Cayle Sain, drummer of Twitching Tongues, has passed away

Cayle Sain, the drummer for Twitching Tongues, has passed away. He passed away on December 10 at the age of 31. No cause of death has been made public. The band announced his passing in a statement on Instagram which reads,

Our beloved friend, brother, and drummer Cayle Sain has passed away.

Aside from his unmatched talent, Cayle had the biggest heart and was the most loyal and caring friend anyone could ask for. If you spent one minute with him, he loved you.

We are moved by the outpouring of love and support we’ve seen for him today and we promise you that it would have meant everything to him.

His charisma, his raw power on the kit, and his unbeatable comedic timing will never be replaced or forgotten.

Rest in peace, and goodbye for now.”

Cayle Sain also played in Downpresser, Mizery, God’s Hate, Fuming Mouth, Betrayal, Ghostemane, If I Die First, and Troncale. We send our condolences to Cayle Sain’s family, friends, and fans.

Scott Kempner of The Dictators has passed away

Scott “Top Ten” Kempner, guitarist and founding member of The Dictators and The Del-Lords, has passed away. He was 69 and passed from complications related to early-onset dementia on November 29 in a nursing home in Connecticut. Scott Kempner formed the Dictators with Andy Shernoff and Ross Friedman in 1972 and formed the Del-Lords in 1982 after the Dictators split in 1979. He also played in The Brandos, Helen Wheels Band, Little Kings, and Paradise Brothers as well as releasing three solo albums. We send our condolences to Scott Kempner’s family, friends, and fans.

Shane MacGowan, lead singer of the Pogues, has passed away

Shane MacGowan of the Pogues has passed away. He was 65 and had recently been hospitalized for viral encephalitis. He passed early this morning with his family around him according to a statement written by his wife, Victoria Mary Clarke, his sister Siobhan, and his father Maurice, which was released on the band’s Instagram page. The statement reads in full,

”It is with the deepest sorrow and heaviest of hearts that we announce the passing of Shane MacGowan. Shane died peacefully at 3am this morning (30 November, 2023) with his wife Victoria and family by his side. Prayers and the last rites were read which gave comfort to his family. He is survived by his wife Victoria, his sister Siobhan, and his father Maurice, family and a large circle of friends. Further details will be announced shortly but the family ask for privacy at this very sad time.”

We send our condolences to Shane MacGowan’s family, friends, and fans.

Geordie Walker of Killing Joke has passed away

Kevin “Geordie” Walker, guitarist of Killing Joke, has passed away. He died at age 64 after suffering a stroke. The band released a statement on Instagram that reads,

”It is with extreme sadness we confirm that at 6:30am on 26th November 2023 in Prague, Killing Joke's legendary guitarist Kevin “Geordie” Walker passed away after suffering a stroke, he was surrounded by family. We are devastated. Rest In Peace brother.”

He joined the band in 1979 and played on all of the band’s releases, the last of which was the Lord of Chaos EP in 2022. We send our condolences to Geordie Walker’s family, friends, and fans.

Bennett Kent Stacks of Scream passes away

Sadly, Bennett Kent Stacks of Scream has passed away. He was battling metastatic cancer.

The band stated: "We are heartbroken to share that our drummer Bennett Kent Stacks passed away this morning after a bout with metastatic cancer. Kent is the original heartbeat of Scream. Though we have had to continue on without him before, we have always known Kent is irreplaceable. He was one of a kind. In addition to being a truly unique drummer, Kent was also an accomplished fisherman, skilled carpenter, and avid train enthusiast. Kent also played in prominent punk and harDCore bands including The Suspects, Spitfires United, Alleged Bricks and more throughout his life. He also branched out to other genres, playing with The Daryl Davis Band and The Old Dominion Trio. He is survived by his wife of 40 years Andrea, daughter Jennifer, brothers Kurt, William and Henry and a host of band mates, friends and fans."

Matthew Stewart of Streetlight Manifesto has passed away

Matthew Stewart, the trumpet player for Streetlight Manifesto, has passed away. He passed on September 10 at age 41. The band released a statement on Instagram which reads in part,

”Today, Sunday, September 10th, 2023, at around 3:30pm, our friend, trumpet player, and long time Streetlight family member Matthew Brandon Stewart passed away from natural causes. He was surrounded by family and friends. He was 41 years old.

Some of you know Matt strictly from our records or live shows, as a trumpet player whose talent was undeniable; raw, powerful and alive. His playing cut through when it needed to cut through, sang when it was necessary to sing and sat perfectly in the mix when that was what was asked of it. Today you lost a musical powerhouse.

Others of you know Matt a little better, as many of you have interacted with him directly, be it online or after (or before) a show. He was always roaming around, outside of clubs, backstage, next to the bus. And he often had a stranger with him. Whether it was a fan, excited to meet him, a local crew member shooting the shit with a friendly musician or a random homeless dude, sharing a smoke. He was never rude to anyone he met and was quick to make new acquaintances feel comfortable. Today you lost a friendly, wandering spirit, as likely to talk your ear off about jazz as he was to put your name on the guest list of a sold out show."

Matthew Stewart joined the band in 2007 and played on 2007’s Somewhere in the Between , 2010’s 99 Songs of Revolution , and 2013’s The Hands That Thieve . We send our condolences to Matthew Stewart’s family, friends, and fans.

Steve Harwell of Smash Mouth has passed away

Steve Harwell, who sang for Smash mouth from 1994-2021, has passed away. He was 56. He passed away at his home in Idaho due to liver failure. We send our best wishes to Harwell's family.

Robert Becerra of the Stains has passed away

Sadly, this weekend Robert Becerra of the Stains passed away. The cause of deathas liver cancer, which he was battling to his last day. He was 64. Becerra inspired many artists including Greg Ginn, Greg Hetson, the Dead Kennedys, and many, many more. we send our best wishes to Becerra's family.

Sakevi of GISM has passed away

Sadly, according to Cherry Nishida of Zouo, Sakevi Yokoyama, founder and frontman of GISM has passed away. Few details are available, but we will update you as things develop. Sakevi famously sang for GISM, who recorded a groundbreaking punk and metal mélange. He also was a renown visual artist. We send our condolences to Yokoyama's family.

John Kezdy of Effigies killed in bike accident

Sadly, last Wednesday John Kezdy of The Effigies was killed in a bike accident. He was 64. Apparently, an Amazon delivery van illegally stopped in a bike lane on Wednesday afternoon in the Chicago suburb of Glencoe. Kezdy collided with the van. Kezdy was taken to the hopsital but passed away shortly thereafter. The Glencoe Public Safety Department. stated “Based on the initial investigation, the bicyclist was traveling northbound on Sheridan Road past South Avenue when he struck the rear of a stopped Dodge Ram ProMaster." Kezdy was a regular cyclist and an attorney. We send Kezdy's family our best wishes.