April 7th, 2002
10:22 PM
Today I found out that Dave Karcich, formerly of Spring Heeled Jack, passed away. This makes me really sad. He was young and a good guy! And he was in one of the greatest bands there ever will be. I was opened to the world of Spring Heeled Jack in 1998, when they opened for Reel Big Fish. When they played "Everybody (Backstreet's Back)" by the Backstreet Boys as their intro, I KNEW that there was going to be something special about this band. And I was right! Ever since that performance, I have been a huge Spring Heeled Jack fan. And although they have been broken up for awhile now, they are still very much alive to me because of the music they have left behind. I can't even describe what their music does to me. How much I love every single song. Each song has a memory. SHJ is up there with Reel Big Fish and Goldfinger. And that's saying something because no other bands even come close to being up there with RBF and Goldfinger.
Whether it was Mike Pellegrino's perfect voice or Tyler's craziness, that band had something together that no band now has. You could totally tell that they loved playing music together. They had a chemistry. Seeing them onstage made you smile and want to dance and sing along. I recently got their homevideo of them touring California and it frustrated me to no end to see them playing their hearts out and having such a great time and then seeing the audience not moving at all, just staring at them. What the heck is that all about?!?! I live in California and it made me want to smack everyone who lives here!! It's ok to dance. It really is. That video made me sad because all the members of SHJ would make comments about how horrible the audiences were and they would laugh it off, but come on now, how would you feel if you're doing your best at something and you get no response from anyone? It sucks ass!! *shakes fist* at all Californians. Believe you me when I saw SHJ I danced my pants off!
That band deserved so many great things, but they never got the chance. I really think they were underappreciated. It still makes me sad whenever I tell someone I like Spring Heeled Jack and they say "who's that?" or if they have heard of them, they aren't as enthusiatic about the band. Spring Heeled Jack was better than all of the ska bands out now combined. I'm sorry but it's the truth. I wish people would realize that. But it's too late now. They're gone. All we have is the music they left behind. It's not too late to become a fan. So if you've never heard of Spring Heeled Jack, look for their CDs, download a song or two. Better late than never. Because when you think about it, it's never really too late to appreciate and fall in love with not just a great ska band, but a great band period.
I'll miss Dave Karcich and all the amazing music he created while in Spring Heeled Jack.
-Angie.
Message: 1
Date: Sat, 6 Apr 2002 20:58:57 EST
From: Randy08@aol.com
Subject: Dave Karcich we miss you
I cant come up with any word to describe how I feel about this but please
read what a few freinds have said:
On April 2nd our good friend and drummer Dave Karcich suffered from a brain
aneurysm and quietly passed away today. There are no words to describe the
state of sorrow and complete shock we have been in since receiving the news.
Today is an extremely sad day as are the many days to follow. Our thoughts
and prayers go out to Dave's family and friends who he loved and who loved
him very much. For the short time we had together he always remained a source
of positive energy and will forever be missed. God Bless you, Dave.
John, who runs a Spring Heeled Jack fan page and a long time friend of
Dave's, has set up an email address for anyone who wishes to send their
condolences to his family and friends.
You can send them to Wishes4Dave@aol.com
Thanks and take
from http://avoidonething.com/main
Good-bye Dave.....
I'm crying my eyes out as I write this, so please forgive me for any errors
or rambling. My good friend Dave Karcich, passed away this morning due to a brain aneurysm he suffered from on April 2nd. I found out around 11am this
morning but didn't want to report it before his family and ex-bandmates were
ready. I couldn't be home for most of the day and in the meantime, the news
has been released. I'm sorry I couldn't provide you with the news right away.
Please excuse my delay.
Once I've cleared my thoughts, I'll have much more to say about Dave. For
now, I just want to say that I'll miss him and that I didn't get nearly as
much time to spend with him as I should or could have.
If you'd like to send condolences to his family and friends, you're
encouraged to do by e-mailing them to Wishes4Dave@aol.com. They will be
collected and presented to them in the next few days as well as posted on a
page dedicated to Dave on this site.
I continue to ask that you keep Dave, his family, and friends, in your hearts
and minds. If it makes you feel better, pop on some of his music, whether it
be SHJ, Pilfers, Cenzo or Avoid One Thing. Dave shared his gift of music with
all of us. We tend to take it for granted that we, as fans and friends, will
always have people like Dave, forever. I think we owe him a spot in our
thoughts at this tragic time.
Sadly,
JOHN
4-5-02
Message: 2
Date: Sat, 6 Apr 2002 21:00:43 EST
From: Randy08@aol.com
Subject: Our friend Dave
Sorry, one more thing:
In lieu of flowers, please contribute to the:
David Karcich Scholarship Fund
c/o Central High School
1 Lincoln Blvd.
Bridgeport, CT 06604
http://www.geocities.com/evilsicksix6/SpringHeeledJackPages.html