R.I.P. Bobby Johnston

Bobby Johnston of Miami punk band LOAD has faded into legend.

R.I.P. Jeff Davis

R.I.P Jeff Davis aka Jef Leppard. Dude was an awesome recording engineer, guitar player and all around great guy. My thoughts go out to his friends and family.

R.I.P. Joe Albanese

Maybe you heard about the shooting in Seattle yesterday. Apparently Joe Albanese, the original bassist of one of The Hearse's favorite bands, Mighty Sphincter, was among one who was killed. I know this might be a great place to decry senseless violence and state how important it is to look after our fellow man in these troubled times but I just don't have it in me. Fuck this place. Bye Joe.

R.I.P. Adam Yauch

Founding member of the Beastie Boys dead at age 48. R.I.P.

R.I.P. Ronnie Montrose

SF Native and total badass, Ronnie Montrose.

R.I.P. Michael Davis

Michael Davis, bass player of one of America's greatest rock bands ever, The MC5, has passed away. He was 68. To Valhalla, Michael.

Bye Sam

I sat down to write this post and the first thing I wrote was "Sam Rivers is a bad ass," but then I went to check the ol' interweb to see how old he was and discovered that he passed away the day after christmas. No one told me. Fuck. Sam Rivers was a badass. He played with Miles Davis until Miles deemed him too weird and replaced him with weird Wayne Shorter, he cut four amazing records for Blue Note, he started a venue to host avant jazz with his wife Bea, made records up until he was 83 years old, and motherfucker did most of these things without a shirt on. Sad to see him go, but he had a long and colorful life, left behind some amazing work, and that can't be taken away. It's hard for me to choose a favorite Rivers album, but if I had to Dimensions & Extensions might do. Bye Sam.

Here

R.I.P. David Gold

Very saddened to hear about the sudden passing of Woods of Ypres' David Gold. David was always a very kind and thoughtful individual, and an immense talent. Peace be with his friends and family.

R.I.P. Conrad Schnitzler

Kraut Rock pioneer Conrad Schnitzler has passed away.

R.I.P. Würzel

Thanks for the Rock

R.I.P. Seth Putnam

I didn't always like you, but I always admired your bravery.

R.I.P. Gil Scott-Heron

You're gone, and whitey's on the moon. Rest In Peace.

R.I.P. Gary Moore

April 4, 1952 - February 6, 2011

R.I.P. Peter "Sleazy" Christopherson

The genius partly responsible for Throbbing Gristle, COIL, and some of the greatest album covers of all time has left the earth. He will be missed.

R.I.P. Ari Up

R.I.P. Ari Up (Ariane Forster,) singer of The Slits. 1/1/62-10/20/10

Criminal

In 1987, before mustached track bike hipster dicks, before Vice Magazine, Disney's dick in Times Square, and national tragedies, New York City was still a rough place, even rougher if you were young, black, and talented. The BDP crew knew this all too well, and when BDP member, Derrick "D Nice" Jones, was harassed and bullied by some toughs from the Highbridge projects in the South Bronx, he brought his most reasonable and respected neighborhood friend, Scott Monroe Sterling aka DJ Scott La Rock to help him smooth over the situation. It is unclear as to exactly what was said that night of August 27th, 1987, but as D Nice's Jeep Cherokee left Highbridge, it was sprayed with gunfire, and Scott La Rock was hit. When he arrived at Lincoln hospital he was conscious and was quite lucid, his friends and family had no reason to believe that he wouldn't survive the ordeal. However, DJ Scott La Rock was pronounced dead within an hour of the shooting, he died at the hospital, but did he have to? I don't want to open a can of worms as to the racial implications and disparity of treatment in medical facilities, I wish to avoid conspiracy theories, conjecture, and "what if" scenarios. Let's just leave it that it was a tragedy that probably needed not occur, a tragedy that truly robbed the world of a vibrant and creative performer on the verge of true greatness. I know I am not alone in wondering what Scott La Rock would have achieved had not a bullet and an avalanche of shitty decisions intervened so.

So what about the album that was left behind? Criminal Minded is a classic of proto hip hop and a perfect snapshot of life in the South Bronx at the end of the '80s. Criminal Minded can also boast a number of firsts, firsts that are now staples in hip hop and gangsta rap; it was the first rap record to feature the mebers brandishing firearms on the cover, the first to adopt a Jamaican toast-style delivery, the first to carry a first person crime narrative, and the first to carry any real beef/boast numbers with "South Bronx" and "The Bridge is Over" which were levelled directly at Queens based rappers Juice Crew. KRS One's voice is crisp, his delivery forceful and deliberate. The beats are simple and samples minimal. The end result is a primitive, early piece of hip hop history that alludes at bigger things to come, but still remains highly enjoyable two decades later. In my opinion, BDP's masterpiece was By Any Means Necessary, but it would have never come to be if not for Scott La Rock and Criminal Minded.

Here

R.I.P. Mahk Daniels

Cosmic Hearse never likes to be the bearer of tragic news, but I woke to a phone call from my friend John Clancy telling me that the band Early Graves had been in a horrible van accident that took the life of singer Mahk Daniels. I only met Mahk recently when we did the Streetwise piece for Decibel but in that afternoon it became abundantly clear that Mahk was the real deal. A furious frontman while also being a really genuine and nice dude. I had looked forward to seeing this new friend around the hood, now I guess I never will. This sucks.

R.I.P. Derf Scratch

Derf Scratch aka Frederick Milner III, the original bass player of FEAR has passed away. He didn't care about you. Fuck you.

R.I.P. Garry Shider

Garry Shider aka "Star Child" aka "Diaper Man" of Parliament/Funkadelic has sadly lost his battle with cancer. May your journey on the Mothership be swift and painless. You were a badass.

Goodbye

Long Live 'n' Roll