With Melissa's departure, Broadside Electric found itself at a crossroads. The prospect of searching for a replacement was unattractive and it was decided that the band would continue as a trio at a reduced level of activity. It didn't happen that way, though; instead Jim brought the Chapman Stick^® (which he had been playing for a year or two previously) into the band for the first time and a new live set was built around the textural possibilities of the Stick-violin-guitar combination. A fresh burst of creativity produced a substantial amount of new material, and in February 1995 the recording of the third album (under the working title "Frog and Locust") was begun. Progress was intermittent until the fall, with most of the recording sessions taking place from October to December. Melissa returned to provide backing vocals on a few songs. The record, retitled More Bad News ..., was eventually released in March 1996. On the heels of this, the band embarked on its longest tour so far, a 7-show trip taking in 4 New England states.