Home > Austin Music Source > Archives > 2009 > October > 12 > Entry
Jon Pettis memorial Wednesday at Hole in the Wall
A memorial for Bankrupt and the Borrowers multi-instrumentalist Jon “Baggage” Pettis will take place 7 p.m. Wednesday at the Hole in the Wall.
Pettis died in a fire at his East Austin home early Friday morning; fire officials said the cause appears to be a malfunctioning power strip.
Word has it this event is more of a wake than a proper memorial show, which will take place in the near future. As Marc Perlman of the Midgetmen put it on the band’s Twitter feed.
“(Wednesday is) aimed more at friends, family, other bands, but is open to whomever,” Perlman wrote. “They need donations to help with (the) funeral and loss of house…everyone should come, cheer them up, give $20 to help out. I don’t think they realize how upset even random fans are, much less fellow bands. We’d hate for them to not see we all care.”
Bankrupt and the Borrowers is a hard-working, increasingly-well regarded band know for its high-energy shows.
“They were the real deal,” James Moody, the owner of the bar Mohawk and a principal of Transmission Entertainment, said of the band. “And they guys played everywhere.”
Public mourning seemed to explode over the Internet. “These guys were some of the best we’ve ever played with and just kept on getting better, having fun and making music,” wrote Midgetmen guitarist Jon Loyens on Facebook.
“They’re a great bunch of guys who don’t deserve this kind of tragedy,” wrote Quiet Company bassist Matt Parmenter.
Moody had recently booked the band to play Transmission’s Fun Fun Fun music festival, which takes place Nov. 7 and 8 in Waterloo Park; the band had gigs lined up everywhere from Emo’s to Stubb’s, including a weekly residency at the Hole in the Wall in November.
Transmission co-owner Graham Williams said Monday the Fun Fun Fun gig is up in the air, as is the future of the band.
“(Pettis) was an integral part of the band,” Williams said. “I don’t think they know what they are going to do yet, perhaps play under another name. They just don’t know. There has been some talk of a tribute in the Fun Fun Fun slot, the other guys in the band playing with friends. But it will not be a regular show.”
“I feel like these guys are completely unaware at how affected people are upon hearing this news,” Perlman said. “It goes to show that you should express your support and appreciation of the band, the guys, the music, whomever when you can — not after the fact. My guess is that Jon had no clue that his output was appreciated by any of these people, myself included.”
A donation page to help out Pettis’ housemates and family has been set up at http://www.bankruptandtheborrowers.com/c.php?p=349
Comments
Austinites love to be heard, and we're giving you a bullhorn. We just ask that you keep things civil. Leave out the personal attacks. Do not use profanity, ethnic or racial slurs, or take shots at anyone's sexual orientation or religion. If you can't be nice, we reserve the right to remove your material and ban users who violate our Visitor's agreement. Click here to report comment abuse.