Guitars, Drums, Tones, and Saxophones

The Descendents

It’s a sad day for me, and pretty much all punk fans out there. Frank Navetta, founding guitarist and songwriter for seminal California pop-punk band The Descendents has passed away suddenly. His exact age is unknown at this time.

The band, which formed in 1979 as a surf-rock band, adopted punk rock upon the addition of vocalist/biophysicist Milo Aukerman. Their first album with Aukerman was the Fat EP, followed by the landmark Milo Goes to College LP. The album featured their trademark bouncy rhythms supporting lyrics about girls, coffee, food, girls, and parents. Naturally, the music resonated with many teenagers; it had the aggression of the SoCal hardcore scene, with humorous topics they could identify with more closely than the political rage of bands like the Dead Kennedys.

Navetta left the band during the recording of their follow-up album, I Don’t Want to Grow Up. He became a fisherman in Oregon, and lived a fairly low-key life post-Descendents.

Deepest condolences go out to his family and friends. Thanks for the great tunes, Frank. RIP.

[Source: PunkNews.org]

The Beatles

Yes, it’s true! The Fab Four (minus two, I guess) themselves have ironed out a deal with Harmonix, the Cambridge, MA-based company behind the first two Guitar Hero games and the Rock Band franchise, to develop a Rock Band-like game “based solely on the music and career of the [Beatles].”

“The project is a fun idea which broadens the appeal of The Beatles and their music. I like people having the opportunity to get to know the music from the inside out.” -Paul McCartney

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