Tonight I got really, really shitty news.
My long-ago friend, Darrin Eck, known to many as Dill, passed away this week in his sleep. Dill and I spent years playing together as Dill and the Big Cheese Band — a severely kick-butt children’s band, based out of Nanaimo. We played all over BC, and even did a brief tour in Newfoundland. We started playing together when I was a young scrogg of 18, were business partners for two years after I moved to Ontario, and continued to play together until the year Gareth was born, almost eight years later. Dill even performed at our wedding along with the mega-talented Shelley Chase.
Those who knew us both, knew that our relationship (as well as Dill’s path through life) was — well, complicated, to be concise. We had a lot of good times, and a lot of not-as-good times. I cannot, however, ever, ever be more emphatic in saying that the world has lost a truly gifted musician and songwriter. I’m attaching a few of his pieces here for you to experience his kick-assery, which I was lucky enough to record backing vocals, harmonica and bass guitar on.
RIP Dill. Too many thoughts words pass through my head to write down. Know that you’ll be greatly missed.