Rest In Peace Keith...

I remember when Keith was the door guy at the Taj Mahal and I was the vocalist of 454. He was always cool and greeted everyone at the door. At that time, our paths crossed every once in a while. We weren't really friends, but we had a mutual respect for each other. I also had the pleasure of playing on the bill, on one of Download's earlier shows at Connie's. It was Download, Beaten Back to Pure, Mugwart, and Nor (which was my band at the time). Three years later, I was singing for Six Steps South (along with Jamie playing drums), and we got to play a show at Tonic's with Download. I had no idea at the time how important that show would become. SSS broke up and a month later, Jamie called me up and said that he was in Download and that they were looking to add a 2nd guitarist. I went to one of their practices and picked up a demo and learned the songs. I got the gig and 2 weeks later we played at Zakk's in Murfreesboro, NC. Keith made me feel like I had been in the band for years. He helped make my addition to the band easier on all of us.

As a musician and a frontman, he was one of the best, if not the best in this area. No one could display the energy that he did when he was on the stage. I know, I tried every single night. He was so passionate about everything having to do with the band. From the lyrics, to performing and even mercandise and promotion. We would always talk about how we always wanted to have this wall of energy explode from the stage when we were playing. So much that me and him very often collided with each other on stage. I always had to hide my pedals way in the back of the stage because if I didn't, Keith would step on them when he was jumping around. He had such a love and passion for the local music scene, and because of that, we always had to cut a song or two from our set because he always had to make sure he acknowledged everyone in the room. He wanted to make sure that all of his friends felt good. His mission was to always give everything he had. In fact he'd get so worked up on stage, that he had a tendency to skip songs in the set on accident. All i want right now, is to have my singer back. I want the longwinded guy that keeps bumping into me (knocking me out of tune) and skipping songs in the set. He was taken from us too early, and it's not fair.  

As a friend, he always showed hospitality. One of his favorite things was to have all of his friends over to his house and hang out. He always found an excuse to invite people over and fire up the grill. Keith and I shared an interest in bad B rated horror movies. It was an ongoing struggle to go over to his house, and not come out with a DVD. In fact, I have one, now. He always would tell me about a movie he got, and would insist on me taking a DVD with me and watching.  I think our deepest connection came about suddenly on April 18th, 2008 when my best friend, Jerry, passed away. Keith was one of the people who found him and tried to revive him to no avail. Keith was the one to call me and tell me the bad news. I was devastated, and he knew that I needed a friend. He was there for me when I needed him most. He was the shoulder I cried on at Jerry's viewing and the funeral. He made sure that I knew that I had someone to talk to when I needed it. He put his heart and soul into "Highlander" when we wrote it, and in the studio. That was a bond between us that could never be broken, not even through death. 

Everyday, people write lyrics and mantras that sound cool. Words that make great catch phrases, but very few people live the words that they write. Keith wrote songs like "We Only Bleed For Family" and "Everything We Stand For." Those songs, he held so true that he wanted to name our cd's after them. Now, this day, we see beyond the shadow of any doubt that the words he spoke, came from the bottom of his heart. I don't know what his exact last words were, but I do know that they were to the effect of "No, you cannot come into my house." He died, so that John, Suzie, and Matt could live. That thought alone holds the very essence of who Keith was. I love you brother, and I hope that we can meet again. The day will one day come that You, Jerry, and I can have another beer together.    

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