The Loss of Another Soldier….Goodbye to
Guitarist Bryan Ottosan of American Head Charge. RIP
By Robin Steeley
Photography Credit to M. Shawn Crahan (From bands official website)
Twenty seven year old Bryan Ottoson died April 19th. He was found dead in his bunk on the tour bus hours before the bands show in North Charleston, South Carolina where they were scheduled to play the Plex Club. His death was the tragic result of an accidental overdose of prescription medication. Band Members saw him at 4am on April 18th as they were leaving Maryland for Carolina. He had been drinking and partying at the end of the night. That mixed with his prescribed medication proved lethal. He was buried April 26th, 2005 in Minneapolis. The music world lost a great musician, but most importantly a great person. He will be missed by people everywhere.
Last month I interviewed Bryan and he was definitely an unforgettable character of a person, both onstage and off. He was passionate, funny, and full of life. My heart goes out to Bryan's family and to the band, who has overcome a tremendous amount of tragedies and obstacles over the past three years, I commend them for rejoining the Mudvayne tour, they knew better then anyone its what Bryan would have wanted. I know you will be playing your heart out every night in his honor guys.
Donations for funeral service:
Judy Ottoson c/o Chad Ottoson
13673 48th Street Northeast
St. Michael, MN 55376
Quotes from my recent interview with Bryan.
Crave: Do you have a favorite track off "The Feeding"?
Bryan: Yeah, "To Be Me", the last track. It's a really gut wrenching and emotional song for me, it capsulates the last three years of chaos we have endured. It sums it all up for me.
Crave: I read somewhere that Justin described you as a "Complete fucking disgusting bastard, an amazing guitar player, and a great human being" Do you have any response to that?
Bryan: Awww Damn (laughing) I've known Justin eleven years and we are cosmically connected where we can talk without saying a word. We always knew we would play music together. We were best friends from the moment we met, he's my boy and I love him to death.
Have you any idea
What it's like to be me
Watching you succeed and move forward
All my wasted time, tensing in anticipation
My thought process
Full grown and worthless
Safe when nobody is in your heart now
Take everything you can get your hands on
Save me save me from this yearning yet again
I have become what I always knew
I have become what I always knew
Every salvageable breath choked off in fear
I am the last thing I'll ever expect from me
Safe when nobody is in your heart now
Take everything you can get your hands on
Save me save me from this yearning yet again
