Glen Hansard one of the most prolific and beloved contemporary Irish musicians, has died at age 56.
“With broken hearts, we announce the passing of Glen Hansard in the early hours of this morning,” read a statement on the website of his manager, ATC Management. “We are still dealing with the shock of it all, so we kindly ask that the privacy of Glen’s family, colleagues and friends is respected at this difficult time.”
A little over three years ago, unparalleled album art illustrator Frank Kozik – best known for being embraced by the stoner-rock community – or, as The New York Times gently worded it, “graphic artist best known for his posters for alternative rock bands.” While The Bad Penny was not in a position at the time to celebrate his and grieve his passing, now feels as good time as any to do so.
To be clear, Kozik’s widow, Sharon Kozik, is in control of his social media accounts. While she hasn’t posted copiously, she did publish the following in January:
“Frank would often tell me stories about what it was like growing up in Spain under Franco’s fascist dictatorship. He moved to America when he was 15 to escape it. Much of his artwork deals with the themes of rebelling against fascism, mocking it. He fully embraced our right of freedom of expression and open political discourse. Regardless of your political beliefs we must keep America free from government tyranny and police snatching people off the street, from their homes, schools.”
Nine months after his shockingly sudden death, tears are still being shed for Tomas Lindberg, frontman of massively influential Swedish metal band At the Gates. One of the most well-read, warmhearted and respected musicians in melodic death metal – regardless of country – his skills remain unparalleled and might not be bested for quite some time. In the months subsequent to his passing, metal icons who – like Lindberg – were instrumental in giving birth to MDM in Scandinavian have publicly professed their sadness over his loss.
The latest member of MDM royalty to join the chorus and sing the praises of Lindberg is Greece’s greatest contribution to melodic death metal: Marios Iliopoulos. He helped develop the subgenre during his nine years playing lead guitar for Exhumation, then developed even more acclaim for his subsequent band Nightrage, which he co-founded with Gus G of Firewind in the same year that Exhumation split: 2000.
For many, today will be somber, sober and sad, as it marks the 40th anniversary of late Metallica bassist Cliff Burton. Perhaps the fastest-rising star in the metal community, a bus accident cut his life short in 1986 in Sweden. He was only 24 years old. All metal fans, whether or not they liked Metallica, mourned Burton because of the tragic accident and because of his stunning gift at playing guitar. Burton continues to a hero in his hometown of Castro Valley California, the city holiday has received more attention
The city in which Burton lived is hosting Cliff Burton Day 2026, which will tangentially recognize the 40th anniversary of Metallica’s Damage Inc. tour. It’ll take place at the Chabot Theater. Starting at 7 p.m. PT, Burton’s family members, family members and work pals will share stories and memories about the family member so tragically lost. The event will feature live music too. Check out The Chatbot for more info.
That’s all the news we have right now, so we’ll leave you with three rad videos: the first, with Burton crushing it for 25 minutes; a discussion among haters who eventually came around to recognize Burton’ brilliance; and a pro-cam taping of Metallica playing “Orion,” a song primarily written by Burton.
The Bad Penny (beta) 