Lance Hahn 1967 – 2007

Lance Hahn died this week at the age of 40. He had been ill for some time with kidney disease, and finally succumbed to it. Lance was a fixture of the SF punk scene for years. His band J Church was named after the Muni line that serviced SF’s very punk Mission district. He worked at Epicenter, the volunteer-run (and defunct) record store. He wrote regular columns in MaximumRockNRoll, and had been working on a book about anarcho punk bands. His label, Honeybear, put out stuff by J Church as well as other bands.

I used to see him around in the late nineties. He was a well-fed guy with long hair, and he was instantly recognizable. I had a few J Church CDs, and while they’ve never been my favorite band, I always admired his prolificacy and handle on a pop song. Hahn was a punk lifer who was in it for the long haul.

Here’s a fact – Shitty things happen to good people, especially shitty medical things. I’m sorry Lance died so young, but he definitely did not waste his time here on earth.