Died On This Date (December 9, 2011) Dustin Hengst / Drummer For Damone

Dustin Hengst
October 14, 1972 – December 9, 2011

Dustin Hengst was the drummer for the popular Boston-area pop-punk band, Damone.  Formed in 2001, Damone quickly built a local following that was hungry for their skate punk attitude and crunchy guitars.  Within a couple of year, the band was signed to RCA Records and was sharing the stage with the likes of the Ataris and the Juliana Theory.   They released their well-received debut, From The Attic in 2003.  They were eventually let go by RCA but bounced back with their solid Island/Def Jam release of Out Here All Night in 2006.  Hengst left the group in 2008.  He also played behind the band, Bleu.   On December 9, 2011, Dustin Hengst, 39, died in a Texas hospital where he had reportedly been struggling with health related issues for a few weeks.  Cause of death was not immediately released.

Thanks to Steve Cabral for the assist.

What You Should Own

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Out Here All Night - Damone

Died On This Date (November 23, 2011) Horacio “Gamexane” Villafañe / Todos Tus Muertos

Horacio Villafañe
DOB Unknown – November 23, 2011

Horacio “Gamexane” Villafañe was the founding guitarist for popular yet politically charged Argentine punk band, Todos Tus Muertos.   The group, which formed in 1985, found a sizable following thanks in part to their seamless marriage of punk, reggae and hip-hop. After being named Best International Group by La Banda Elastica,  Todos Tus Muertos signed with Grita! Records, the label founded by ex-Bad Religion drummer, Jay B. Ziskraut.  The band, who has recorded with Manu Chao and Los Fabulosos Cadillacs, to name just a couple, took a hiatus in 2000, but relaunched in 2004.  They continued to tour and record until Villafañe fell ill while on a recent tour of Mexico.  As was reported in Tiny Mix Tapes, Horacio Villafañe was diagnosed with a digestive hemorrhage which ultimately lead to his death on November 23, 2011.  He was 48.

What You Should Own

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Todos Tus Muertos - Greatest Hits - Todos Tus Muertos

Died On This Date (November 6, 2011) Jesse Morris / San Francisco Busker

Jesse Morris
DOB Unknown – November 6, 2011

Photo by Jenner Davis

Known throughout the San Francisco area as the “Punk Rock Johnny Cash,” Jesse Morris was a local musician who by day, busked at the city’s train stations, and by night played clubs fronting Jesse Morris & the Man Cougars.  The charismatic singer earned his nickname for his near perfect delivery of Cash songs along with punk and metal covers in the same crushed velvet baritone voice.  In 2008, Morris went into the studio to begin recording a country album.  Though never finished, several tracks are available through the Different Fur Studios site. Jesse Morris was 28 when he died of an apparent suicide on November 6, 2011.

Thanks to Kim Shepard for the assist.



Died On This Date (October 14, 2011) Kevin Mahoney / Singer For Siege

Kevin Mahoney
September 6, 1965 – October 14, 2011

Photo by Cindy Mendes

Kevin Mahoney was the lead singer for Boston, Massachusetts area thrashcore band, Siege.  Formed in the early ’80s, the band built a sizable local following before they broke up in 1985.  Although short lived, the band was later cited as a direct influence on the likes of Napalm Death and Dropdead due in part to their fiercely fast tempos and Mahoney’s wild screeching.  Siege’s earliest recordings were in 1984 for a demo produced by Lou Giardano (Husker Du, Goo Goo Dolls).  The oft-bootlegged record took on a life of its own throughout the thrash underground until it found its proper release by Relapse Records in 1994.  After the group split in 1985, Mahoney went on to do local live theater among other things.  In later years, he worked in IT at various local hospitals.  During the early ’90s, Siege briefly reunited, but with Seth Putnam of Anal Cunt fame on lead vocals.  As reported by Maximum Rock N Roll, 46-year-old Kevin Mahoney passed away on October 14, 2011.  Cause of death was not immediately released.

Thanks to Paul Bearer for the assist.

Died On This Date (August 25, 2011) Laurie McAllister / Bassist For The Runaways & The Orchids

Laurie McAllister (Born Laurie Hoyt)
June 26, 1957 – August 25, 2011

At left with Joan Jett & Lita Ford

Laurie McAllistar was a bassist who is perhaps best remembered for being the last one to play in the influential all-girl rock band, the Runaways.  Born and raised in Eugene, Oregon, McAllister landed in Hollywood where she played in such local punk outfits as the Rave Ons and Baby Roulette.  In 1978, McAllister was asked to join the Runaways (replacing Vickie Blue), whose line-up at the time was Joan Jett, Cherie Curie, and Sandy West.  She never had the chance to record with the group, but played several gigs before quitting several months later.  The Runaways broke up shortly thereafter.  McAllister went on to play in another Kim Fowley affiliated all-girl rock band, the Orchids, who released one album on MCA Records in 1980.    After the Orchids broke up, McAllister moved to Amsterdam where she lived with Dutch musician and artist, Herman Brood.  She became a veterinary technician and eventually settled back in her hometown of Eugene, Oregon.  Laurie McAllister died from complications of asthma on August 25, 2011.  She was 57.

Thanks to Bruce Kilgour at Slipped Disc Entertainment for the assist.