Thursday, september 25 at 3am, the Hotel Lobbyists were driving on the trans canada highway outside of Brandon, Manitoba. The driver of their van fell asleep at the wheel, veered off the road, tried to right the course and the van rolled. James, the singer/guitarist, and my good friend from UBC teacher ed, was critically injured. The drummer, Mike Gurr, was killed. I don't know what happened to Jordie and Jordan, but I hope they are okay athough they must be hurting pretty badly even if they're physically okay.
I've done a lot of drawings for the band in the last couple years, and consiquently gotten to know them all fairly well but not nearly as well as I could or would like to. I do know that Mike was an extremely hard working, driven guy with an electric personality. he always greeted everyone with a smile, and had fantastic energy and big plans. I can't stop thinking about him. All the same can be said for James, who spent all summer killing himself.....wrong word......working himself to the bone organizing the Green Mountain Music festival to raise funds for CF. After the concert he had his own wedding to organize and attend, and then what seems like two weeks later, was off on this tour with his band. all their dreams. I went to the kick off around the last week of august and I asked mike if he had all his changes of underwear packed. He said that was all he had left to do, that night as they were leaving the following day.
tommorow night there is going to be a funraiser to help the families with costs of getting the boys home and everything.
I have already posted this image but lets see it again....it's the drawing I did for the Hotel Lobbyists t-shirt. from left to right, James, Jordie, Jordan and Mike. I hope he gets to finally know all the secrets of the universe.
