Goodbye

(Photo from Fandango Records)

I heard today that Matthew Odietus, guitarist for the Candy Snatchers, died over the weekend. This is certainly sad news for many reasons. Matt was a wonderful rock musician and only 40 years old. It's sad for me personally, because the last Candy Snatchers show I saw (at the Taphouse a few months back) was by far the worst one I'd seen. At their best, the Snatchers were a ferocious rock and roll machine. The group I saw at The Taphouse was a much weakened version.

I'd like to supplant the memory of that last show with my recollection of the first time I saw Matt and the Candy Snatchers. It was at King's Head Inn, probably in 1994. They were opening for The Humpers. That night, Matt, Larry and the rest of the band rekindled my love of raw, fierce, feral rock 'n' roll. They inspired me. I wish I'd thanked Matt for that.