Brandon Carlisle (1978-2015)

Once again our FAT family has been devastated by the loss of one of our own. We have been hoping, praying, grasping at the possibility that Brandon would recover from his coma; but as of last night, we know that he’s gone. It is with great difficulty that we even attempt to condense our sorrow over this loss into words. We are completely distraught to know that we will never hug, see, or collaborate with him again. Teenage Bottlerocket is family. We love all of them like brothers.

Brandon was a unique individual, a rarity. It is obvious by the outpouring of love and support he’s generated over the last few days just how deeply he touched so many lives. He was always generous with his time, curious to know each person he met, and quickly made lasting friendships wherever he went. A true music lover, Brandon was always stoked to shoot the shit about great new bands and killer punk records. He dedicated his life to punk rock, spreading that infectious joy around the world every single time he got behind the kit at a Teenage Bottlerocket show. The world is undoubtedly a darker, sadder, shittier place without Brandon’s smiling face to brighten it up.

Brendan Kelly of The Lawrence Arms summed up Brandon’s personality best with this anecdote describing how he once heard Brandon utter the words, “this is the greatest day of my life,” when all they were doing was hanging out in Laramie drinking beer and eating enchiladas: “It’s my distinct feeling that Brandon said that phrase ’it’s the greatest day of my life’ and meant it more than the rest of us combined. I’m jealous of that enthusiasm. We should all be so lucky to go through this world with a style like Brandon did.”

We are all completely devastated. What we’ll miss most is seeing Brandon do what he loved and what he devoted his life to: playing drums and rocking the fuck out. That is his legacy and that is how we’ll remember him. We’ll miss you always Brandon; may you rest in peace.

If you want to help the Carlisle family with expenses, you can do so here.