[UPDATE 10/07/25: A GoFundMe to help Brian with expenses has been launched. Find it and contribute here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/stand-with-brian-in-memory-of-ann]

Just a moment here to remember Ann Everton of Baltimore’s Darsombra, who passed away this weekend. The duo — Everton on synth, vocals, percussion visuals, etc., and Brian Daniloski on guitar, synth, the odd megaphone, and so on — were at the beginning of their Fall tour in Canada, with dates in the US Midwest/Southeast to follow, and details are scant, but there seems to have been an accident somewhere between one show and the next. Daniloski’s condition is unknown at this time, but reportedly he’s alive. His brother and former Meatjack bandmate, Jason Daniloski, posted the following on social media:

Words cannot convey how devastated we are. Ann Everton was truly one of a kind. A creative, wild, intelligent, kind soul. She will always be missed. I still can’t believe this is real. I feel so much pain for my brother. Please give him time to deal with this horrible tragedy. Please hug your loved ones and don’t let the day end without telling them how much you love them.

I won’t claim to have known Ann well, but she remains among the most gleeful weirdos I’ve ever met. Somebody who didn’t fit into society’s expectations for what she was to be, and who by all appearances, was just fine with that. She joined Darsombra around 2010, and the project flourished. Her role initially was more toward the visual aspect of their live presentation, and honestly, that was what always seemed to count the most to Everton and Daniloski — doing the thing live. As the band’s experimentalist bent pushed further and further into psychedelic drone and madcap oddballism, their outsider status held firm, and they continued to tour, and tour, and tour. Together, they became freedom in a van.

No matter what time of year it was, the safe bet was Darsombra were on the road, somewhere. They crisscrossed the United States together I don’t know how many times, and the band was always just the two of them, Everton and Daniloski. I was lucky enough to see them earlier in 2025 in the Netherlands at Roadburn Festival, and aside from being the most outright joyous moment I had over the course of my days in Tilburg, I was even more fortunate to sit down and have a real, human catchup with the two of them, to talk like people do, like friends do, about places and things in general, music and not. I feel privileged to say I knew her at all.

Both members of Darsombra — Ann and Brian — took the Obelisk Questionnaire in 2021. Thoughtful in her answers throughout (that’s my way of saying you should read it), Everton reflected on her creative journey, saying:

“In my own life as an artist, I have been cheered to see one thing hold true for the artist who keeps making art — the longer you stay at it, the better it gets, the more people are familiar with your work, enjoy it, get it, the more opportunities you get… the trick is, you’ve gotta keep doing it. In 2007, I did a short artist residency in rural Hungary, on lake Balaton. There was a Hungarian artist there that my 25-year-old self had such a crush on. So, of course, I was all ears to his very good advice, which was, “Keep making art. See where it goes. Never stop making art.” Very simple, so right — the world will give you a million-and-one reasons to stop being an artist, but if you just sort of keep doing it… I agree with his beautiful Hungarian ass! Keep making art and see where it goes!”

Brian Daniloski posted the following Sunday night:

Hello friends. I’m out of the hospital and in the care of Ann’s family who have flown up here to New York. It looks like we may be stuck here for a few days dealing with stuff. I have a working phone again and I have been getting all of your kind messages. If anyone wants to call it would be great to here from people. I don’t know what to say or do with myself. I’m devastated. My heart is so broken and I’m not sure how continue on, but I’m going to try. Ann was the sweetest person I ever knew and I always felt like the luckiest person on earth that she chose to spend her life with me. I should be back in Baltimore in the next few days and I would love to see anybody when I get back. This is such a loss for all of us. I love you all.

Darsombra didn’t need lights on stage because there was Ann. On behalf of myself, this site and anything else I might be able to put behind it, all love and condolences to Brian Daniloski, his family, Ann’s family, their many, many friends and anyone whose life she touched, which was a lot of people, including me. She will be deeply and sincerely missed.

[photo by Madeline Bilan]

Just a note in case anyone shows up here looking — I have too much stupid bullshit both in my head and in real life going on today to concentrate on closing out this week. I have a record, I have the post started, I’ll do it next Friday. I just don’t want to start writing about a thing and not be able to do justice because my brain feels like it’s fucking on fire and I’m so busy wishing I’d died nine years ago. I’ve said everything I have to say this week anyhow. Fuck it all. Have a great weekend.

