Michael Griffen
For those of you who remember WeeHuggum, I wanted to let you know that Michael Griffen passed away on Monday. He was at home and, from reports, it was as peaceful as these things ever are.

Michael was more than WeeHuggum's fiddle player; he also hosted the band at his house for many months before he was even a part of the band. Before WeeHuggum existed, he also hosted my previous band, Bingo Riot (which also included his daughter Aral), who never got as far as playing a gig but recorded a 4-track tape recorded by Michael's son Adam. I learned to play drums while in Bingo Riot, a process which was almost certainly not totally delightful to Michael, but he always offered nothing but support, while never trying to tell me "how to do it right."

He was a huge influence on my musical development, and although I often feel that I've squandered most of what I gained, there's a core there that still resonates. Without Michael, there's an excellent chance that I never would have played any music at all.

Edit: more here