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and resolve my predicament. Jon always gave good advice to
me. Knowing him as a teenage rebel, it is still amazing to me
to piece together the timeline of his maturity in my head. Jon
became the man I envisioned he would be, with a style you
would be hard-pressed to match. I looked forward to seeing
him settle down. I miss you so much. You will always be with
me. I love you, Jon." [Sean Paolino]
Tve known you since 2000. Met you the day of my SAT. We
went to Little Italy for some pizza. You have been on my mind
every day since. I can never forget you, I couldn't even try.
My heart belonged to you first, and you took a large piece of
it with you. We just chatted the other day. You told me I had
a beautiful son. I told you that I was jealous of your overseas
adventures. Please watch over all of us, Jon. I miss you and
love you more than words could express." [Mariana Phillips]
"The first show I saw in Athens was MGB at the 40 Watt
several years ago. I was blown away by the crisp power of the
band and clearly remember wondering who that kid was, abso
lutely tearing up the bass with the older guys. It was a major
influence on my move to Athens. Luckily, I actually got to rock
with Jon a few times. He was always the best player in the
room by far." [S.G.]
"The Guthrie family has always been a part of my Athens
experience. In the late '90s, I used to love going upstairs to
Michael's guitar shop during breaks at work. I never felt unwel
come there, even though I couldn't afford to buy anything!
That's probably where I met a teenage Jon.
I've worked the soundboard many times for
Jon's various musical projects over the years
and was always glad to see him... I've always
thought very highly of the Guthrie family, and
I just can't believe Jon is gone. I'll miss you,
man." [Kevin Lane]
"I've known Jon for almost a decade, and
he's always been one of the good guys. If
you saw him out and about town, you know
it's gonna be a great day. And if you saw him
smile, it was gonna get better. I feel like I lost
a brother." [David Lallemand]
"Vanda was my guitar teacher a few years
ago. I always admired the bond she had with
her family. They were so welcoming, loving
and gracious. They radiated such warmth to
everybody. I am so sorry Jon passed away so
soon." [Bridgette Duffield]
"A tremendous loss to the world. I've known
Jon since he was a little kid and was there
at what I think was his first gig (with Mike). I remember him
teaching himself how to play "Ticket to Ride" at Athens Music
and his ever-present skateboad. Such a cool, kind, unassuming
young fellow and a pleasure to know. A class act and genuinely
good person, just like all the Guthries..." [Sean Sexton]
"I always knew Jon to be an amazing friend, always con
cerned with the other person. I had been playing with Jon
in Vigilantes of Love since October/November of 2008. Being
an outsider of the Athens scene (I live in Greenville, SC) but
playing in an Athens band was odd at times, but Jon always
made me feel at home... Jon and I formed that 'mythical'
rhythm section comradeship (which incidentally doesn't always
occur)... I'm sad and pissed off that I will never get that
chance again. I love you, Jon, and will always think of you
when I either play, pass through or hear Athens, GA again."
[Kevin Heuer]
the Guthries have provided the Athens music scene with a lot
of infrastructure support just as the music scene was develop
ing...And to the heart of the matter, not only was Jon a stellar
. musician, he was an exceptionally kind and nice person and it
was my honor to be his friend." [Kathy Kirbo]
“I
«li
on [Guthrie] was one of the most genuine examples of
kindness and grace I've ever met," said Vigilantes of
Love bandmate Bill Mallonee in a recent email. "The loss
to his family and friends and the-Athens, GA community is
immeasurable."
Guthrie passed away in a fatal car accident on Sunday,
Sept. 27. The sudden loss sent shock waves through the Athens
music community, where he was admired and celebrated for
his big heart *nd raw
Guthrie inherited a passion
for music from his parents,
and began performing
as a teenager. Along with
his father Michael and
Herb, Guthrie toured the
playing bass in the Michael
Guthrie Band—just one of
his many musical endeavors.
His boundless energy and
warmth touched many people
in this town. Accounts of his
unwavering kindness have
poured in since we learned
of his passing. What follows
are just a few of those fond
remembrances.
"Jon will be missed, but
now is the time to celebrate
his life. His legacy will live on
in all the people he touched.