I tested it, and if you enlarge the image below (by clicking/pushing it; do the same to make it go away) and scan the QR code with your phone, it takes you to the ticket-buy page for this benefit show for weirdo legend Tim Cronin, known for his work in The Ribeye Brothers, for being the OG singer in Monster Magnet and traveling with that band for decades, for being the unofficial mayor of Red Bank at Jack’s Music, and so on. In March, Cronin’s ALS diagnosis was made public and a GoFundMe was launched that you’ll also find embedded at the bottom of this post. You should donate so they have to make another new goal and push it to $100k.

I’m sure it’ll be a cool show as organized by The Ribeye Brothers‘ Joe Calandra (also ex-Monster Magnet), but if you go into it thinking of it as a party in Cronin‘s honor in addition to being to his getting the proceeds from the tickets sold, it feels like you’re on the right track vibe-wise.

The PR wire had details:

NJ Music Community Rallies for Tim Cronin (Monster Magnet, Ribeye Brothers) – June 22 Benefit Show in Long Branch, NJ

Buy Tickets HERE: https://tim-5.betterworld.org/events/tim-s-benefit-show

Earlier this year, Tim Cronin, original Monster Magnet member, beloved Ribeye Brother, and cherished Jack’s Record Shoppe stalwart, was diagnosed with ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis). Now, he needs our support. Join us on Sunday, June 22, at Whitechapel Projects in Long Branch, NJ, for a one-of-a-kind art auction and live music event to benefit Tim.

Hosted by standup comedian Dave Hill, the bands — Holmes, Von Mons, and The Long Defeats — start at 3 pm and will be playing short sets of Ribeye covers, alongside some awesome rock’n’roll DJs.

The art auction features pieces donated by various artist friends, including a signed Beastie Boys print from photographer Danny Clinch. Tim also contributed one of his own pieces to the event. Pat Longo graciously created the show poster, and you can view more of his work HERE: https://www.instagram.com/patjameslongo_artwork/

Event organizer and Ribeye Brother, Joe Calandra comments:

“Save the date. This benefit is for one of my oldest and dearest friends, Tim Cronin. Tim and I have been close since the mid-’80s, when we first met at Jack’s Music. We’ve been all over the world together during our Monster Magnet days, but what I’m most proud of is sharing the stage with him in the Ribeye Brothers for the past 14 years. Please come to the show if you can — to support Tim and celebrate his amazing life. I’m so grateful to have had him in my life all these years. Thank you, Tim.”

The venue was generously donated by Marilyn Schlossbach, who owns the White Chapel Projects, as well as the Low Dive (formerly the Yacht Club) and the Langosta Lounge (now operating under a new name) — all places the Ribeye Brothers have played over the years.

This benefit is a true labor of love, with so many friends and associates working hard to make it happen, including Joe’s wife, Samantha, and Todd Abramson of WFMU, who have been handling venue details, lining up DJs, organizing the auction, and keeping everything on track. BetterWorld provides ticketing and online auction services.

Little did I know that by the time I posted about Alexander Julien ending his solo drone project, Vision Eternel, on May 16, he had already passed away. The email, apparently something of a final act, had come in on May 14, and as per Julien’s wife, Rain Frances, the Montreal-based Julien died the same day. He was 37 years old. Six years younger than me.

I liked Julien, and that was basically why I wrote about his music. He was a sensitive, poetic, old-soul nerd. Someone who might just get that reference to The Donna Reed Show. Vision Eternel never caught on, and that’s fine. It was in the project’s nature to not. Expressive drone was never going to be for everybody. I always knew a post about Vision Eternel would largely get crickets in terms of response, but I could hear the heart in what Julien was doing, and I thought he had something to offer atmospherically and emotionally that a lot of drone didn’t. In that post on the 16th, I was trying to push optimism in saying I hoped he had something new in the works. Now, in context, it’s just sad.

