Died On This Date (February 3, 2017) Robert Dahlqvist / The Hellacopters
themusicsover Robert Dahlqvist
April 16, 1976 – February 3, 2017
Robert Dahlqvist is best remembered as the longtime guitarist for Swedish garage band, the Hellacopters. His tenure with the group ran from 1999 to 2008, and again for a recent live album set to come out at a later date. Born in Uddevalla, Sweden, Dahlqvist learned to play the guitar at a very young age. In 1999, he joined the Hellacopters who were already a popular band across Sweden and beyond. He played on their next several releases over the following decade. The Hellacopters built a loyal legion of fans worldwide due to their fiery loud-guitar, and pounding drum/bass sound that draws influence from the likes of KISS, the Ramones, MC5, and the Stooges, to name a few. While playing with the Hellacopters, Dahlqvist also found time for two side-project bands, Thunder Express and Dundertåget, two bands that were not sonically dissimilar to the Hellacopters. Robert Dahlqvist passed away on February 3, 2017. Cause of death was not immediately released. He was 40.
What You Should Own
Ritchie Teeter was a rock drummer who made is mark playing behind the Dictators during some of the band’s glory years. With a sound and vibe that was not that far removed from the Ramones, MC5, the Stooges, or the New York Dolls, the Dictators built a dedicated following that remains loyal to this day. Teeter joined the band following the release of their first album, Go Girl Crazy, and can be heard playing on 1977’s Manifest Destiny and 1978’s Bloodbrothers. Both are considered essential for any respectable early New York punk collection. Teeter went on to play in Twisted Sister in late 1980/early 1981, but never appeared on any of their albums. He did participate in later Dictator reunion shows, though not much is known about his more recent life. It appears that Teeter retired from the business some time ago, or he at least kept a very low profile. Ritchie Teeter was 61 when he died of esophageal cancer on April 10, 2012.
As a writer for Cream and Rolling Stone magazines, Lester Bangs was a highly influential rock music journalist. Bangs’ first review to be published came in 1969 when he answered a Rolling Stone ad looking for readers’ reviews. He sent in a negative critique of the MC5’s Kick Out The Jams, and never looked back. Bangs wrote for the magazine until 1973 when he was fired for allegedly being too critical and disrespectful toward the musicians he wrote about. Bangs relocated to Detroit where he edited and wrote for Cream. It was Cream that Bangs began to build his reputation as a brilliant if not confrontational music journalist. In the ensuing years, he contributed to Playboy, the Village Voice and NME. Bangs died of an accidental overdose at the age of 33. Drugs he had been taking to treat a cold adversely interacted with each other.
Fred “Sonic” Smith was the founding guitarist for Detroit proto punk band, the MC5. Formed in 1964 with Wayne Kramer, 