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| Facebook: Havok |
By Chad Childers May 10, 2015 9:07 AM
There’s sad news to report as onetime Havok guitarist Shawn Tyler Chavez has passed away at the age of 30. An official cause of death was not revealed. However, Havok vocalist David Sanchez penned a moving tribute to his onetime bandmate about his passing.
In the post, Sanchez reflects on the early days of the band, which he co-founded with Chavez, and how much influence the guitarist had on him. You can check out his touching tribute below.
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| www.metal-archives.com |
Shawn entered HAVOK just in time for the band’s first scheduled performance, a high school talent show. He was a founding member and gave the band its very first guitar solos and harmonies. He also contributed to many of the lyrics on the “Burn” album. At one of the first meetings I had with him, I remember Shawn bringing a red Strat-style guitar into the rehearsal room with the word “Shawnacaster” tagged onto the headstock in his swirly, graffiti-esque handwriting. Shawn used to wear a tie-dye shirt at least once a week and I will never forget the times we made tie-dye HAVOK shirts to fit his style.
When he was being himself, Shawn was a riot. The guy was super funny and entertaining… He made me laugh a lot with his jokes, slang, witty comebacks, rhymes, and hilarious physical comedy accompanied by beatboxing. I met Shawn when he was a 17 year old Jimmy Page lookalike, so it was quite interesting to see him grow from a shy young man into a flying V-weilding lead guitar player for a heavy metal band. He loved Led Zeppelin and could play just about any Page solo better than Page does on the records! He was an extremely talented blues player and it’s obvious on songs like “Path To Nowhere”, “Identity Theft”, and “To Hell”. Shawn was VERY smart and I learned a lot from him through our discussions about history, religion, politics, and music. Though we would argue at times, he was quick to let things go and move on with life. This is a quality I admired in him and I wish more people in the world possessed this quality. The usual icebreaker after an argument was a stupid joke that would make me laugh and ease any tension. People that knew him can remember his passion for meaningful debate and a desire to see ideas evolve to their best conclusions. The world would benefit from having more intelligent, funny, charming, kind, thought-provoking individuals like “Shawnathan”.
I would like to wish condolences to his family and those close to him. Shawn was a gentle, likable, sensitive, and well-spoken individual. He was one of my best friends during adolescence and he taught me a lot about an array of topics. It is sad to see him pass at such a young age. Shawn’s contributions can be heard throughout the first HAVOK full-length album, “Burn” and various other early recordings.
May he rock in peace.
-DAVID
As stated, Chavez was one of the founding members of the band in 2004. He also appeared on the band’s 2009 album Burn, before current guitarist Reese Scruggs took over on the band’s last two discs.
Our condolences to Chavez’s family and the members of Havok.
Watch Shawn Tyler Chavez in Havok’s “Morbid Symmetry” Video
'Sad to see him go, Best Wishes to his Family, Friends and Fans...'
