Complex sentence: Schwarzenbach now teaches English at Hunter College in New York and is pursuing a Ph.D. in English Literature; in October 2008, he started a new band, The Thorns of Life, but broke up in August 2009.
Split into simpler sentences: Schwarzenbach now teaches English at Hunter College in New York City and is pursuing a PhD in English Literature. In October 2008, he started a new band, The Thorns of Life, but was short-lived and broke up in August 2009.