Dave Grohl has paid tribute to the late Kent Stax, the drummer he replaced in Virginia hardcore legends Scream, by dedicating Foo Fighters' performance of Everlong at the opening night of the Louder Than Life festival to him.
"I wouldn’t be here today if it weren’t for Scream, and the man whose place I took in that band, Mr. Kent Stax, one of the best punk rock drummers of all time," Grohl told the Louisville, Kentucky audience on Thursday, September 21. “He passed the other day. So this one’s for Kent."
Scream announced the passing of their drummer, born Bennett Kent Stacks, on September 20, just 24 hours after sharing their first new music in over a decade.
"We are heartbroken to share that our drummer Bennett Kent Stacks passed away this morning after a bout with metastatic cancer, the band declared in a social media posting. "Kent is the original heartbeat of Scream. Though we have had to continue on without him before, we have always known Kent is irreplaceable. He was one of a kind. In addition to being a truly unique drummer, Kent was also an accomplished fisherman, skilled carpenter, and avid train enthusiast.
Kent also played in prominent punk and harDCore bands including The Suspects, Spitfires United, Alleged Bricks and more throughout his life. He also branched out to other genres, playing with The Daryl Davis Band and The Old Dominion Trio.
He is survived by his wife of 40 years Andrea, daughter Jennifer, brothers Kurt, William and Henry and a host of band mates, friends and fans. If you ever saw us play or if you knew Kent, your thoughts and memories are welcome here."
Welcome Grohl pay tribute to Stax below:
Both Grohl and Stax appear on the new Scream album, DC Special.
Recorded by Don Zientara just weeks before his legendary Inner Ear studio was evicted from its longtime location, DC Special is said to embody "the same sense of community and politics that inspired Scream from the start and is a truly special collection of new music that speaks to the present and also tells the story of DC music, Scream, and the influences that shaped them." Other guests on the record include: Fugazi's Ian MacKaye and Joe Lally, and Bad Religion Brian Baker.
Its first single, DC Special Sha La La, can be heard below:
