Sad News / Telefon Tel Aviv Charlie Cooper No Longer...

Charlie Cooper from Telefon Tel aviv has passed away at the young age of 31.

"The cause of his death is still unknown, but bandmate and friend Joshua Eustis left the following message on the band's MySpace page.

"It breaks my heart to inform you all that Charlie Cooper, my better half in Telefon Tel Aviv, passed away on January 22.

We have been friends since high school, and began making records together a decade ago. We have been so fortunate to tour the world together, while at the same time having a massive amount of laughs at one another's expense.

Aside from Charlie's singular genius and musical gifts, I can tell you that he was a total sweetheart of a guy, and a loving friend and confidant to people everywhere. His musicianship was surpassed only by his greater gift to the world—his warmth, his generosity, his unquenchable humor, and his undying loyalty to those he loved. In the spirit of honorable mention, however, I should mention that he had a shoe collection that was marvelous, knowledge of hip-hop that was profound, and knowledge of wine that was subtle."

The latest information reports that Cooper went missing prior to his death last week and was found dead afterwards. More here at xlr8r and additional coverage at CDM.

Sincere condolences to all.

- C

Tim & Puma Mimi / Live Taping 'Musicomax' Television Show @ MAD, Lausanne, Switzerland

I've been telling everyone about Tim and Puma Mimi since the DIY Festival and was lucky enough to have Tim invite me to watch them tape a live TV program this past weekend at a local club, MAD.

Tim has been performing for a year onstage with Puma Mimi streamed into the venues via Skype in Japan. The cast and crew of Musicomax were really into the performance, as was I, despite minor technical difficulties and the almost inaudible interview because of where I sat off stage.

There's more about the taping on my mog here. It was a great weekend.

Here's a video from their YouTube channel,


-C