Now is the time to heal and
grow. Remember, his life was
not in vain. Few people have
the courage to live the life
they want to live, and Jon
that Jon was a great musi
cian and a wonderful friend.
Love and peace be~with you,
brother." [Jon Bird]
obsolete reel-to-reel tape machine down three flights of stairs.
He asked for nothing in return. He knew we couldn't do it
alone. He was a good person in a world where that is all too
rare... I will never forget his generous spirit." [Eric L. Friar]
"Gentle soul" is probably the most accurate description I
could think, of for. Jon Guthrie. He was a true and loyal friend
who shared his gift of music with the world. I am proud to
have known him and my
prayers are with his family
now." [Matt Sapp]
"When I started to think
about Jon Guthrie and the
Guthrie family and music and
our community, it's really very
much a romantic and noble
Old World family story to
me. The father and the uncle
were passing on their art and
profession to the younger gen
eration in the family, and Jon
was carrying on the torch bril
liantly. The Guthries perform
for the love of the music and
family, which is not always the
case in the music business...
so this was quite a special
story. As for our community,
"Jon was one of those rare people who rivaled his tremen
dous talent only with kindness and benevolence. What an
irreplaceable loss for Athens, GA. I will miss our passionate
conversations over peanut butter pretzels and beer. Jon, you
were a Prince and a Brother to many, and you will be badly
missed." [Daniel Marler]
"I only met Jon once. My band was sharing a bill with a
band that he was filling in for. I remember loading in and
being passed by several musicians performing that night as I
rolled in some gear, none of them holding the door or even
saying hello. Jon stopped/held the door, commented on the
gear and helped me walk it up the stairs at Tasty World. Jon
proceeded to introduce himself to me and stood stage-side
during several of our songs. My first impression of Jon was.
great, and we would occasionally send messages on Facebook
about music. I was looking forward to seeing him rock again."
[Gerren Fish]
"I first met Jon when we were running illegal shows at the
.357 Warehouse. He was then playing in Community Chaos. He
was always Dretty quiet, certainly not the rowdiest of some of
the crowds we had out there. I remember liking him very much
from the first day we ever met... My last best memory of Jon
will always be this: When it came time for DARC to leave the
third floor of Tasty World, we needed a lot of help moving some
pretty heavy equipment. Jon was an employee of Tasty Wortd
altthat time. He was the very first one to offer his help. I will
never forget sweating back to back with him as we lugged an
"Jon, in a melody, you were the music behind the words.
Your life was the perfect analogy to a good song: one that
doesn't say too much, yet touches all who dare to listen. Jon,
may the songs of your brief stay here echo into the genera
tions. We'll miss you terribly." [Adam Bradley] .
"Jon was a real person and always sensitive to others. We
learned guitar side by side playing Beatles and Who songs.
Although he will be remembered as an Athens musician, he
was just a guy from some town who found his love of music
through his fathers' record collection (which included MGB of
course), not really aware of the music scene that was a stone's
throw away from him until he was already an avid musician.
Jon, Mike, Vanda, Julian, I will always love you Guthries."
[Owen Staley]
"I don't know if you could mistake Jon for anyone else
in this town. Even though I am older than him, I still try to
emulate how Jon handled things. Whenever I tried to convey a
problem I had, he never took sides for anyone. In his own non-
biased way of looking at things, he would always try to find
middle ground to any stupid problem I may have had person
ally. Calmly and quietly, he would suggest other options to try
In lieu of flowers, a memorial fund has been set up in honor of Jon at
the National Bank of Georgia. Contributions may be mailed to 1901
Broadlands Dr., Watkinsville, GA 30677. .
FROM THE GUTHRIES
On behalf of all the Guthrie family, we want to
extend our sincere gratitude for the phenomenal
outpouring of love and sorrow at Jon's memorial on
Sunday. He was our pride and joy, and we knew he
had many friends, but no one was prepared for the
respect he was given. Every inch of the Salvation
Army Church was taken, and over 100 people were
not able to get in but stayed anyway. The amazing
number of people touched by his music and soul
have touched ours, returned the love, given us the
strength to carry on and at last made us proud to
feel like brothers and sisters of Athens music.
Long live Jon,
‘ ; : Mike, Vanda, Julian Guthrie
18 FLAGPOLE.COM • OCTOBER 7, 2009