Frances, who also did graphic work for Vision Eternel, sent the following brief obituary and link to her reflection down the PR wire. I’ll miss hearing from Julien next Valentine’s Day with some exclusive to offer listeners in honor of romance itself, or a new video or whatnot. He was always very kind to me and said nice things about this site and even tried to make a Wikipedia page for it but it turns out I’m not relevant enough. But he tried and he didn’t need to do that. He was like that.

I will remember him fondly, and I hope he found the peace he felt was missing from his life. Thanks for reading.

Vision Eternel’s Alexander Julien passed away on May 14, 2025. Those who are familiar with Vision Eternel, know that Alex’s music is based on nostalgia, emotion and heartbreak. He experienced a lot of anguish in his short 37 years and was often overcome by it. He translated this pain beautifully into his music. His idea of making concept albums showed his talent as well as his dedication to leaving a legacy of music that told the story of love and heartache. He will be missed by all those who loved him.

His other bands were Vision Lunar and Soufferance.

His websites can be found here:
www.visioneternel.com
www.abridgedpause.com
www.asillysymphony.com

For a more personal obituary/tribute/memoriam of Alexander Julien, please see this post written by his spouse/partner of 12 years, Rain Frances. https://www.rainfrancescreations.com/on-death-and-grieving-alex-passed-away/

https://www.visioneternel.com
https://facebook.com/visioneternel
https://instagram.com/visioneternel
https://soundcloud.com/visioneternel
https://play.spotify.com/artist/52WyoEAtuPS2QJ2qYOmb6u
https://visioneternel.bandcamp.com

Vision Eternel, Echoes From Forgotten Hearts (Deluxe Edition) (2024)

I don’t have a ton to say here. If you know who Tim Cronin is, either because you’re in New Jersey or because you’re just hip like that, you’ve probably already donated. If not, let this be your urging. Give Tim Cronin your fucking money.

I could go on about how ridiculous it is that we have to pay each other’s medical bills when medical bills shouldn’t exist in the first place, but it’s not the time. The donate button is below. In the parlance of our age, smash it. I’ve cut and pasted the original info on the GoFundMe page in blue below.

Dear friends, family, and supporters –

You may know Tim Cronin as the keeper of musical knowledge at Jack’s Music Shop in Red Bank for nearly 4 decades, the lead singer of local NJ legends The Ribeye Brothers, his years touring around the world with Monster Magnet as master of lights, or his prolific podcast appearances. If you do then you know that he is one of the kindest, funniest, and most genuine people you will ever be lucky enough to meet. He would love nothing more than to spend the rest of his years performing music, grilling for friends and family at his legendary bbqs, and walking the beach with the love of his life, his wife Carrie.

But devastatingly for Tim, he has been diagnosed with ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis), a progressive and incurable neurodegenerative disease that causes muscle weakness, paralysis, and eventual respiratory system failure. It has already begun robbing him of his independence and the things that he loves to do. To say this has been shattering for Tim’s beloved wife, stepdaughter, and the many people who love him is an understatement. It’s not in Tim’s nature to ask for help, as he is the guy who helps others – but it’s our turn to help him now.

While there is no cure, there are care options and accommodations that can have a profound impact on his quality of life. Unfortunately, they are significantly expensive. ALS has been called “the bankruptcy disease” due to the significant and ever increasing financial burden it places on families. We are asking for your support to help ease the cost of this cruel and unfeeling disease and give Tim the comfort and dignity that he deserves.

You donations will go directly towards:
* In-home assistance
* Wheelchair ramp
* Mobility aids
* Medical treatments and therapies
* Assistive devices
* Transportation to doctors appointments

If you’re unable to donate, please consider sharing on all your social media platforms. We can’t ever express our gratitude for the kind words and love we’ve already received.

For some reason, I don’t usually put music with an obituary or a remembrance for someone who’s passed away. In this case, that’s extra ridiculous. So much of what you ever knew about Jason — and it was only Jason; his last name was Limpantsis, but you never saw it printed on their records, promo materials or anything else, and if you asked, they’d give you the runaround; he was just Jason — was his voice. When I read last night that he’d died, this song immediately started to play in my head:

A tear, listening to the arrival of that culmination. That scream, gutted out and no put-on from the throat. His whole body is in it. “From Below” closes Solace’s 2010 third album, A.D. (review here), and is both the most elaborate/grandiose and the most heartwrenchingly raw vocal arrangement I ever heard Jason record. There are six or more layers blasting at you full intensity and it still carries even more weight in the emotional expression than in the impact of the song itself — this was a person with an exceedingly rare gift, a sweet heart and a deep shadow.

