SKRANG!
Bobby Sutliff Tribute CD

I'm very sad to let you know of the passing of one of Bobby Sutliff, a brilliant songwriter, guitarist, and member of 80's college rock greats, The Windbreakers.

In 2013, Skrang: Sounds Like Bobby Sutliff, was released. It's 18 Sutliff tunes performed by a bunch of friends, colleagues and fans. It's now available to purchase via bandcamp here: https://thewindbreakers82.bandcamp.com along with a digital only release of a live performance of the Windbreakers from 1989. Funds from both purchases go to Bobby's wife, Wendy. Shipping will be handled by Tim Lee in Mississippi.

Power pop fans know Bobby Sutliff, dating back to the Windbreakers' 1982 EP Meet The Windbreakers and extending to the present. Bobby's facility at turning both ecstasy and heartbreak into tangible artifacts of comfort, and at soundtracking those emotions as personal cinema, is as profound as it comes. His songs have affected and enriched us in so many ways, so it came as no surprise that when news of his near-fatal automobile accident last year reached the music community, the response was swift and succinct: time to give back to the artist. Power pop fans know these names too: Peter Holsapple (the dB's), Tim Lee 3 (natch), Don Dixon, Velvet Crush (w/Matthew Sweet, no less), Matt Piucci of the Rain Parade, Bill Lloyd, Donovan's Brain, Will Kimbrough, John Stirratt of Wilco, Russ Tolman from True West, the Long Ryders' Tom Stevens, and a slew of other Sutliff compatriots and associates.

It's all a labor of love, and with far more musical substance and emotional wallop than 99% of contemporary tribute albums, which typically bear the fingerprints of managers and labels looking more to pad their clients' resumes than pay homage or discern aesthetic truths. In the final estimation, these musicians know, love and have worked with Bobby, and upon hearing the call, they stepped up to the plate.