I still have a tough time believing that it has been a year since Tony Sly left this world.  Sure, I did not know him personally, but I was pretty damn good pals with the music he wrote seeing how much I listened to it.  To this day, I still listen to No Use For A Name as well as his acoustic material.  It will forever be on my playlist.

I remember bumping shoulders with him backstage at a Cincinnati Warped Tour years ago where I was more concerned about how many beers I had consumed over taking in all that was going on around me.  I was quick to apologize and he just smiled at me as he and the rest of his band headed to the stage to play some songs to a sea of fans.  I recall taking in their set and telling my partner in crime that day how lucky I felt to have just seen them play live again.

On October 29th, Fat Wreck Chords will officially release The Songs of Tony Sly: A Tribute.  This important release will include 26 covers of Tony Sly songs from Tony’s friends such as Bad Religion, Rise Against, Frank Turner, Anti-Flag, The Bouncing Souls, The Gaslight Anthem, and many many more.  I am still waiting for more details on when the album can be pre-ordered and check FatWreck.com almost daily as I know the vinyl version of this will be something that will sell out quickly.

The good folk at Fat had this to say about the upcoming release: “We can’t express how much it means to us and Tony’s family that each of the artists and bands on this album took the time and effort to contribute such meaningful and interesting interpretations of Tony’s songs. All proceeds from this compilation will go to the Tony Sly Memorial Fund.”

Tony Sly passed away in his sleep on July 31st, 2012.  He was 42 years old.