I woke this morning to the terrible news that Tom Stevens of The Long Ryders has died, at the age of 64. I started listening to The Long Ryders in high school, and saw them at the West End Marketplace in Dallas, Texas (without Tom — he had left the band) in 1987. I had the pleasure of seeing the reunited band — with Tom, whom I got to meet — in April 2017 and again in October 2019. Here is a photo I took of Tom (on the left) with Sid Griffin from a Long Ryders concert at the Roxy on October 3, 2019.

Rest in peace, buddy. A tragic loss for music.