Last week, this site lost one of its biggest supporters, and I lost one of my best friends.
Pat Egan was a metal mainstay, an industry veteran who rose through the ranks from a clerk at Looney Tunes records on Long Island to become the director of sales for Relapse Records, working with artists ranging from Baroness and Pig Destroyer to comedian Brian Posehn. He was also an opinionated and often hilarious music fan, posting “Pat’s Unpopular Music Opinions” on Facebook and tweeting @Patlapse. Most importantly, he was a devoted husband to his wife Melinda and his daughter Katie.
I have many great personal memories of Pat. For eight years, he was a constant presence in my life-professionally and personally, and although he played the badass role, he was a big teddy bear and had a heart of gold.
In order to help raise money for Katie’s college fund, Relapse Records has created a tribute sampler. The 20-track digital sampler features songs by Mastodon, The Dillinger Escape Plan, Red Fang, and a never-before-released track from Exhumed. Each band is waiving their royalties in order to appear on this compilation.
You can find this compilation at patlapse.org. There’s no set cost, so donate as much or as little as you can. Help preserve the memory of a great guy by ensuring his kid a bright future.