I lost a friend today. One I had known for over ten years. I lost a friend that I had admired and respected. One I had several good memories and differences with. A friend that I had lived with, laughed with, argued with, and most of all…. one I shared life with.

Dave Rankin was taken way before his time; he did not deserve to go at such an early age. His life was already full; he had experienced so much, so soon. I'll miss him.

Dave was not the kind of person that abused drugs or alcohol regularly. He loved a social drink now and again, but rarely was he ever out of control. I saw this first hand from living with him. He had a hold on himself like many of us do, and occasionally liked to walk the tightrope as many of us do as well. But he always knew what he was doing. He was too smart not to.

Dave was one of those people that were born to make music. His working mind and worldview were always in a collected state of calamity, and pounding on drums allowed his problems to subside whilst creating. His mind was like a well-built vintage timepiece; it never tired, it was always cranking out new ideas and concepts. In many ways, his music reflected his personality. Utter chaos. It was an amalgamation of odd time signatures and odd sounds, a complete bucking of the mass media standard of music making. He didn't need a band. He was his own.

I remember visiting him in Portland around 1993 or so, and he played me some songs he was working on. After hearing a rather glorious mess, I remember thinking to myself: “this guy is nuts!” But the truth is, I remember the riff clearly, and I could replicate for you, albeit poorly, if you handed me a guitar. That was nine years ago, and clearly reflective of his impact on me as a person and as a player. And I wasn't the only person he impacted. His personality was far too strong to stop there.

Primarily a drummer, Dave was very accomplished in guitar, bass, and singing. As I said before…he was born to make music.

I remember March 31st, 1996, clearly. I had just moved to Portland, and had joined Ku-Da-Tah just three weeks prior. I hadn't contacted Dave since my arrival; I didn't know how to reach him. I knew that at some point, we would run into each other. Eventually, we did. My first gig with the band was at the now defunct Elvis Room, and he was there. Despite not speaking for some time, we, as true drumming brethren, got on together as if we had spoken only days prior. I was proud that one of my first drumming mentors was there to watch me strive, and happy to reconnect with an old friend.

Another fond memory is New Years Eve of 97 or 98, I really can't remember which, (we both had long hair at the time, if that gives you any idea) that Dave, myself, and our (now former) girlfriends went out to ring in the New Year together at Amigo's. We were both currently without bands, and we were both eager to create with others. Tripe, one of my favorite local bands had broken up, and I was looking to talk to Steve Marquis (guitar) about starting a band together. Steve was there at Amigo's, and Dave got to him before I did. That was essentially, the start of 6gig. I spoke with Mark Belanger, (Broken Clown) who was also there that night, which became the start of my era with that band. A lot of great music was made because of that night. I'm glad it turned out the way it did. I think I cut my hair the following week, and him a month or so later. It was a good idea for the both of us.

Dave is gone, but he was able to leave an impressive body of work. His work with 6gig speaks for itself, and it will continue to influence every young drummer fortunate to hear it, just as work with Stone Hut back in 1992 had influenced me.

There are people in our lives that we all admire and care for, and despite the differences Dave and I had in the past few years, we always respected each other, and found closure over Christmas of last year. I'm thankful for that, and glad to know that he knew I always cared about him. He was one of my closest friends, and I hope it pleases him to know that much of his wild spirit lives on in me.

Rest in peace Dave, we already miss you.