Some very sad news coming in this afternoon from Sonic Unyon HQ: Frank Kerr, a.k.a Frankie Venom of Hamilton, Ontario punk-rock heroes Teenage Head, passed away today from, according to a statement by bandmate Gord Lewis, "natural causes" — though 51 years old seems like an unnaturally young age to go. We can only speculate that he just rocked too hard for this world. (Update: the cause of death has since been revealed to be throat cancer.)
Fixtures on the garage-rock circuit for over 30 years, Teenage Head most recently released a well-received collaboration album with Marky Ramone this past spring, and in a strange bit of timing, Kerr's passing coincides with the DVD release this week of The Last Pogo, Colin Brunton's documentary on the infamous 1978 punk-rock summit (featuring Teenage Head) at the Horseshoe Tavern that culminated in a riot.
Our condolences go out to Kerr's friends, family and bandmates. For one last time, let's shake: