atthesametime

I never knew Lance very well, but I met him once about 10 years ago. I was on tour as a roadie for an emo band in the fall of 1998, and Lance set up our shows in SF and Oakland. The first morning we were there he took us to breakfast at some place in the Mission where the food was cheap and that brand of healthy messy vegetarian. He talked excitedly with his mouth full of food, eating like it was a race. And all that excitement was directed at us, getting to know new people. I was so impressed that this famous punk, this guy whose music I'd listened to for years, took so much time to talk with four smalltime kids from the midwest. He showed us around the Mission afterwards, and when he left to go to work in the afternoon we felt like we had a new friend looking out for us.

I never met Lance again, though I saw J Church play at a couple big venues once in a while. He always seemed a little haggard but resolute - like he didn't know any other way.

Every once in a while, I hear that song in my head, the one he sang about the hard working couple living in the shitty little apartment, scrimping money but enjoying life: "there were times I would hear them cry themselves to sleep, but other times there was crazy laughter and that's the thought that I'll keep."

My first band used to cover Cringer songs in my parents' garage.

sometimes i wanna go back, sometime to the beginning
sometimes i wouldn't change a thing

I have all kinds of memories associated with J Church and Cringer but absurdly right now I just have flashes of old friends wearing ratty Cringer shirts in high school.
And sadly, of Harold wearing his Tilt shirt.
Memories leading to memories...
and lives cut short.
So sad.

I can’t say for sure that Cringer was ever on when we used to drive around in spitmeat’s parents minivan driving from dennys to dennys, being young and stupid with our lives ahead of us, but I bet they were.

Such a nice photo too. Where is it from?

WTH? Are you serious??? He was a classmate of mine at Kamehameha Schools in Hawai'i. I didn't know he died. He was one of the coolest people EVER. This is a shock to me. I was just reading the Friends List of gymrats and saw his picture and name. I hope this isn't true.

My only connection to J Church is through TO/Jade Tree, but it sounds like Lance was one hell of a guy and my condolences to everybody who knew him or his music.

Funny, I was listening to this song when I read your post.

I'd known Lance from around, but only got to really know him when he was my upstairs neighbor for a year. Out of the eight of us in our two apartments, I was the only one not involved with Epicenter but Lance never made me feel like I wasn't part of the club, or lazy, or weird. He wore his heart on his sleeve when he fell in love, would get gleefully excited discussing the Spanish Civil War, and then turn around and talk punk trivia with some kid who came up to him at the bar as if they'd known each other for years. And then turn around and ask me something about some small detail of my life that would astonish me that he knew.

We were never best buddies and I haven't seen him since he moved to Austin, but I've been following his health struggles on his myspace. I still can't wrap my head around the fact that there won't be more Lance.

Thanks for this post/space.

In 1994, J Church played over Memorial Day weekend at Studio 158 in North Windham. We had been listening to J Church and Cringer for years and we were excited to finally see them. On the day of the show, Dave Lawrence's car broke down, which was a major crisis because he was the only one of us who had a car. We somehow convinced my dad to rent a car as long as we paid for it, and he let us take it to the show. It was a 1986 Plymouth Reliant K, I think, a truly shitty vehicle. The only time I've ever rented a car to see a show.

It was a great show, obviously. J Church has been a huge presence in my life for many years and I've always treasured that memory. I only met Lance once and exchanged e-mails and letters a few times over the years, so I can only imagine how bad this feels for people who knew him well.

My Lance story is this: I just met him about a month ago. He worked at the same video store as my boyfriend. One day Brian and I went into the back area where Lance worked and we started talking. He charmed the pants off me immediately and just generally struck me as a super interesting person. Soon after that he got sick. It's strange. On the one hand it's weird to have met someone and liked them just before they passed away. But on the other hand, it seems pretty special that I got to have a nice little moment with a great person while I still had the chance.

Lance and J Church have been such an inspiration to me. Even though I'm far away, and only met Lance once, I feel devastated, so my heart goes out to those of you who were close to him.

The one time I saw J Church live, it was December 2004. I flew from Edinburgh to Munich for a weekend just so I could catch them before they left Europe. It was worth the expense. And it was more than 'just' a gig to me: I'd recently left an abusive relationship that had given me a whole load of baggage, plus I'd been rushed into hospital unexpectedly and was now recuperating from surgery. Going to Munich by myself, where I didn't know anyone, was a really big deal given that I'd missed out on adventures for so long. I had such an amazing time seeing J Church and being welcomed by the local punks, who gave me crashspace & food & drink. It felt like a turning point, and it had such a positive impact on my life. Listening to Lance's voice always brings back those feelings of freedom that I was newly able to experience.

Thank you, thank you, thank you, and I'm so sorry that you're gone.