Last Man Standing

When I was a sophomore in high school, I had a thrash trio called Nemesis. Haha. In a time when everyone else in school was listening to Backstreet Boys, N'Sync, and 98 Degrees, and whatever other overproduced garbage was on the radio back then, I was listening to and playing bands like Metallica, Machine Head, Sepultura, Vision of Disorder, Slayer, and Pantera, just to name a few.

Guess I always kind of went against the grain - whether or not other people approved. I didn't care. I was an angsty little bastard with a big chip on my shoulder. Music - especially metal - was my escape, my refuge. So it was definitely a life-changing experience to find like-minded folks who wanted to jam, who felt the way I felt, and dug all the same bands.

It was the first time in my life I'd ever fronted a band - and most likely, the last. I learned a lot in those early years... What to do, and more importantly, what NOT to do. Haha.

But... That monster scream you hear all over the first Fatally Yours record got its start way back then, in my dad's garage, in that band. 

I can't help but feel a sense of irony that I write this. You see, back in those days, I had a bit of a reputation for being the "last man standing" at parties. I could drink men twice my age under the table. This morning, I learned that as of Saturday, I am the last surviving member of that band. Our drummer, John, passed away suddenly a few years ago. And so went our bass player, this past weekend. My "rhythmless section" is gone, but will never be forgotten.

It seems, once again, I am the last man standing.

Thanks for the laughs. And thanks for being such a good sport.

RIP Craig.

​Christian