The Oregonian is reporting that Vancouver resident Anthony Wesley Miller was sentenced to a mere one year, and one day, prison sentence for striking and killing "Quality" Dan Baldwin of local band Power of County.

Both Miller and Baldwin were over the legal limit when the accident occurred on March 28th, as Miller's SUV struck Baldwin's motorcycle, killing him instantly. Miller fled the scene, but later returned and eventually pleaded guilty to the charges of drunken driving and criminally negligent homicide. The story is just incredibly sad, including this quote from Baldwin's mother, Eleanor: "Mr. Miller, I would hope that you would not just walk away and forget."

I apologize for the late eulogy, but I just discovered that Trevor Rhone passed away from a sudden heart attack last week. To most people outside of Jamaica, Rhone was never a household name, but he had quite the legacy in his homeland as an iconic playwright and the co-author (along with director Perry Henzell) of one of my favorite films ever, The Harder They Come.

Over a decade before Tony Montana personified hiphop gangster culture in the overrated Scarface, Jimmy Cliff portrayed Ivanhoe Martin, a directionless Kingston musician immersed in poverty and forced into a violent life of crime. The above clip is where Martin delivers his legendary "Don't. Fuck. With. Me." line while slashing away with a blood-soaked blade. It might not be the most dignified piece of dialogue, but it masterfully captures the hopelessness and anger of the title character, and quickly becomes the most haunting scene in this excellent film.

Portlanders also will know Barr as the creator of the ubiquitous Secret Aardvark Hot Sauce, which graces tables at eateries all over town. I've got a bottle in my kitchen cupboard right now. Our thoughts are with Moritz's friends and families during this sad time. Thanks, Scotland, for the music and the heat. You will be missed.

UPDATE, 3:25 pm: The LA Times has confirmed Jackson's death.

The Times is still saying that Michael Jackson has only been hospitalized, but TMZ's claiming he's officially dead. (As Ezra points out below, it'd be good to get some official confirmation on this from somebody that's not TMZ.)

Kind of weirdly, and kind of naturally, the Mercury offices are unexpectedly affected by the news. Everyone's kind of in shock. Patrick Coleman's muttering "I don't know what to do...", and I can't tell if he's being genuine or ironic, and Matt Davis, who was on a donut run at Voodoo when the TMZ story went up, called me to tell me the news. "Did you know Michael Jackson just died?" he said. "The owner of Voodoo just turned the music down and yelled it throughout the shop."

I'm just gonna spend the rest of the day here, if that's cool with everybody.

Wow.

I guess Sky Saxon's passing isn't the big music death of the day. The brilliant, and troubled, ride of Michael Jackson has come to an end. According to TMZ, Jackson suffered a heart attack while in Los Angeles and passed away shortly after being rushed to a hospital. He was 50 years old.

P.S. I hate trusting TMZ as a source, so we will confirm this once we hear it from someplace more reputable. No, Perez Hilton doesn't count.

3:21 Update:
"CNN sources now say that Michael Jackson is in a coma"

3:25 Update:
CNN: "Both the Los Angeles Times and CBS News is reporting that Michael Jackson has died"

Man, this sucks. I was thinking about former Seeds' frontman Sky Saxon—who just seemed invincible—this morning, when news of his hospitalization spread. But then he appeared on Twitter:

anybody out there? blood pressure dropping .... please pray love light circle encircling sky with white love light .... YaHoWha!!!!!

Wait, did he Twitter his own death? Has it come to this? Christ.

Saxon was the real deal, a bombastic, livewire of a singer that fronted a severely underrated band. When I first moved to Portland, my father—who did the photography on the Raw & Alive: The Seeds in Concert at Merlin's Music Box album—made it a point of purchasing the band's self-titled record from Jackpot! and demanded that I listen to it the second I got home. I also saw Saxon—backed by some young ringers—when he was at Mt. Tabor a few years back supporting Strawberry Alarm Clock. He'll be missed.

LISTEN:

The Seeds - "Pushin' Too Hard"

Very sad news to report: Jeff Hanson, the delicate voiced singer-songwriter on Kill Rock Stars, has passed away suddenly at the age of 31.

Below is a statement from Kill Rock Stars:

We are deeply shocked and saddened to report that Jeff Hanson passed away on June 5, 2009 in his home, a victim of a terrible accident. Jeff has been a part of the KRS family since 2003.

Jeff Hanson was an amazing artist, a riotously funny person, and a good friend. Everyone at Kill Rock Stars feels that we were privileged to put out his records. We will miss him tremendously. Our thoughts are with his family and friends at this time.

According to the Star Tribune, Hanson possibly died from a fall:

Hanson, 31, likely died from a fall or other accident at the concrete-floored apartment, which he had just moved into days earlier, said his sister, Sara Hanson. He was found by his parents.

He will be missed.

LISTEN:

Jeff Hanson - "Wrong Again"

We're saddened to report that "Quality" Dan Baldwin, a member of local band Power of County, was killed this weeked after being struck by a drunk driver. From the band's site:

Early Saturday morning, "Quality" Dan Baldwin was struck and killed by a drunk driver running a red light in SE Portland.

Daniel Warren Baldwin, 43, was a staple member of Power of County regionally, playing a variety of percussion instruments including the washboard and spoons.

Dan was on his motorcycle when he was hit by the driver of an SUV, and speculation is that he died instantly.

The suspect has been apprehended and is now in jail awaiting trial for at least three felony charges including manslaughter, hit and run, reckless driving, and DUI.

We have no information at this time about a service, but will be sure to post information as it becomes available.

Our condolences go out to Baldwin's family and friends.

Merry Christmas, and mrrrrow!

News is just getting out that Terrin Durfey, a longtime fixture in West Coast indie rock and notable frontman for Boilermaker (plus a member of Pinback, Jade Shader, and the Farewell Bend), has passed away at the age of 34.

For the sake of full disclosure, I used to knew Terrin quite well, but it's been years since I have seen, or spoken to, him. Growing up in the same sleepy suburban town on the outskirts of San Diego, Durfey played the roll of the cooler older kid who shepherd wayward teens (myself included) towards the ways of indie/punk/DIY culture. While he probably never knew it, nor would he take credit for it, Durfey went above and beyond in keeping a slew of restless kids out of trouble, and his inspiring presence in the criminally-underrated Boilermaker acted as proof of the power that DIY culture can yield. For me, that first, near-religious experience of listening to bands like Jesus Lizard and Boy's Life were brought on by Durfey, and I'm certain that (for better or worse) myself and countless others would not be involved in music if it was not for him.

Boilermaker were on the forefront of the mid-late '90s emo movement--long before emo was burdened with the stigma it currently shoulders--but, along with their peers in Giants Chair, Christie Front Drive, etc., they'll forever be buried beneath lesser acts, and left in the void of influential bands who were years ahead of their time. But ask anyone who crossed Boilermaker's path, and you'll find a fan, drawn in by their desolate and stark sound, blue collar work ethic, and Durfey's rigid vocal delivery and lumbering bass.

Durfey had been battling cancer for close to a decade, and he leaves behind a wife and child.

He will be dearly missed.

LISTEN:

Boilermaker - "Slow Down"

Boilermaker "Norman"

It is no secret that our coverage of Bruce Springsteen around these parts is a little obsessive, and this news probably only matters to the die hard fanboys, but Madam Marie, the fortune teller immortalized in "Fourth of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)," passed away last Friday. She had been telling fortunes on the Asbury Park Boardwalk since the 1930s.

I was going to wait until the Fourth to post the video below ("Fourth of July" from the Hammersmith Odeon, 1975 concert), but here it is, in all its glory, in honor of Madam Marie.