7/4 Posted May 15, 2007 Report Share Posted May 15, 2007 Microtonal guitarist Rod Poole died last Sunday night, a senseless killing. I played various festivals with Rod over the years, I'm pretty shocked. I was just talking to him recently about setting up some performances here on the East Coast this Fall. http://www.biink.com/poole A tribute page for Rod, since he never had a web page and the LA Times doesn't archive their articles. From the LA Times: Pair held in fatal stabbing By Richard Winton, Times Staff Writer May 15, 2007 Police have arrested a husband and wife on suspicion of stabbing a 45-year-old man to death in the parking lot of a well-known Hollywood eatery. The incident occurred about 9:45 p.m. Sunday in the parking lot of Mel's Drive-In in the 1600 block of Highland Avenue. Officers answered a call of an assault with a deadly weapon and found Roderick Poole, 45, with multiple stab wounds. He was taken to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, where he died at 10:06 p.m. Poole, of Hollywood, was walking with his wife when he got into an argument with a woman in a car, said Los Angeles Police Det. Larry Cameron. Witnesses told police the woman, with her husband, nearly ran over Poole. They exchanged words and the couple allegedly attacked Poole, police said. Michael Sheridan, 25, allegedly stabbed Poole several times before the pair drove off, investigators said. "This was incredibly dumb," said Cameron, referring to how a minor disagreement turned into a killing. Detectives later arrested Sheridan and his wife, Angela Sheridan, 24, both of Los Angeles. They were being held in lieu of $1-million bail each. Hollywood, among the city's safer areas, has seen a 5% increase in violent crime so far in 2007. Poole's killing was the sixth in the district this year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe G Posted May 15, 2007 Report Share Posted May 15, 2007 This sucks. I think I know how you feel, since we lost a good friend in a similar manner earlier this year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nate Dorward Posted May 16, 2007 Report Share Posted May 16, 2007 Jesus. I felt sick seeing this post. My buddy Jim McAuley (a fellow microtonalist & a frequent playing partner of Poole's) will be in shock. I wish there were more of his recordings out there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clifford_thornton Posted May 16, 2007 Report Share Posted May 16, 2007 Jesus... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
7/4 Posted May 16, 2007 Author Report Share Posted May 16, 2007 (edited) Nels Cline on Rod Poole (& Andrew Hill, earlier) edc Thanks Clem. I knew Rod for about 8 years. I stayed in that same apt. the last time I was in LA for the 2003 Southern California Microfest in Ventura Beach. Every night for a week I got to hear Rod practice his guitar for at least an hour, plus we listened to his many Sun Ra boots. I performed at some of the same microtonal festivals and when he was in NYC, I set him up with a bunch of gigs. I think I was the first to review his Death Adder CD, so when I finally got around to calling him a few years later, he knew who I was. I'll miss him. Edited May 16, 2007 by 7/4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ep1str0phy Posted May 16, 2007 Report Share Posted May 16, 2007 Awful news. As an Angeleno myself, there are a million things I could say--but it's enough to know that the man left a beautiful mark. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matthew Posted May 17, 2007 Report Share Posted May 17, 2007 Holy crap Was that the Mel's on Sunset, maybe a mile or two east of the old Tower Record store? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
7/4 Posted May 17, 2007 Author Report Share Posted May 17, 2007 (edited) Holy crap Was that the Mel's on Sunset, maybe a mile or two east of the old Tower Record store? LA County DA press release. I guess so, I've only visited LA. * * * http://biink.com/poole I've added comments and information on contacting the LA county DA to tell them about Rod. I could use any photos to be added to the site. All I have is the one I took of Rod performing at DMG a few years ago and he's at work performing, his face isn't showing. Edited May 17, 2007 by 7/4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nate Dorward Posted May 17, 2007 Report Share Posted May 17, 2007 & by coincidence a CDR of Vignes, an unreleased Acoustic Guitar Trio disc, just popped out of the mail from Jim. Lovely stuff, & I hope it finds formal release sometime soon. (Their first release was one of the overlooked gems of the Incus catalogue.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Noj Posted May 17, 2007 Report Share Posted May 17, 2007 (edited) Horrible news. I'm sorry about your friend, 7/4. I hope his killers receive a just punishment. Edited for Epistrophy's comment. Edited May 17, 2007 by Noj Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
7/4 Posted May 17, 2007 Author Report Share Posted May 17, 2007 & by coincidence a CDR of Vignes, an unreleased Acoustic Guitar Trio disc, just popped out of the mail from Jim. Lovely stuff, & I hope it finds formal release sometime soon. (Their first release was one of the overlooked gems of the Incus catalogue.) A copy of For Derek/For Bags, his last vinyl only release showed up at DMG the same day we found out about Rod. I have it here at home now, complete with the shipping box and a note to Bruce G. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ValerieB Posted May 17, 2007 Report Share Posted May 17, 2007 Holy crap Was that the Mel's on Sunset, maybe a mile or two east of the old Tower Record store? no, this was much further east on highland avenue, south of the hollywood bowl. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
