MusikBLITZ is sad to report that 24-year-old guitarist Travis Criscola of the Seattle-based mod-revival, power pop infused punk band The Cute Lepers passed away on March 28.
The Cute Lepers' founder/frontman Steve E. Nix posted the following message on the band's MySpace page explaining the situation:
"Early the morning of March 28, in Cincinnati, our friend and bandmate Travis Criscola passed away in his sleep. He was 24. Travis was guitarist in The Cute Lepers for the last six months and was the perfect addition to the band as it developed. He was our friend. His company was always a pleasure. I don't think I ever heard him say a negative word about any one. He was smart, polite and considerate; always interested in learning more about music and playing guitar...he really loved music. He was passionate about music in a way that only other like-minded musicians recognize and relate with. When Travis joined the band he would not think twice about jumping on the bus from Olympia and making the two hour ride to Seattle for a spur of the moment rehearsal, and then riding the bus two more hours to get back home. In fact, Travis was doing this three times a week up until we left for Europe to start our tour. His character and his commitment made him the very best we could hope for in a bandmate and a friend. We're gonna really miss him.
We feel that it's appropriate and absolutely not in bad taste to disclose the cause of death of our friend. Travis combined alcohol and pills, then went to sleep and never woke up. It was an accident. Travis was not any kind of a habitual drug user. I'm a man who has left drugs and alcohol alone for over a decade and I just won't work with people who are mixed up with narcotics. It is rare to find a rock 'n' roll musician in his early 20s who doesn't get caught up in hitting the bars and going to parties on tour, and Trav was just one of those ones who made a really bad decision. He naively took some type of pills on top of the beer he was drinking and that's it. I believe that it would be a disservice for us to leave out this information. People would wind up hearing distorted versions of the truth anyways. Also, our hope is that other young musicians, or anyone it may apply to who reads this will learn from our tragedy and perhaps wise up a bit. We're currently traveling across the country back home to Seattle with heavy hearts. Trav's family and his beautiful, longtime girlfriend are in our prayers."
"I'm shocked and saddened by this tragic news," says Joan Jett, co-founder of The Cute Lepers' label, Blackheart Records. "I love this band and their music."
Additionally, Blackheart Records released a statement saying that it is "deeply saddened by the tragic and sudden loss.... Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family and loved ones."
The Cute Lepers' founder/frontman Steve E. Nix posted the following message on the band's MySpace page explaining the situation:
"Early the morning of March 28, in Cincinnati, our friend and bandmate Travis Criscola passed away in his sleep. He was 24. Travis was guitarist in The Cute Lepers for the last six months and was the perfect addition to the band as it developed. He was our friend. His company was always a pleasure. I don't think I ever heard him say a negative word about any one. He was smart, polite and considerate; always interested in learning more about music and playing guitar...he really loved music. He was passionate about music in a way that only other like-minded musicians recognize and relate with. When Travis joined the band he would not think twice about jumping on the bus from Olympia and making the two hour ride to Seattle for a spur of the moment rehearsal, and then riding the bus two more hours to get back home. In fact, Travis was doing this three times a week up until we left for Europe to start our tour. His character and his commitment made him the very best we could hope for in a bandmate and a friend. We're gonna really miss him.
We feel that it's appropriate and absolutely not in bad taste to disclose the cause of death of our friend. Travis combined alcohol and pills, then went to sleep and never woke up. It was an accident. Travis was not any kind of a habitual drug user. I'm a man who has left drugs and alcohol alone for over a decade and I just won't work with people who are mixed up with narcotics. It is rare to find a rock 'n' roll musician in his early 20s who doesn't get caught up in hitting the bars and going to parties on tour, and Trav was just one of those ones who made a really bad decision. He naively took some type of pills on top of the beer he was drinking and that's it. I believe that it would be a disservice for us to leave out this information. People would wind up hearing distorted versions of the truth anyways. Also, our hope is that other young musicians, or anyone it may apply to who reads this will learn from our tragedy and perhaps wise up a bit. We're currently traveling across the country back home to Seattle with heavy hearts. Trav's family and his beautiful, longtime girlfriend are in our prayers."
"I'm shocked and saddened by this tragic news," says Joan Jett, co-founder of The Cute Lepers' label, Blackheart Records. "I love this band and their music."
Additionally, Blackheart Records released a statement saying that it is "deeply saddened by the tragic and sudden loss.... Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family and loved ones."
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