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A D V E R T I S E M E N T
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A D V E R T I S E M E N T
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Crandle in the Wind
People were paying extra at the Wreck Room door last Thursday night. The event was a multi-band metal gig put together to raise money for the family of Merck Crandle, the metal band Magnus’ lead guitarist, who died in a car accident a couple of weeks ago. No one had any problem giving as much as they could. A fitting legacy for one of the metal scene’s most pleasant guys.
“Merck could always make you laugh,” recalled Brian Waits, one of Crandle’s best friends, who plays in the metal outfits Garuda and Bread and Water. “He was an incredible musician, and he could just suck you into his personality.
“He was the kind of guy,” Waits continued, “who could stay on your couch, and you wouldn’t care if he stayed there for a year.”
Waits and some friends got the idea for the benefit after learning the immense size of the funeral home bill. “The costs were ridiculous,” said Chris Bland of Bread and Water.
Crandle was a mainstay of the hardcore metal community for nearly a dozen years. “I think by the size of this show,” said Bland, “you can see how the hardcore community raises money for people.”
An unofficial tally put the funds raised at a bit more than $1,000. Another benefit gig for Crandle is planned for later this month at a venue to be named later.
And not to get all gushy, but one of the more touching moments of the evening was when everyone gathered ’round the big screen to watch a videotape of a Jerry Springer episode. (This is true.) On screen, Crandle and Waits played homosexual lovers divided by a woman. When in a fit of Springeresque inspiration Waits toppled Crandle to the floor, there wasn’t a dry eye in the house.
Just Slumming
Sometimes HearSay likes to descend from its golden perch and see what the plebes are up to. And what better place to see what the lower half is doing than a sports bar. And what better sports bar than the one right down the street from HearSay’s phat office, a sports bar co-owned by Brian Forella, the guy who also runs the Wreck Room.
First thing: HearSay just about fell off its bar stool once the menu was opened and the appetizer prices made themselves known in big bold typeface. $5.99 for fried pickles? Uh-uh. Opting instead to fill up on a few Miller Lites before driving thru a burger joint on the way home, HearSay hung out, ran into a few musician buds (good times, good times), watched those damn Sacramento Kings pull another game out of their asses, and imagined holding it down at the bar without becoming annoyed by the boom-boom-boom, throbbing techno beat blaring in the background. In the dream, HearSay was (gasp!) just a regular joe! Could you imagine?!?
Contact HearSay at hearsay@fwweekly.com.
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