Mazzy Star, Rain Parade, Opal and Rainy Day co-founder David Roback sadly passed away at the age of 61. His fellow artists have taken to social media to share tributes to the late multi-instrumentalist and producer, including fellow Paisley Underground scene artists Susanna Hoffs (of The Bangles but also Rainy Day and The Unconscious which featured Roback) and Steve Wynn (The Dream Syndicate), plus Anton Newcombe of The Brian Jonestown Massacre, Colin Meloy of The Decemberists, Carl Newman, of The New Pornographers, J Mascis, Jennifer O’Connor, Modern Nature, The Pastels, Eyelids, Sleigh Bells, The Vacant Lots, Craig Wedren, Simon Raymonde (The Cocteau Twins, Bella Union Records), Clairo, Doug Gillard of Guided by Voices, Grasshopper of Mercury Rev, Matthew Caws of Nada Surf, Joe Pernice, Mac from Superchunk, and more. See those tributes below.
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Peace and love David Roback…
my first musical partner and my very dear friend. You will be eternally missed. 💔 pic.twitter.com/mO1MnLDCOG— Susanna Hoffs (@SusannaHoffs) February 25, 2020
Our recording of I'll Keep It With Mine. https://t.co/Q2W6bsuVm5
— Susanna Hoffs (@SusannaHoffs) February 25, 2020
oh no! Terrible, sad news. Rain Parade, Opal, Mazzy Star. We've lost a great one. Safe travels, David. https://t.co/inbW2g9Ctn
— colin meloy (@colinmeloy) February 25, 2020
rest in peace david roback. emergency third rail power trip still sounds like a miracle to me. thank you for the beautiful songs and sounds. pic.twitter.com/pLAU4DVlpa
— matthew caws (@nadasurf) February 26, 2020
https://twitter.com/JPernicious/status/1232681667388694528
https://twitter.com/musicofEYELIDS/status/1232439808124866560
Very sad to learn of David Roback’s passing. He was responsible for some great records, esp. Opal & Rain Parade. When the first Opal eps/lp came out, the fact there was a new sound & collaboration by him & Kendra Smith wowed a lot of us college djs & band folks in CLE. R.i.p.
— Doug Gillard (@douggillard) February 26, 2020
https://twitter.com/ACNewman/status/1232443872837394432
RIP Dave https://t.co/wCYBfm1Btz
— anton newcombe (@antonnewcombe) February 25, 2020
Hearing this record on @wxyc when I was 15 changed the way I thought about “alternative” / punk music. Put them on the cover of our fanzine! Sad to hear of the passing of David Roback. #RIP #davidroback… https://t.co/0jCFzQZoOu
— superchunk (@superchunk) February 26, 2020
David Roback forever
— Light in the Attic (@lightintheattic) February 25, 2020
Time fades away. Empty Box Blues by Opal. I love this music. #davidroback https://t.co/lApa8uuBLZ
— the pastels (@pastels_the) February 25, 2020
https://twitter.com/Jennifer_Kiam/status/1232452073607716864?s=20
https://twitter.com/teamloverecords/status/1232452248296284160?s=20
https://twitter.com/sleighbells/status/1232454889059405825
RIP David Roback ☄️
📷 Mazzy Star @ NRMAL X Años pic.twitter.com/c7zgXFej9B
— NRMAL (@Nrmal) February 26, 2020
https://twitter.com/greyxgordon/status/1232456208134524928
RIP David Roback #mazzystar https://t.co/EKJTXeALF0 pic.twitter.com/O7FL7fe4Qr
— THE VACANT LOTS (@THEVACANTLOTS) February 26, 2020
Rest in peace David Roback 💙 https://t.co/VsrmK26DOj
— claire cottrill (@clairo) February 26, 2020
Shocked and gutted about David Roback.
Opal and Rainy Day remain seminal musical DNA strands for me. #RIPDavidRoback https://t.co/fCbzEbCCuahttps://t.co/ftg812a0BI— Craig Wedren (@craigwedren) February 25, 2020
Rest in peace David Roback 💙 https://t.co/VsrmK26DOj
— claire cottrill (@clairo) February 26, 2020
I saw Mazzy Star at Woody’s in 1990 and all of Galaxie 500 were in the audience as well as many other bands. It was a spellbinding show that I continue to draw inspiration from 30 years later… https://t.co/N5uOy59lXl
— grasshopper (@mercuryrevvd) February 26, 2020