For me, the best part of 2020 was getting to play with punkrock giants DOA in February ( thanks Esther !), and doing a three night stand with BLKR and The Dayglos in March in Victoria, Nanaimo and Vancouver , just one week before the world shut down. Mass Distraction played the show in Victoria also , and were fucking intense.
The shows weren't as well attended as they should have been due to coronafear setting in , but it was a great time and showed me the wonderful side of the members of all three of those bands , and the timing of the events were just perfect, all thanks to Jay from BLKR . I am grateful to him for his tireless efforts to have made it happen.
The lowest parts of the year were the losses , which of course are inevitable , but it's always far sadder when families are left behind and the people who've left were far too young for that to have happened.
Jeff Grosso left behind a young son and a skateboarding legacy larger than life . His internet show "Loveletters To Skateboarding" highlighted his passion and knowledge about everything skate related , and his passing left many people in shock and pain.
Chi Pig of hugely inspirational punk band SNFU was another gigantic loss of 2020 , and his influence on the music scene will be felt forever. His life and career was a bit of a roller coaster , but that's often the way extremely creative people live . The last song he released was a gut wrenching tune that will haunt you forever.
The most difficult one for me personally was the passing of Dave Del Castillo , AKA Dave Knight.
I still can't believe I'll never see him , hear his laugh , or hear him sing again. I kept thinking I saw him around this Christmastime , but the dark reality would always set in and I'd realize it couldn't be. This was a particularly hard loss to get over, and I know many in Victoria and beyond feel the same way . My heart goes out to his family forever.
I wish everyone a healthier and happier 2021.
