10th Anniv. of Mark Sandman's ( Morphine ) death on stage at Palestrina , Italy ( Vanity )

[sushiman]

Mark Sandman (September 24, 1952 – July 3, 1999) was an American singer, songwriter, musical instrument inventor and multi-instrumentalist.

An indie rock icon and longtime fixture on the Boston/Cambridge music scene, Sandman was best known as the lead singer and slide bass player of the band Morphine. Sandman was also known as a prominent member of the Boston blues band Treat Her Right and the founder of Hi-n-Dry, a Cambridge, Massachusetts-based recording studio and independent record label.

Read more at Wiki if interested .

Two original members of the band Morphine , one a friend of mine drummer Jerome Deupree , + New Orleans bluesman Jeremy Lyons play a concert of Morphine songs in Palestrina tonight in Italy in Mark's honor . Wish I could be there .

[sushiman]

On July 3, 1999, Sandman collapsed on stage at the Giardini del Principe in Palestrina, Latium, Italy (near Rome) while performing with Morphine. He was soon pronounced dead of a heart attack at the age of 46. Sandman was survived by his girlfriend Sabine Hrechdakian, his parents Robert and Guitelle Sandman, and his sister Martha Holmes. Morphine immediately disbanded following his death, though the surviving members briefly toured with other musicians, creating Orchestra Morphine as a tribute to Sandman and in support of the posthumous release, "The Night."

[sushiman]

One of my fave videos ...They were a LOW rock band with 1/2 string bass ; baritone sax and drum along with Mark’s heavylow and sexy voice .

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4zw1Bli1jbc

[Third Person]

I saw Morphine a number of times in Boston and Providence in the early nineties. They were one of the bands that my little cadre of music loving friends really enjoyed live.

I remember Sandman greeting fans at the door before a show at Lupo’s in Providence. He seemed like a genuinely decent guy, and his band rocked like crazy.

Thanks for the post...I think I’ll raise a glass and put Morphine in the player today.

[sushiman]

Your post gave me goosebumps ! Thanks for posting , man !

[sushiman]

1/2 meaning 1 or 2 string bass versus the standard 4 .

[Son House]

Thanks, now I’m hooked on Morphine, first time I’d ever heard of them, no guitar, no keyboard, yet obviously very popular. I was almost ready to spout out about hating themed video’s that never show the band, boy was I surprised, here’s another, cool bass guitar,

Morphine - Shame

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZMU7HgED6IU

[sushiman]

I knew there were some “ HIP “ cats on FR ! Thanks !

[hoosier hick]

Interesting stuff (I had not heard of them before). I watched “Cure for Pain” and “Early to Bed.” My biggest complaint about most pop music is the lack of interesting instrumentation. It’s really good to catch something really different. RIP.

hh

[sushiman]

Morphine did have a unique . LOW sound . They were different - a rock band without a guitar and a bass player that played either a single string or two string bass . Baritone sax in a rock band ?