Unwound Bassist Vern Rumsey Dead at 47
Vern Rumsey—bassist for the ’90s post-hardcore/rock band Unwound—has died, his Household Gods bandmate Conan Neutron tells Pitchfork. Rumsey is survived by his fiancée/partner Ana and his daughter Lola. A cause of death has not been revealed. Vern Rumsey was 47 years old.
Vern Rumsey was a figure in the ’90s Olympia, Washington punk scene that produced bands like Bikini Kill and Sleater-Kinney. He was a founding member of Unwound, originally formed as a trio called Giant Henry, alongside Justin Trosper and Brandt Sandeno. Rumsey played on every Unwound record, contributing bass in addition to different keyboards on the band’s latter albums, and also contributed to the 1997 Blonde Redhead album Fake Can Be Just as Good.
After Unwound dissolved in 2002, Rumsey performed in various projects, including but not limited to Long Hind Legs, Fitz of Depression, Oslo, and Flora v. Fauna. He also wrote solo music under the name RedRumsey, taking that project on the road in 2015.
In 2020, Vern Rumsey started to release new music as a member of the band Household Gods with David Pajo, Conan Neutron, and Lauren K. Newman, who died in 2019 before the release of the band’s first album Palace Intrigue. The album, issued in June 2020, was dedicated to Newman’s memory. Household Gods said in a statement:
Household Gods was a band comprised of four musicians with their own musical histories and challenges to overcome. We came together with no expectations or rules and something cool came out of it. There were vague plans for it to be more than that, more records, shows. More. A little light in a world of darkness. It is fair to say that it was going to be difficult to carry on Household Gods without Lauren K. Newman, but there definitely cannot be any Household Gods without Vern and LKN.
Originally Appeared on Pitchfork
