Suicide's Alan Vega (1938-2016)

Alan Vega, vocalist for the influential protopunk act Suicide, died this past Saturday. He was 78. The news was first reported by Henry Rollins on his website along with a statement from Vega's family. It reads, in part: "One of the greatest aspects of Alan Vega was his unflinching adherence to the demands of his art… After decades of constant output, the world seemed to catch up with Alan and he was acknowledged as the groundbreaking creative individual he had been from the very start." The full statement can be found below.

Erik Petersen of Mischief Brew has passed away

We have some terrible news to report. Erik Petersen of Mischief Brew passed away recently.

Mischief Brew was preparing for a European tour and had released This is Not for Children in 2015 via Alternative Tentacles.

Petersen became interested in punk rock as a teenager. After playing in high school bands, he formed The Orphans, his first band to release an official studio recording. The Orphans made a name for themselves in the local Philadelphia and West Chester scenes with their Germs meets skate punk style.

After the Orphans broke up, Petersen formed the short lived Kettle Rebellion, which would be a precursor to Mischief Brew. The band played a few shows before folding, but not before recording an album that would eventually be released in 2014 as Kettle Rebellion .

Petersen then began recording as an acoustic, solo artist. This project would eventually use the name Mischief Brew.

Mischief Brew's first incarnation was fairly unique for the time, blending anarcho punk with folk and medieval imagery. Eventually, the project would become a band and record acoustic and electric tracks. The band's first album was Smash the Windows , which was an almost fifty-fifty mix of anarcho punk and folk music. Then, in 2011, the band released The Stone Operation. , which was a substantial evolution for the band, finding them delving deeper into anarcho punk, using Crass and Rudimentary Peni as reference points. Their third and final full length, This is Not for Children , was released on Alternative Tentacles and again found the band evolving. This release bore the traces of the post-Crass record scene, with the clean propulsive style of bands like New Model Army.

The final incarnation of the band included Shawn St. Clair, Petersen's brother Chris Petersen, as well as the occasional appearance from early member Chris "Doc" Kulp. The group also released several archival releases which documented the band between their albums, including Songs from Under the Sink and Bacchanal ‘N’ Philadelphia .

Petersen is survived by his wife Denise as well as their treasured pugs, which adorned many Mischief Brew items. The band's final show was on July 8, with Culture Shock and World/Inferno Friendship Society. You can read a statement from editor John Gentile below.

Brandon Ferrell has passed away

Brandon Ferrell, member of Government Warning, Municipal Waste, Career Suicide, and more, has passed away. His cause of death is not yet known. In addition to being involved in many other hardcore bands, Ferrell ran No Way Records. He also opened and was the original owner of Vinyl Conflict records in Richmond. He is survived by a wife and two children.

John Berry, original Beastie Boy, passes away

John Berry, an original member of the Beastie Boys has passed away at the age of 52. Berry passed away early Thursday morning in a hospital in Danvers, Massachusetts. According to Berry's father, Berry suffered from frontal lobe dementia which had recently worsened.

Berry was in the group's original incarnation when they were a hardcore punk band, along with Mike Diamond, Adam Yauch, and Kate Schellenbach. Berry was on the seminal Pollywog Stew. After leaving the Beastie Boys, he was in groups including Even Worse, Big Fat Love, Highway Stars and Bourbon Deluxe. Hear Pollywog Stew below.

Marlene Marder of Kleenex/Liliput has passed away

Unfortunately, guitarist and singer Marlene Marder has passed away. Marder was a long running member of Liliput, who were initially known as Kleenex. The cause of death is not yet known. Marder was 62. If more details become available, we will let you know. Hear some of Marder's recordings below.

John Stabb of Government Issue has passed away

Unfortunately, John Stabb, the lead vocalist of Government Issue, passed away on May 7, 2016 of stomach cancer at the age of 54. Stabb was a key part of the early D.C. hardcore scene, first as part of the Stabs and then releasing the Legless Bull EP via Dischord in 1981.

The band then released the Boycott Stabb album in 1983. The band broke up in 1989. Unfortunately, in 2007, Stabb was badly assaulted by five men and required facial reconstruction. The band reformed as Government Re-Issue for a show in 2007 to help pay for Stabb's medical costs. The band also performed in 2014 with many original members.

The Punknews staff sends its condolences to John Stabb's family and friends. You can see the band's statement below.

Vi Subversa of Poison Girls has passed away

Unfortunately, Vi Subversa of Poison Girls passed away yesterday after a short illness. She was 80.

Poison Girls formed in 1976 with Vi Subversa as their frontwoman and guitarist. Perhaps somewhat unusually for the the time, when the band formed, Vi was already a mother and in her 40s. Poison Girls were unique in the early English punk scene. They were one of the first bands to introduce an avant-garde style of music to the scene and also focused heavily on gender issues. Soon after forming, the band developed a relationship with Crass and toured with that band for over 100 gigs.

The band released three main albums and numerous singles. Both their album Chappaquiddick Bridge and their split-single with Crass, "Persons Unknown," are considered landmark releases. See a statement by Subversa's son, Pete Fender below, and hear some of the band's songs.

Hogan Ruspin of Amateur Engines (1988 - 2016)

Hogan Ruspin (born Smith), bassist for Orlando punks Amateur Engines has passed away. His bandmates posted a message to their Facebook relating the news. You can see the statement after the jump.

The Punknews staff sends its condolences to Smith's friends and family.

Jon Bunch (1970-2016)

Jon Bunch, vocalist for of Sense Field and Further Seems Forever, passed away earlier this week. According to Loudwire the cause of death is unknown.

Further Seems Forever stated:

"We are in total shock, today we found out that Jon Bunch departed this world. Jon was an inspiration to us in so many ways. He had the uncanny ability to light up a room when he stepped into it. He left a huge imprint in the music scene from "Reason to Believe” to “Sense Field", and we were lucky enough to make a beautiful record with him. It is a legacy of hope and one that will never fade. We truly lost a special person."

You can find other statements from his friends and family here.

Robert Mcallister (1980-2016)

According to the band's Facebook page, Iron Chic's guitarist Robert Mcallister passed away. Rob has also played in Long Island's Capital, The Reformation and Secret Lives.

The Punknews staff sends its condolences to Robert's family and friends.

You can read the band's full statement below.