Friends, Bandmates Remember Sean Roberts of Thirty Ought Six

Thirty Ought Six
By Casey Jarman

As reported in this Wednesday's WW: Sean Roberts, bassist and vocalist for well-loved '90s Portland rock trio Thirty Ought Six, died June 8 at his parents' home in Alexandria, Va., according to friends and family members on Facebook. The details of Roberts' death have not been disclosed. Thirty Ought Six broke up in 1996 after playing dates on the Lollapalooza tour. The band played with punk energy without sacrificing melody or lyricism. 30.06 released albums on Portland's Candyass label and on Mute Records. 


Please leave a comment below or email me (cjarman -at- wweek [dot] com) if you want to contribute to this post. Thank you.

QUOTES

"Sean was one of the most inspiring and frustrating people I've ever encountered. It wasn't so much that you liked him—you wanted him to like you; if someone that brilliant found you remarkable, then, gee, maybe you actually were special after all. He was a con man who'd con you into believing you really could do or be anything you wanted.
He always tried to make his friends feel safe. One night in El Paso I had way too much to drink and was in pretty bad shape when we finally made it back to our hotel. We had two adjoining rooms, and the guys let me have the room that was spinning the least. Sean tucked me into bed, turned off the light and made sure I was in his line of sight from the other room. Every ten minutes or so he'd come in, sit at the foot of the bed and quietly ask if I was feeling any better or if I needed anything. It was like he was my Dad."
—David Blunk, Thirty Ought Six

"First time I saw Thirty Ought Six play was at Lollapalloza at the Gorge in 1996 and I was blown away by their performance, but also by how nice Sean was to all of us hanging out backstage. Sean's other band, Umberhulk, I had the honor of playing shows with in the band I was in, Fuckpriest Fantastic, and we ended up becoming friends over the years. In his bands he sang from the heart and with passion and in hanging out he was the same way. A true rock star but also a great person. He surely will be missed."
—Trevor Solomon, MusicfestNW

"We shared a lot of bills with Thirty Ought Six, back in the day. Sean was always a kind, funny, intense, energetic and very heartfelt kind of person. I'm sad to hear of his passing, and I hope that his spirit has found peace."
—Pete Krebs, Hazel

"It's pretty sad to hear about Sean passing away. 30.06 was such an inspiration to both Brandon and I when we were growing up in Beaverton. I saw them at AIM fest, Hemp fest and a hand full of times at La Luna. Sean Roberts was an electric, passionate and emotional performer that blew my mind every time I saw him play. I listened to both Bosozoku and Hag Seed hundreds of times back then...and listening to them now they still feel real, raw, emotional and exciting. It reminds me of a different time in Portland: X-Ray Cafe, Satyricon, EJs, La Luna, Umbra Penumbra, Ozone Records... I was just a kid, but Sean and 30.06 were a huge part of my world. Rest in peace.
(Favorite track: 'Talon')"
—Benjamin Weikel, Helio Sequence

"My first memory of 30-06 was perhaps my strongest. I was in Olympia, interviewing Negativland for Raygun Mag. The K publicist said ‘hey, there’s a show on at the Capital Theatre tonight, wanna come with?’ I hadn’t heard of any of the bands, didn’t know their names in advance. When I walked into the back entrance, I had a clear view of the stage, and immediately, it was like tunnel vision. I just stood there, frozen. Never before—or since—had a band so completely captivated me so quickly, raised me from zero to urgent so quickly. I remember sweat, and mayhem, and so, so much passion. Their singular, yet collective embodiment of the music kept me completely entranced their entire set. Afterwards, well, I don’t remember what I said to them, but I definitely remember what I felt. I made it my mission to tell everyone I thought would ‘get’ it, to write about them in every magazine I could, to make shows happen for them in Vancouver just so I could see them again and again. Their shows were some of my favorites. After 15 years of covering music, they remain in my top five bands of all time, and top three live bands ever."

—Denise Sheppard, music journalist (Rolling Stone, Details, Raygun)


VIDEOS

A live version of "Talon" from New York City in 1994. 


The adorable video for "Huck," the band's first single.


The excellent "Adamantine" video.



LINKS:

WWeek 2015

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