7/4 Posted May 17, 2007 Author Report Share Posted May 17, 2007 Holy crap Was that the Mel's on Sunset, maybe a mile or two east of the old Tower Record store? no, this was much further east on highland avenue, south of the hollywood bowl. I thought Highland is a North/South road. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ep1str0phy Posted May 17, 2007 Report Share Posted May 17, 2007 (edited) It is, but I assumes that statement means East of Mel's. Edit: to say talk about the horrors and relative merits of LA doesn't really belong here. It's simply incomprehensible and depressing to me as an LA native and a musician and a human being that this could happen. Edited May 17, 2007 by ep1str0phy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matthew Posted May 17, 2007 Report Share Posted May 17, 2007 Holy crap Was that the Mel's on Sunset, maybe a mile or two east of the old Tower Record store? no, this was much further east on highland avenue, south of the hollywood bowl. Thanks, now I have the area down... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ValerieB Posted May 17, 2007 Report Share Posted May 17, 2007 Holy crap Was that the Mel's on Sunset, maybe a mile or two east of the old Tower Record store? no, this was much further east on highland avenue, south of the hollywood bowl. I thought Highland is a North/South road. it is north/south. i was referring to it being further east from the one on sunset blvd! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
7/4 Posted May 18, 2007 Author Report Share Posted May 18, 2007 I think I understand now. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
7/4 Posted May 18, 2007 Author Report Share Posted May 18, 2007 http://www.melsdrive-in.com/ Now that I looked it up, I realize I ate there last time I was in town. Had lunch, walked back to Rods studio and took an afternoon nap. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
7/4 Posted October 8, 2008 Author Report Share Posted October 8, 2008 Mel's Slay Suspects Sentenced by Steven Mikulan October 7, 2008 1:21 PM Capping a morning of impassioned defense pleas and emotional victim-impact statements, Judge Michael E. Pastor passed down sentences for second-degree murder and involuntary manslaughter, respectively, on Michael Sheridan and his wife, Angela, for the 2007 Mother's Day slaying of musician Rod Poole. Pool, 45, had confronted the pair after Angela Sheridan, then 24, bumped a busboy as she maneuvered her car in the Hollywood parking lot of Mel’s Diner. Within moments of exchanging words with Ms. Sheridan, Poole was on the ground while she kicked his head and her husband, then 25, stabbed him half a dozen times. (See June 14, 2007 L.A. Weekly feature.) Michael’s mother and his two-year-old son remained in the car. Pastor threw the proverbial book at Michael Sheridan, giving him an indeterminate sentence of 15 years to life in state prison, and for good measure tossed on three years for a probation violation; the sentences will run consecutively but will, said his attorney, Alba Marrero, be appealed. Angela received a “mid-base term” of three years; however, with 771 days of custody credits, she will be free in less than a year. She and her attorney, Jana Seng, seemed satisfied, although the prevailing mood in a courtroom filled with supporters of victims and perpetrators alike was gloom. “What sane person,” Poole’s widow, Lisa, asked the court, “carries a knife in their car on Mother’s Day, with their child and their mother in the car?” Judge Proctor had no answer, other than to say that Mr. Sheridan’s “conduct is egregious beyond words. It’s cowardly and presents a danger to society.” Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nate Dorward Posted October 8, 2008 Report Share Posted October 8, 2008 The woman's out in a year? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clifford_thornton Posted October 8, 2008 Report Share Posted October 8, 2008 Damn. This one still lingers, though I did not know Rod's music well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Bill Barton Posted November 9, 2008 Report Share Posted November 9, 2008 Recently I heard the Acoustic Guitar Trio for the first time. Amazing stuff. What a tragic story... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nate Dorward Posted November 9, 2008 Report Share Posted November 9, 2008 Yeah, that's a beautiful album. I just heard from Jim that a label has shown interest in releasing the trio's live album Vignes--fingers crossed...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Bill Barton Posted November 10, 2008 Report Share Posted November 10, 2008 Yeah, that's a beautiful album. I just heard from Jim that a label has shown interest in releasing the trio's live album Vignes--fingers crossed...... Thanks for the heads-up, Nate. I'll keep my fingers crossed too. BTW, I recently received Jim McAuley's new two-CD set The Ultimate Frog from Jesse Zubot at Drip Audio and am mightily impressed. Singular stuff... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bright Moments Posted October 8, 2009 Report Share Posted October 8, 2009 discography Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.