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Some more sad news to report for a music community that's still grappling with the losses of some other dearly departed friends: If you haven't heard, Joe Cahill, Leftover Salmon's lighting designer, passed away last week in New Orleans.

According to an item filed by the New Orleans Times-Picayune, Cahill, who had just finished a string of dates with Leftover Salmon, was shot during a home invasion in New Orleans on Sunday, April 28, where he was reportedly involved in a disturbance.

See also:
- R.I.P., Chris Haney
- R.I.P., Barry Fey
- Horns for Haney: A photo tribute to Chris Haney

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R.I.P., Jeff Hanneman (second from left).

Oh, man, this week just isn't getting any easier. As we're still grappling with the two recent deaths that rattled our community this week, comes word of another significant loss. If you haven't heard yet, Jeff Hanneman has passed away at the age of 49. The Slayer guitarist reportedly died this morning of liver failure in Southern California. Besides playing a pair of songs with the band at the Big Four at Coachella in April 2011, Hanneman hadn't been performing with the band as he struggled to recover from a flesh-eating disease he ostensibly contracted from a spider bite.

See also:
- R.I.P., Barry Fey
- R.I.P., Chris Haney
- Still reigning in blood, Slayer gives the devil his due

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By Gil Asakawa

I first visited the offices of Feyline, Barry Fey's concert promotions company, in the early 1980s when I was music editor for Westword. I had become friends with Feyline's publicist, Mark Bliesener, and I would go over to the office to get the skinny on upcoming shows. That's when I first met Barry Fey, who was physically larger-than-life at various times (he'd yo-yo between being morbidly obese and merely overweight).

Fey had an office next to Chuck Morris, his onetime competitor who booked small clubs like Tulagi in Boulder and Ebbetts Field in Denver. By the '80s, Fey had brought Morris on board the Feyline train. Every time I visited, I was amazed at how much the two of them fought -- or seemingly fought. All I'd hear the whole time was cussing and screaming back and forth, and stuff being thrown around, though I don't recall ever having to duck. Fey was one of the most profane people I know -- more than even most journalists.

See also:
- R.I.P., Barry Fey
- Barry Fey cause of death confirmed, foundation and Red Rocks statue campaign
- Barry Fey is dead: Towering figure in Denver music scene passes away

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Earlier this week, Kent Shelton shared a conversation with me that he had with Chris Haney some time ago in which he asked Haney if he ever got depressed. "Sometimes I get depressed," Shelton recalled his friend saying. "But I have so many friends, I can't stay depressed...They just cheer me up."

Judging from the gracious groundswell of support from all parts of the scene for the devout metalhead, as well as the sheer overwhelming number of folks who stopped by our memorial page this week, and the numerous exchanges I've had with mutual friends from all walks of life in the past week, Haney wasn't exaggerating. Dude was greatly loved.

Haney, who passed away nearly a week ago, is a man who is universally remembered as one of the kindest, gentlest souls around. A great many hearts in Denver are heavy right now. It's a safe bet that HaneyStock, the memorial service and tribute concert at the Gothic this Friday will be brimming, if not bursting, with the people who loved Haney.

See also:
- R.I.P., Chris Haney
- Chris Haney, Gothic Theatre staffer, dies in Denny's shooting
- Friday: HaneyStock: A Chris Haney Memorial Show at Gothic Theatre, 5/3/13

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Update, 11 a.m. 5/01/13: We just added a photo post tribute to Chris Haney containing some of the photos that will be featured in a slide show at the memorial this Friday at the Gothic Theatre in remembrance of Chris Haney. Keep reading for details on the memorial and for a few words about from Haney from some of his friends.

See also:
- R.I.P., Barry Fey
- Chris Haney, Gothic Theatre staffer, dies in Denny's shooting, Robert Bernal busted (75)
- Backbeat's full In Memoriam archive

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Just received some harrowing news: Barry Fey has passed away. As anyone who's lived in Denver for any amount of time knows, Barry was a legendary and revered figure worldwide, but especially here in the Colorado music scene. We'll have much more in-depth coverage about Barry and his life in the coming days, but for now, our heartfelt condolences go out to the entire Fey family and all of the people whose lives he has touched over the years. Continue on to see one of Barry's last interviews on KLOS, taped this past February, and to read my thoughts about the passing of one of my dearest friends.

See also:
- Barry Fey is dead: Towering figure in Denver music scene passes away
- Harry Tuft and Barry Fey officially inducted into the Colorado Music Hall of Fame
- The Barry Fey archives, untold stories and more
- Barry Fey on The Jimi Hendrix Experience's last show at the Denver Pop Festival

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Many in music world are reeling this morning over the loss of Chi Cheng, the masterful Deftones bassist who passed away yesterday at the age of 42. Word of Cheng's passing was posted on OneLoveForChi.com, a site that was established shortly after a 2008 car accident that left him comatose and maintained over the years to keep fans updated on his condition and help raise funds for Cheng and his family. Keep reading for more on Cheng's life and his tragically premature death.

See also:
- Album Review: Deftones - Saturday Night Wrist
- Live Review: Deftones at the Fillmore Auditorium, 10/19/12
- Q&A With Chino Moreno of Team Sleep and Deftones

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Andy Johns in the studio with William Murphy of the Swayback circa September 2008.

It's a super sad day for the entire music world, but especially for the members of the Swayback, who have lost their dear friend, Andy Johns. The legendary engineer/producer passed away yesterday at the age of 61. In addition to amassing a mind-blowing list of credits over the course of his life on iconic albums like Exile On Main Street by the Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin IV, Johns spent time in the studio with the Swayback, recording and producing a number of songs for the band's last full-length, Double Four Time.

See also:
- Swayback in Capitol Studios with Andy Johns
- The Swayback checks in from the studio in Los Angeles
- The Swayback reflects on a decade of going for the musical nectar

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Monica Jatko-Gamache

A photo of Roy Waines shared on the Royz House Facebook page.

Update, 5 p.m. March 3: Some sad news to share if you haven't heard yet, Roy Waines passed away on Friday night. Tonight's Royz House benefit will still be taking place as originally planned tonight at the Church in support to Roy's family, and it will also now serve as a celebration of his life with friends and family remembering Roy and sharing stories. Keep reading for more on this beloved Denver nightclub scene icon and more details on tonight's event.

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design/illustration by Jeff Livak

Country singer Mindy McCready is thought to have taken her own life this past weekend, on the front porch of her home in Arkansas. That part of her story has been widely reported. What you may not know, however, is that toward the end of her career and, ultimately, her life, the 37-year-old artist had strong ties to the local scene. Her final album, 2010's I'm Still Here, was at least partially recorded at the Blasting Room in Fort Collins by Andrew Berlin (and later mixed and mastered by Jason Livermore). The bulk of that record was steered by Christopher Jak (Heyday, Northern Way), with whom we've spoken, and features performances by Jak and Jeremy Lawton of Big Head Todd and the Monsters. The cover art above, meanwhile, was even fashioned by a Nashville-by-way-of-Denver artist/graphic designer named Jeff Livak.

See also:
- Chuck Ragan of Hot Water Music on finally being able to record at the Blasting Room
- Jonny 5's track-by-track breakdown Flobots new album, recorded at the Blasting Room
- Kinetix on recording at the Blasting Room

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