Hasil Adkins (1938-2005)

On April 25th "crazed rockabilly one-man band" Hasil Adkins passed away in his home. He was 67. One of our readers contributed the following tribute:

It is a sad day. Hasil "The Haze" Adkins passed away yesterday. He was 67. Hasil was one of the most inspiring musicians I have ever seen. Not only did he brand his own unique sound of rockabilly, but the man wrote something like 6,000 songs. If that wasn't enough, he was the original one man band, playing several instruments at a time not only at live shows but on his records as well, and it wasn't a mess, it was surprisingly tight. He could be wild ("She Said") and downright insane ("No More Hot Dogs"), but he could also write some of the sweetest, most beautiful songs ever written ("Your Memories", "Beautiful Hills"). Bands such as The Cramps, the B-52's, The Polecats and Jon Spencer Blues Explosion might not have been what they are today without Hasil's help. Hasil had also made a few movie appearances in the last couple of years, his biggest probably being in the indie film "The Heart Is Deceitful Above All Things" alongside Winona Ryder, Marilyn Manson, and Peter Fonda… He will be missed, but he will be remembered.

Ever prolific, in recent years Adkins released records via Norton Records, Fat Possum / Epitaph and Shake It among others. His funeral will be held tomorrow (Saturday 4/30) at Handley Funeral Home in Madison, WV. More details can be found at hasiladkins.com.

Our deepest condolences go out to Hasil's friends and family.

Scott Gottlieb of Bleed The Dream (1970-2005)

Bleed the Dream posted this on their website today:

On Sunday, April 10, 2005, Scott Gottlieb lost his battle with cancer. He had been fighting it since May 8, 2004 and was doing better and awaiting a bone marrow transplant. Then about a month ago he got an infection that he could not beat. It attacked his lungs and then the rest of the organs in his body. Somehow in all his pain and suffering he did the most "punk rock" thing we've ever seen: he dragged himself out of his hospital bed to record all the drum tracks on our new album, "Built By Blood." We are so sad that he won't be here to see it come out, but we are happy and proud that he left us such an amazing piece of himself to remember him by.

Our deepest condolences go out to Scott's friends and family.

Hideaki Sekiguchi (Billy) of Guitar Wolf (1967-2005)

Narnack Records has reported in with this sad news:

It's with deep and saddest regret to announce this latest Guitar Wolf news. Last night (3/30) Billy, aka Bass Wolf, passed away of natural causes. He was 38.

The band had just returned from their month-long US tour, and fortunately Billy did get to spend time with his wife and children before checking into the hospital. He died in his sleep sometime during the night.

Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and Guitar Wolf members Seiji and Toru.

The Japanese three piece, which formed in 1987, most recently released Loverock in 2004. Our deepest condolences go out to Billy's friends and family.

Derrick Plourde (1971-2005)

Kris Roe of the Ataris has posted that drummer Derrick Plourde, formerly of the Ataris, Lagwagon, Bad Astronaut, RKL and Mad Caddies shot and killed himself on March 30th.

Kris wrote this for Derrick:

I would like to extend my love and respect to all of Derrick's many friends and family, Joanne, Joey, Jessica, Snodgrass, Derrick's Brother and Father, pretty much everyone in every band in Santa Barbara, just anyone who loved and cared about this guy as much as I did. This is one of those things in the back of your mind you kinda somewhat think could happen anytime then suddenly on the day you get that call it just doesn't really seem real. We defintely take some things… some friendships for granted while we are alive, and then suddenly they're gone. Derrick, I can assure you that tonight in Santa Barbara, Goleta and the rest of the world there are many glasses raised in your honor, Be well and we all love you always.

Longtime label, Fat Wreck Chords had this to say:

March 30th was a sad day for the Fat Wreck Chords family as we learned about the passing of Derrick Plourde. Derrick played drums on the very first Fat release, Duh, and we consider him one of the founders of the label as well as a great friend. His profound talents can be heard on all of the early Lagwagon albums and also on recordings from Mad Caddies, Ataris, and Bad Astronaut. Above all, Derrick was a great guy who will be sorely missed and will always remain a member of the Fat family.

Sheila Plourde also wrote this message:

Derrick was the most precious talented drummer that I ever heard. I got to spend the last few days with him, his father and I found him in our bedroom was the worse nightmare you could ever imagine. Bless all of your hearts he will be in my heart forever, his fathers and so many others. Love you Derrick rest in peace. And know how much so many people loved you and how you touched their lives.

Our deepest condolences go out to Derrick's friends and family.

Kid Krupa of the Revillos (1962-2005)

Drummer Rocky Rhythm recently announced the death of Revillos guitarist Kid Krupa. Krupa joined the band after the 1979 departure of original Rezillos guitarist Hi-Fi Harris. Rhythm's statement read:

Krupa was one of my closest friends and my Revillo cohort. He joined the group in 1980 as a 17-year old. His fabulous guitar style defined the classic Revillo sound, as evidenced by the Rev Up and Attack albums, and his dedication and onstage persona helped elevate the Revillos to their peak.

