Jason Matthew Thirsk (December 25, 1967 – July 29, 1996) was an American musician who was the bass player of the California

punk rock Punk rock (also known as simply punk) is a rock music genre that emerged in the mid-1970s. Rooted in 1950s rock and roll and 1960s garage rock, punk bands rejected the corporate nature of mainstream 1970s rock music. They typically produced sh ...

band Pennywise from 1988 through his death in 1996. He grew up in

Hermosa Beach, California Hermosa Beach (, Spanish for "Beautiful") is a beachfront city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Its population was 19,728 at the 2020 U.S. Census. The city is located in the South Bay region of the Greater Los Angeles area; ...

. Pennywise was formed in 1988 by Thirsk along with singer

Jim Lindberg James William Lindberg (born July 26, 1965) is an American singer and guitarist. Active since the 1980s, when he played in local bands in his early career, he is best known as the songwriter and lead singer of the punk rock band Pennywise, whi ...

, guitarist Fletcher Dragge, and drummer Byron McMackin. Thirsk reportedly did not like to travel. Thirsk had been in rehabilitation for

alcoholism Alcoholism is the continued drinking of alcohol despite it causing problems. Some definitions require evidence of dependence and withdrawal. Problematic use of alcohol has been mentioned in the earliest historical records. The World He ...

and suffered from depression.

Death and legacy

At the age of 28, he died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. His girlfriend discovered his body approximately a day after his death. The band decided to continue making music after Thirsk's death, first by dedicating their performances to him at Warped Tour 1996. They later brought in bass guitarist

Randy Bradbury Pennywise is an American punk rock band from Hermosa Beach, California, formed in 1988. The band took its name from the antagonist in Stephen King's horror novel '' It'' known as Pennywise the Dancing Clown. Between their 1991 self-titled debut ...

from

One Hit Wonder A one-hit wonder is any entity that achieves mainstream popularity, often for only one piece of work, and becomes known among the general public solely for that momentary success. The term is most commonly used in regard to music performers with ...

. The band then set about writing an album of new material which was made up of mostly anti-suicide messages. One of Pennywise's most popular songs, "Bro Hymn", was originally written by Thirsk as a tribute to three of his friends: Tim Colvin, Carlos Canton, who died in a motorcycle accident, and Tom Nichols, who drowned at Hermosa Beach Pier in 1988. The band re-recorded the song after his death as a tribute to their fallen bandmate, replacing the line "Canton, Colvin, Nichols, this one's for you" with "Jason Matthew Thirsk, this one's for you", and renaming the track "Bro Hymn Tribute". It appears as the final track on '' Full Circle'' and a live version can also be found on ''

Live @ the Key Club ''Live @ The Key Club'' is a live album by California punk rock band Pennywise, released in 2000. It was recorded at The Key Club, on May 11, 2000. Track listing References External links ''Live @ the Key Club''at YouTube YouTube i ...

'', released in 2000. Justin Thirsk, Jason's brother and drummer from 98 Mute, appears on the re-recording, both on drums and vocals.

Thirsk's Pennywise discography

* '' A Word From the Wise'' (1989, EP) * '' Wildcard'' (1989, EP) * '' Pennywise'' (1991) * '' A Word from the Wise/Wildcard'' (1992, compilation of the EPs) * ''

Unknown Road ''Unknown Road'' is the second studio album by American punk rock band Pennywise (band), Pennywise, released on August 17, 1993, through Epitaph Records. After frontman Jim Lindberg briefly left the band during touring in support of its previous ...

'' (1993) * '' About Time'' (1995) * '' Yesterdays'' (2014) *Contains previously unrecorded compositions by Thirsk. and see also * ''

No Heroes ''No Heroes'' is the sixth studio album by American metalcore band Converge, released on October 23, 2006 by Epitaph Records. The album was produced by guitarist Kurt Ballou, and the artwork was created by vocalist Jacob Bannon. ''No Heroes'' re ...

'' (1996)

Humble Gods ''Humble Gods'' was a punk rock band from Hermosa Beach, California. Kottonmouth Kings' frontman Daddy X created the band. On October 17, 1995, the band released its debut self-titled album '' Humble Gods'' on WEA. The band had a number of memb ...

(This was the last official recording to ever feature Jason Thirsk). * '' Full Circle'' (1997, dedicated to him, also includes his own lyrics)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Thirsk, Jason American rock bass guitarists Guitarists from California Suicides by firearm in California 1967 births 1996 suicides American punk rock musicians 20th-century American bass guitarists American male bass guitarists 20th-century American male musicians 1996 deaths