Central Track Contributor
Dallas' Music and Service Industry Scenes Were Rocked By Back-To-Back, Unrelated Suicides Today
Devastating. Just… devastating.
Surely, there are better words to describe today's losses of Brian Alguire and Scott Lastowski, but, at the moment, I'm struggling to find them. I apologize for that, but I imagine I'm not alone here. It's just been an impossibly tough day, as Dallas' smaller-than-most-realize music and service industry communities have been forced to come to terms with the seemingly unrelated passings of these two men, who are each now dead of apparent suicides, family members confirm.
Somehow worse, news of each death broke within 90 minutes of one another this afternoon, spreading like wildfire across North Texas social media channels, neither affording news of the other the time to sink in.
Alguire was a fixture on area music stages, formerly as the bassist of the punk band The Crazy Ivans and most recently as the “Minister of Musical Mischief” for a new project called Murderous Mayhem. When not performing, Alguire, an IT professional by day, could be regularly seen out and about town at concerts and art openings alike, almost certainly wearing leather and, more than likely, unintentionally blocking your view with his ever-present, bleached blonde mohawk.
Lastowski, on the other hand, was a recognizable face seen on the other side of the bar — and sometimes at the same events. Among other spots, he worked as the manager at La Grange in Deep Ellum, served drinks at the Meridian Room in Exposition Park and, most recently, tended bar at Oak Cliff's The Foundry. He was always quick with a joke, faster with his smile and patient with his ear.
Both men will be sorely, sorely missed.
In the coming days, I'm sure information will be shared about memorial services. As that news comes, we will update this story accordingly.
In the meantime, allow me the following bit of editorializing: One suicide is too many, but this community has been hit with far too many in recent years. If you are in a tough place in your life, please reach out to your friends for help, refer to the information available on the Texas Suicide Prevention website for advice or call 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
Update at 3:13 p.m. on June 7: Memorial services are starting to take shape for each of these men.
A memorial service for Lastowski will take place at Sparkman Funeral Home in Richardson on Sunday at 1 p.m. Lastowksi's mother has set up a fund-raising page to help cover funeral costs. A less formal service for Lastowski and fellow music scene fixture David Rell, who died earlier in the week of natural causes, will take place at The Libertine on Monday, starting at 6 p.m.
Meanwhile, a memorial gathering for Alguire will take place on Sunday, June 8, at 2625 Main Street in Deep Ellum, from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. The event is open to the public and, in lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made in Alguire's name to the Deep Ellum Community Association's suicide prevention project, the 45 Fund.
A memorial concert for both Alguire and Lastowski has also been scheduled for Saturday, June 28, at RBC.
