Australian Guitarist Dies
Saddened by the news this afternoon that influential Australian songwriter and guitarist Rowland S. Howard lost his battle with cancer.
I was fortunate enough to have been at his last gig and got the opportunity to photograph the man at the Prince Bandroom in October.
He passed away this morning, aged 50.
Howard was waiting for a liver transplant and had cancelled recent shows due to illness.
The influential guitarist came to prominence as a member of Melbourne punk band the Boys Next Door who became The Birthday Party, fronted by Nick Cave.
Howard wrote their iconic hit Shivers, and his guitar skills would inspire a generation to come.
The guitarist was also a member of bands including The Young Charlatans, Crime and the City Solution and These Immortal Souls. Over the years, Rowland collaborated with the likes of Nikki Sudden (RIP), Lydia Lunch, Jeffrey Lee Pierce (RIP), Jeremy Gluck and Barry Adamson to name a few.
His final gig was at the Prince of Wales in October to launch the album. You can view photos from that show on the gallery to the right.
I had met the man once, as my girlfriend was a friend of his and has quite a substantial bootleg collection of his live shows which she recorded over the course of the last decade.
Ironically enough, he actually lived in the apartment next door to us before we moved into this block.
View the complete set over at the Slideshow to the right, or on 
Check out a full review of the show and one of my photos on the AU Review website…