I will always miss my friend: as a consummate musician he was a joy to work with; as a human being he had great intelligence and an incredible, super-fast sense of humour.

He quit the Revillos in 1983 and worked with his own bands and as a session player for such varied names as Tim Finn, Roger Daltry, Del Amitri, Bonnie Tyler and even Shakin' Stevens. Later, as illness impacted on his health, his commitment to music never waned: he channeled his phenomenal skills into being a producer.

Krupa retained an interest in his Revillo roots: he last played with the band on our tour of Japan in 1994 and in 1996 he helped me produce the seminal Revillos live album, Totally Alive. Krupa and I were working on a collection of material recently when he became seriously ill. He died of complications brought on by diabetes.

I will always cherish my memories of Krupa. And for all those who appreciated his music, he will live on through a collection of work that stands as testament to his unique talent.

Our deepest condolences go out to Krupa's friends and family.

Hunter S. Thompson (1939-2005)

A number of you wrote in with the sad news that Hunter S.Thompson, the father of "Gonzo Journalism," and author of notable works like Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas was found dead Sunday in his Aspen-area home of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound, The 67 year old writer whose early writings mostly appeared in Rolling Stone magazine, often portrayed himself as wildly intoxicated as he reported on such historic figures as Jimmy Carter, Richard Nixon and Bill Clinton.

"Fiction is based on reality unless you're a fairy-tale artist," Thompson told The Associated Press in 2003. "You have to get your knowledge of life from somewhere. You have to know the material you're writing about before you alter it."

Miesko Talarczyk of Nasum (1974-2004)

Nasum's website was updated today with this sad news:

We recieved a confirmation that Mieszko Talarczyk died in the Tsunami Disaster December 26, 2004. His body has been identified and will be transfered to Sweden shortly.

His closest family and friends are in our thoughts right now. Mieszko will be missed by many.

nasum.com will be closed for at least a month. You know why. There will be a slight update in a couple of days with some information about the future of Nasum along with some personal words about Mieszko.

Thanks a lot for your support and your thoughts. Now a new time begins, a time we must spend alone. Please respect this wish.

Sincerely,
Anders and Nasum.

Talarczyk was among 800 Swedes reported missing in the aftermath of the earthquake and the resulting tsunami. Our deepest condolences go out to Mieszko's friends and family.

Bueno/All Autonomy singer Brian Gianelli (1979-2004)

KOLD News 13 is reporting that Brian Gianelli, the lead singer of Bueno/All Autonomy, passed away in a canoeing accident this past Thursday, December 30th. The news report states that Gianelli, along with friend Luke Augosta, both lost their lives in the Granite Creek near Prescott Arizona as a result of the accident. The men were 25 and 21 respectively. Details on the cause of the accident are unclear at this time.

Gianelli's band Bueno released two albums for Volcom Entertainment before changing their name to All Autonomy. Our deepest condolences go out to his friends and family.

Brandon Chevalier-Kolling of Leftover Crack (1980-2004)

Leftover Crack's Stza Crack issued the following statement on the death of his friend and bandmate:

"At some point on the morning of Friday, December 17th our friend & drummer Brandon died in his sleep at a Dallas, Texas hotel after our show at the Red Blood club. There will be a funeral for him in N.J. on Wednesday the 22nd. We will ask his blood-family if they want the location posted here for anybody who wishes to attend.

Brandon was not only the most talented drummer we have ever played with, but anyone that knew him can tell you that he was one of nicest funny & caring people in the world. At a time when I became totally disillusioned & turned off from playing music he showed-up to completely inspire me & remind me about the fun & meaning of what it was that we were doing.

We will miss him with all of our hearts & minds until we meet our own ends."

Our condolences to Brandon's family and friends.

Ernie Cortez of Powerhouse/OBHC

Ernie Cortez, bassist for the local hardcore band Powerhouse, has died of cancer. Ernie also sang for the band Doomsday Device and ran the Sacred Heart tattoo shop in downtown Oakland.

Contributor Jesse Luscious adds, "If it wasn't for Powerhouse in some part, the local hardcore kids wouldn't have much of a scene to speak of. Those dudes played brutal NYHC style when it wasn't particularly cool to do so, and helped out a lot of people. They also played a big role in the opening of the short-lived East Oakland venue the Bombshelter.

So crack open a beer or fire one up for the big guy, slap on your copy of the first Powerhouse CD and pay tribute to a dude that did his best to make sure hardcore bands would get their due."

Check the following message board here for messages from his friends and fans, and his bandmate and singer of Powerhouse, Chris.