I don’t remember when I met Jason for the first time — Brighton Bar? some show? — but the last time I saw him socially (I would see him on stage again) was at Solace guitarist Tommy Southard’s wedding in Oct. 2011. Dave Sherman (R.I.P. 2022) was there too. Solace played as I recall and we were all as drunken gods. The revelry. It was Asbury Lanes, so also, bowling. Anyhow, I’d been writing about the band at that point for the better part of a decade and had done shows opening for them in the band I was in, and at one point in the evening, a markedly intoxicated Jason came up to wherever I was sitting, kind of cornered me, and let me have it.

Dude went on. Mostly about the writing. How much he appreciated what I’d said about him, especially about A.D., for which I retain the softest of soft spots, and that he’d been affected by the work I’d done related to Solace. It was a humbling experience. I won’t go too much into it, but in the social pecking order, nobody’s holding up music journo-types as paragons. Nobody remembers who wrote the review that inspired them to hear an album. They remember the album, and reasonably so. Same with me. So you get somewhat used to people talking smack about lazy reviewers or people getting things wrong, being on a low rung of the social pecking order, whatever. This was the opposite of that, and though liquid courage was an element in making it happen in the first place — because even semi-sober Jason would’ve been far too reserved for that kind of thing — he wasn’t any sloppier than all of us at the time, and it was his quiet sincerity that hit me hardest.

Somehow the same is true of “From Below.”

But with no reason to beyond the fact that he could, Jason took time to be kind. He was famously inconsistent, and I’d imagine at times infuriating to be in a band with. Stories abound of his unreliability, and by all accounts much of the reason Solace took eight years to make A.D. after their debut, 1999’s Further (discussed here), and their 2002 follow-up, 13 (discussed here), was attributable to his taking so long to finish the vocals. I’m not saying this to air dirty laundry at all; it was part of who he was. But when he got on stage and opened his mouth, you stopped and you listened. He had the look, charisma, the voice — of all the frontmen I shared a stage with, I envied his voice most — and the depth of soul behind it.

I know he struggled. As forceful as he could be singing, he was wounded, somehow. Like he felt smaller in himself than he was. We hadn’t really spoken since that night when Tommy married Jenn, and he wasn’t the type to keep in touch after his time with the band was done. The last words he said to me were kind. I think he was often alone, I’m sad he’s gone, and I’ll treasure his work all the more for the rest of my days for having known him for the time I did. Rest in peace.

—

Thank you for reading. This is going to be it to close out the week, i.e. no Friday Full-Length. Follow one of the links above and listen to Solace instead. That’s always why I put them there, but more so in this case. Either way, have a great and safe weekend. Tell someone you love them.

Stalwart Californian heavy psychedelic rockers Nebula are mourning the passing of bassist Ranch Sironi, age 32. The band have canceled the European tour they were due to start today, which would have featured appearances at Hellfest, Heavy Psych Sounds Fest, Stoomfest, Rock in Bourlon and more, and this month are set to release a split with Black Rainbows titled In Search of the Cosmic Tale: Crossing the Galactic Portal to follow-up on the Livewired in Europe live outing from earlier this Spring. There has been no cause of death listed, but the loss is a tragedy for the band still likely reeling from the death of prior bassist Tom Davies, who passed away from cancer less than a year ago. They posted the following on social media:

It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of our dear friend and bassist, Ranch, this morning. Due to this tragic loss, the Nebula Tour has been canceled. Our heartfelt condolences go out to his family and everyone who knew him. We appreciate your understanding and support during this difficult time.

