The Boston music scene is still reeling from the sudden and unexpected death of Michael Gill, who died on May 6 of natural causes at the age of 45. Now his massive circle of friends, collaborators, and acquaintances are coming together to honor the beloved filmmaker, videographer, musician and ally to everyone he ever met with a gathering in Cambridge.
“’Let’s Get Faced’ a Celebration of Life for Michael Gill,” takes place at The Middle East in Central Square, one of Gill’s longtime haunts before his relocation to Los Angeles a few years ago, on June 5.
“He would have wanted us all to get faced in his honor so that is what we are going to do,” writes organizer Abigail Taylor on the Facebook event page. “Join us at the Middle East upstairs, restaurant and patio for a night of unabashed joy. We will sing stupid songs. We will dance stupid dances. We will hug one another until our arms hurt. Please invite people as we know we don’t know everyone he knew.”
And Gill seemingly knew everyone.
As news of his passing circulated on social media on May 6, a flurry of tributes poured in from those expressing shock, sadness, and condolences. Some praised Gill’s time as drummer for Boston indie pioneers The Damn Personals as well as The Murder Mile and Johnny Too Bad and the Strikeouts; others cited his direction of music videos and other visual content for the likes of Freezepop (who he also performed live with), Guster, Dropkick Murphys, Jittery Jack, Mission of Burma, and Jimmy Eat World; and others referenced his skills in filmmaking, editing, and documentation, with a resume that includes 2010’s Nobody’s Robots: a Farewell to Piebald, 2013’s Fat, 2019’s The Amazing Johnathan Documentary, and Road To Ruane, the unfinished but oft-discussed documentary about Boston music impresario Billy Ruane.
Gill’s list of credits and affiliations was long, but the one common thread in everyone’s post was about the type of friend and person he was. Many shared personal anecdotes about randomly bumping into him around Allston and Cambridge, kickstarting endless nights out on the town and cementing memories, and his bandmates and colleagues offered photos and stories of life on the road and time spent on tour. His generosity, sense of humor, and genuine demeanor highlighted each post.
The volume of tributes and “Mike Gill knows everybody” posts were so plentiful, his longtime friend, collaborator, and confidant Sean Drinkwater joked that “if nothing else I’ll take some solace in the fact that it seems like Michael was more popular than David Bowie.”
In 2017, Gill relocated to Los Angeles, where he became a lifeline for those back in the Boston music scene, quickly acclimating himself to his new home and easily adjusting to a West Coast lifestyle. New Englanders who went out to Southern California often ran into Gill, and he took pride in showing old friends his new city. One person who we spoke with after Gill’s death said going out to Los Angeles and meeting up with him to hang out for however many days “was just something you did.”
Now friends will be meeting up in his honor. In addition to the June gathering in Central Square, another event with live music is currently being planned for later in the year. In the meantime, donations in Michael Gill’s memory can be made to Against Malaria, The Life You Can Save, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, or UNICEF.
Check out some of his tireless work below.