name
in LA at first...or ever. It was a great time
and I have learned so much but I think
it might be best to leave it in Minneapolis,
where it was born.

Even though I do own the name
and the rights to all the songs,
I really want to start fresh.

Well, thats the end of this rant for now.
When I get the video(s) done from the last show
I shall post the link here.

Thanks again everyone.
For everything.
And please,
stay tuned.

M.T. Letsinger

The Rise And Demise of Xerus

Well, it all seems to be coming down to this:
The first, last and only show with our new drummer
before M.T. makes the move to Los Angeles.

On Saturday May 9th, all who attend will get
to witness first hand the
Rise and Demise of Xerus.

More information to come...

Things Have Been Brewing With Xerus Lately...

After more than a year since they last played a show,

Xerus is happy to announce they will be playing out in early '09.
Finding themselves without a drummer last November

the band began the process of trying to find the right fit for the kit.

After a years time and 24 different people

the band decided to go with

a long time friend, Eric Vinyard.

Along with a fantastic ear behind the board,

Eric has been in many different projects through out

the US over the years. MT and Scott have no doubts

this new blood will bring about a more open,

rock sound while keeping the unique vibe of Xerus in check.

In other Xerus related news:
Singer/guitarist M.T. Letsinger will be releasing

a solo effort soon. Titled "So Far...The Best Of M.T. Letsinger,"

the full length CD will feature previously unreleased

live Xerus tracks, select tracks from M.T.'s

side project MYKO and various other projects

he has been involved with over the last decade.

Check back here for updates on upcoming

Xerus shows and the release date for "So Far..."

Whats up with Xerus lately?

So, whats been up with Xerus lately?

To fully answer that we must head back to 2007.
That year Xerus seemed almost unstoppable:
they played the Red Gorilla Music Fest
during SXSW in Austin, TX, which lead right into a nation
wide college radio campaign, then they came in second
place in the Whiskey Wars battle of the bands
and finally, they locked down solid
transportation so the dream of touring could become reality.

Unfortunately, the same old thing that happens time
and time again when a band gets as far along as they have:
a key member of the band decided to quit.
As much of a shock it was to see Travis leave after five years,
two CD's and hundreds of shows,
Scott and M T knew they just couldn't give up.

So they started trying out drummers.

As anyone in the Twin Cities music scene will tell you,
finding a drummer is a mountain of a task.
Wading through all of the jobbers, teenagers, addicts,
and weekend warriors has taken months,
still with no one solid behind the kit.
The biggest hurdle?
Finding someone who doesn't just want to play
around Minneapolis on weekends,
but wants to get out on the road and get
Xerus into the ears and hearts of all who will listen.
That continues to be the curriculum as they continue to write,
practice and audition for drummers.

We hope that you will continue to check up on us here.

We do hope to be back on stage, for you, as soon as possible.

MT's Interview with DARKLAND

Hello everyone!

I was recently interviewed by an indie 'zine
out of New York called DARKLAND.

Here it is...enjoy!

Tell me about the CD Outside the Design.

It started off as a concept record but has now shifted to more of a centralized theme. That theme is the choices we make and how it affects our lives and the lives of those close to us. With all that has happened to both me personally and the band this year the story side of things started to fade away and the theme of choices seemed to rise to the surface. We are looking at tracking the CD in the spring with our producer, Chris Mara (www.chrismara.com), at the house that we practice in, which is owned and occupied by Scott (bass). Kind of like the Red Hot Chili Peppers "bloodsugarsexmagic", we would live in the house and pretty much eat, sleep and breathe this record. With the recent addition of people downloading entire CD's off of websites, its making less and less sense to us to sink a ton of money into duplication of thousands of Cd's. We are looking at alternate ways to get our music out there thats exciting and new to the music listener.

What is your attraction to progressive metal?

It's what Ive always felt inside. Its the best platform for a release. Not just the release of ideas, but the emotional release writing and preforming these songs brings with it. We don't always play shows to sold out audiences or make tons of money, but one thing that is always there when we get off that stage is that feeling: like someone just emptied the bin of emotional garbage. I think we all need this in our life because with out it we would slowly submerge into the cracks of society.

Was this the first time you played the Red Gorilla Music festival?

Yes it was, and hopefully not the last! Travis (X-drummer) and I attended SXSW in '04, so we had a pretty good idea of what to expect as far as people and vibe. It was fantastic, a really great experience all around. Playing that show helped pave the way for us to do a national college radio campaign which then lead into some licensing opportunities on cable television.

What would you like to see more/less of in American metal?

I think Metal is in the best state its been in awhile. Id like to see more bands push themselves musically to create something unique and amazing. Otherwise we risk the chance of diluting our scene with crap and it becomes harder and harder for new Metal fans to find and be turned on to great stuff.

How is the scene in Minnesota?

Its a pretty good scene. Theres a lot of fans of live music and bands playing metal. I moved here in 2002 from Madison, WI, a place that saw few metal bands in the local scene. Then once Xerus got out and started playing shows, I couldn't believe how many talented bands we wound up playing with. For the most part everyone gets along great and theres very little attitude, were all in it for pretty much the same reasons.

Ready to Rock!

Hey everyone!
Theres some interesting news on the Xerus front
I feel is worth updating you all about.

Travis has returned behind the kit,
rejuvenated and ready to rock.

We are now concentrating on getting the songs for the new
CD as tight and amazing as they can be.

We have also begun booking shows.
At the moment the only one we have is Thursday,
April 3rd at Club Underground with Screaming Blood Skull
and someone else TBA.

We hope to have shows in all parts of the
Midwest booked soon, so stay tuned!
We might be comin' to your neighborhood!