The canceled tour dates are as follows:

TH. 06.06.24 IT PRATO – OFF TUNE FESTIVAL
FR. 07.06.24 IT BERGAMO – ROCK IN RIOT
SA. 08.06.24 CH MARTIGNY – HPS FEST CH
MO. 10.06.24 IT ZERO BRANCO – ALTROQUANDO
TU. 11.06.24 SL LJUBLJANA – GALA HALA
WE. 12.06.24 HR ZAGREB – THE VINTAGE INDUSTRIAL
TH. 13.06.24 DE RAVENSBURG – IRISH PUB SLAINTE
SA. 15.06.24 DE MUNSTER – RARE GUITAR
MO. 17.06.24 FR SEIGNOSSE – THE BLACK FLAG
TU. 18.06.24 ES SAN SEBASTIAN – DABADABA
WE. 19.06.24 ES MADRID – WURLIZER
TH. 20.06.24 ES BARCELONA – SALA UPLOAD
FR. 21.06.24 FR BORDEAUX – LA FETE DE LA MUSIQUE
SU. 23.06.24 FR BOURLON – ROCK IN BOURLON
FR. 28.06.24 FR CLISSON – HELLFEST
SA. 29.06.24 FR MANIGOD – NAMASS PAMOUSS FESTIVAL
SU. 30.06.24 FR CHAMBERY – BRIN DE ZINC
MO. 01.07.24 FR PARIS – SUPERSONIC
TH. 04.07.24 UK SHEFFIELD – YELLOW ARCH STUDIO
FR. 05.07.24 UK LONDON – STOOMFEST
SA. 06.07.24 UK NOTTINGHAM – ROUGH TRADE

Obviously it’s too soon for the band to have makeup plans in the works let alone made public. Founding guitarist/vocalist Eddie Glass brought the band back with live shows and the 2019 album Holy Shit with Mike Amster on drums and Davies on bass, and Sironi stepped in to take up the low end role as Davies’ heath declined. Sironi did not play on 2022’s Transmission From Mothership Earth and was making his studio debut with the band on the three songs of the coming split with Black Rainbows.

The loss of a player so young is especially hard to take; somebody just beginning what hopefully would have been a long and fruitful tenure with Nebula as part of his own career arc. On behalf of myself and this site, I offer condolences to Ranch Sironi’s family, friends and bandmates. I don’t have any other info at this time and honestly doubt more will be forthcoming publicly, but there’s no angle from which his death is anything but deeply sad. Hug your friends. Hug everybody.

Nebula, Live in France, Oct. 11, 2023

If they’re really done — that is, if the hiatus that Atavismo have newly announced will stick permanently — then I’m singularly sorry not to have seen the band. The Algeciras-based heavy psych and progressive outfit made their debut with the 2014 album Desintegración (discussed here; review here), and their most recent offering was the single, “Psicopatías del 2021” (premiered here), a reinterpretation of a track by the associated project Mind! that appeared on the Spinda Records 7″ compilation Grados. Minutos. Segundos., sprawling and limited as that was. Their most recent standalone release was 2018’s Valdeinfierno EP (review here), which followed their second LP, 2017’s Inerte (review here).

So you can see maybe it’s been a while, but I have no hesitation in telling you Atavismo was a special band, even never having seen them play. The Algeciras-based four-piece contributed significantly to the progressive course of Spanish psychedelia in the last decade, and the telltale blend of folk and heavy psych influences can in turn be heard in a slew of regional acts who’ve taken cues at least in part from what Atavismo did on their first two albums. I somehow doubt these people are actually done making music. Guitarist/vocalist Jose “Poti” Moreno has a pedigree that dips back to the seminal rock outfit Viaje a 800, while drummer Sandri Pow and bassist Mat both played with Moreno in Mind!, yes, the same band Atavismo covered on what’s now their swansong single.

I don’t know the circumstances behind the disbanding, but given the creative track of the members of Atavismo, the fact that Viaje a 800 were flirting with doing shows again, on and on, there will be more music. I’m bummed I didn’t see them play, but I’m awfully glad they played, and I’ll maybe always feel a bit like they called it quits too soon ahead of what would surely have been a joy of a third album. So it goes.

Their announcement, translated from the original Spanish, follows here. It appeared on social media:

It’s often said that a withdrawal time is a win.. And that’s how we all feel about making this decision.

No one knows what the future will hold for us, but since the only thing we live is the present, we went down here… We’ve decided to park Atavismo indefinitely…

We are still family but we need to be accountable to ourselves and our personal well being.

Thank you so much for being a part of our world, and for your support, as we always say, this would not be possible without you.

A big hug to all.