Bands come and go in Gainesville with the four-year cycle of students filtering through the college town.
Outside of class, friends come together, form bands and make music. But when senior year rolls around, the inevitable conversation about the band breakup comes too.
For local band Sidewalk Fiction, the road will come to an end at their final show Friday night.
After their show at The Atlantic, Thomas Calder, Nir Ben Jacob, Robert Cernuda and Robert Dwyer will part ways and begin their own individual journeys.
"We really didn't decide, see. It decided for us," Calder said.
Ben Jacob is moving to Israel to be with his family, and Cernuda is taking on an internship in Jacksonville.
Calder and Dwyer will remain in Gainesville and start a new band.
Every end has a beginning, and Sidewalk Fiction's beginning came two and a half years ago.
Calder, Ben Jacob and Cernuda attended Plantation High School together but did not become comrades until attending UF.
"Cernuda has been my best friend since freshman year, and Nir doesn't have any friends, so we brought him into the group," Calder said. "Nir had the brilliant idea of starting a band because he likes music."
The band began with Calder as vocalist and guitarist, Ben Jacob on guitar, Cernuda as bassist and Shaw Patton on drums.
Patton left the band, and in came Dwyer after he mentioned to Calder one day that he was looking for a band to join.
"I've always been a fan of the band. I went to all the shows," Dwyer said.
Ben Jacob said the band members' connection with Dwyer began when they noticed he loved the show "The Sopranos."
"We all love 'The Sopranos,' and we were like, 'Wow Dwyer, you are just like us. You even share a name with Robert," Calder said.
And so, Dwyer became a part of the Sidewalk Fiction family, and the band continued creating music and playing shows.
The band decided to have a final show as a last goodbye. Ben Jacob said he is excited for the show on Friday because a lot of friends and family are coming.
Dwyer said it will be nice playing a show for their fans knowing it's the last time.
"We want to say goodbye to them as much as they want to say goodbye to us," he said.
Calder said he is happy to share the stage for their final show with his two favorite Gainesville bands, Just a Scientist and Bang Bang Boom.
While the band members are sad it's over, they said they have plenty of memories to look back on - memories that include Ben Jacob showing off his chalk skills on cold winter nights as they promoted their shows on campus sidewalks and the final week they spent together as a band giving away as many free CDs as possible.
"All the great people who accepted our gifts of CDs I know will show up because they're Gators," Calder said.
Ben Jacob chimed in that he heard Tim Tebow is coming.
"I'm pretty sure Urban Meyer is coming, and he said he's bringing the whole defensive line," Calder added. "Bernie said he might stop by too."
