Post by IRON BALLS on May 12, 2011 15:23:15 GMT -5
THIS IS OLD NEWS, NOT SURE IT GOT POSTED HERE. 
Jimi "Jaymz" Balduf feared this day was coming. Still, Thursday's sad news surprised and disturbed him: His longtime friend Henrik Ostergaard -- the founder and singer of hard-rock band Dirty Looks -- was dead at age 47.
According to Erie County Coroner Lyle Cook, Ostergaard died of natural causes while in hospice care.
"Henrik and I were good friends and I'm really sorry that things had to end up the way they did. Alcoholism is a horrible monster," said Balduf, who worked as part of the band's management team.
Dirty Looks released 13 albums on several labels from 1984 to 1996. Ostergaard also recorded with Rumbledog, Taar, and Burning Orange. He quit music for years before a near-death experience from alcohol poisoning in 2007 spurred him to revive Dirty Looks.
They released four studio CDs on FNA Records since then, including 2010's "I.C.U."
Ostergaard's signature raw-throated, banshsee-like vocals could curdle milk in 50 states. With his long, flowing hair, onstage charisma and riff-heavy yet melodic songs, Ostergaard and Dirty Looks developed an international following.
"Henrik had a hell of a knack for writing a good song. He knew a good hook," Balduf said. "He could write a catchy, good hard-rock song, and you never can take that away from the guy."
"Henrik had an ear," added Scott Parmenter, who played guitar on Dirty Looks' 2010 album, "I.C.U. "He could hear a pin drop from a mile away. He could feel heart and tone."
Erie jazz bassist Steve Trohoske used to hang out at Chestnut Street Pub with Ostergaard.
"Henrik is definitely a legend," he said. "He was great at what he did. He had everything -- the personality, the voice. He was a rock-and-roll animal, for sure."
Ostergaard's drive helped Dirty Looks make headway with headbangers in the 1980s. They earned airplay on MTV and toured frequently. Drummer Steve McConnell helped Ostergaard demo songs in the early days and comeback sessions.
"It was exciting working in the studio with someone who knew what they were doing," McConnell said. "Henrik was the first guy I recorded with who got that, and got to radio."
Jack Pyers played bass for years with Dirty Looks, then rejoined to play on 2008's "Superdeluxe."
"I consider myself lucky to have had the opportunity to work with and share some significant achievements with Henrik," Pyers wrote, by e-mail. "He was one of the best (expletive) rock 'n' roll singers that ever was."
But whiskey took a toll on his voice, which grew hoarse, and his health. Ostergaard talked about his alcohol problems in a 2008 interview. He revealed, the year before, he awoke in intensive care.
"I was on a death watch for three or four days," he said. He decided to pursue music again to focus on something positive: "I prefer playing to dying."
McConnell said preproduction sessions with a healthy Ostergaard were "the most fun we had." Dirty Looks played before 1,100 fans at the Warner Theatre in October 2008. But his abstinence didn't last. He drank during "I.C.U." sessions in Connecticut. The making of that album was also delayed by tragedy when Dirty Looks' bassist Greg Pianka was stabbed to death in February 2010.
Balduf said "I.C.U." will likely be the last Dirty Looks' album.
"It's safe to assume," he said. "(Ostergaard) even told me that it'd be his last record. I think he knew. I think he knew what would happen. "
Ostergaard is survived by two children, Henrik Jr. and Elliott.
Jimi "Jaymz" Balduf feared this day was coming. Still, Thursday's sad news surprised and disturbed him: His longtime friend Henrik Ostergaard -- the founder and singer of hard-rock band Dirty Looks -- was dead at age 47.
According to Erie County Coroner Lyle Cook, Ostergaard died of natural causes while in hospice care.
"Henrik and I were good friends and I'm really sorry that things had to end up the way they did. Alcoholism is a horrible monster," said Balduf, who worked as part of the band's management team.
Dirty Looks released 13 albums on several labels from 1984 to 1996. Ostergaard also recorded with Rumbledog, Taar, and Burning Orange. He quit music for years before a near-death experience from alcohol poisoning in 2007 spurred him to revive Dirty Looks.
They released four studio CDs on FNA Records since then, including 2010's "I.C.U."
Ostergaard's signature raw-throated, banshsee-like vocals could curdle milk in 50 states. With his long, flowing hair, onstage charisma and riff-heavy yet melodic songs, Ostergaard and Dirty Looks developed an international following.
"Henrik had a hell of a knack for writing a good song. He knew a good hook," Balduf said. "He could write a catchy, good hard-rock song, and you never can take that away from the guy."
"Henrik had an ear," added Scott Parmenter, who played guitar on Dirty Looks' 2010 album, "I.C.U. "He could hear a pin drop from a mile away. He could feel heart and tone."
Erie jazz bassist Steve Trohoske used to hang out at Chestnut Street Pub with Ostergaard.
"Henrik is definitely a legend," he said. "He was great at what he did. He had everything -- the personality, the voice. He was a rock-and-roll animal, for sure."
Ostergaard's drive helped Dirty Looks make headway with headbangers in the 1980s. They earned airplay on MTV and toured frequently. Drummer Steve McConnell helped Ostergaard demo songs in the early days and comeback sessions.
"It was exciting working in the studio with someone who knew what they were doing," McConnell said. "Henrik was the first guy I recorded with who got that, and got to radio."
Jack Pyers played bass for years with Dirty Looks, then rejoined to play on 2008's "Superdeluxe."
"I consider myself lucky to have had the opportunity to work with and share some significant achievements with Henrik," Pyers wrote, by e-mail. "He was one of the best (expletive) rock 'n' roll singers that ever was."
But whiskey took a toll on his voice, which grew hoarse, and his health. Ostergaard talked about his alcohol problems in a 2008 interview. He revealed, the year before, he awoke in intensive care.
"I was on a death watch for three or four days," he said. He decided to pursue music again to focus on something positive: "I prefer playing to dying."
McConnell said preproduction sessions with a healthy Ostergaard were "the most fun we had." Dirty Looks played before 1,100 fans at the Warner Theatre in October 2008. But his abstinence didn't last. He drank during "I.C.U." sessions in Connecticut. The making of that album was also delayed by tragedy when Dirty Looks' bassist Greg Pianka was stabbed to death in February 2010.
Balduf said "I.C.U." will likely be the last Dirty Looks' album.
"It's safe to assume," he said. "(Ostergaard) even told me that it'd be his last record. I think he knew. I think he knew what would happen. "
Ostergaard is survived by two children, Henrik Jr. and Elliott.