As many of you know, this week we lost our friend Les “Fazi” Opiola. Our hearts go out to his family and friends all around the world. He was the 6th member of our band. For those that didn’t know him, there was little you could not like about Fazi. He never complained about himself, he was always happy to see you, always had a smile on his face and passionately loved music. He also loved to capture the power of music through photography. Besides taking tons of photos of us, his work with blues artists was recently heralded last summer at the Chicago Blues Festival and Museum. http://www.lesopiolaphotography.com/

For us we lost a part of our soul. He was a friend, a trusted adviser, a fellow artist, and a shoulder to cry on. He would rally us when we were down, open up his home to us when we had no where to go, buy us a shot and a beer when we had no money, conspire with us about creative projects, and never let us quit when the going got tough. The world is a less interesting place without him and we are all better people for having known him.

Rest In Peace Fazi.