Mikey "Offender" Donaldson passed away in his sleep on September 22
in Barcelona Spain where he had recently relocated from Amsterdam.
The cause s unknown at the moment. He was 46. He is survived by his
brother Joe Donaldson, sister Marie Donaldson Ward, and sister Sumiko
Hakari , all of Killeen, Texas.
Mikey was the bass player for Austin punk band the Offenders from
1978-86. He also recorded bass tracks on MDC’s ground breaker
"Millions of Dead Cops" and DRI’s "Dealing With It." Mikey also
performed regularly with MDC in the early 1980s. He moved to San
Francisco in 1986 and went on to play and record with Gary Floyd
(Dicks) and Lynn Perko (Imperial Teen) in Sister Double Happiness.
After leaving the music scene for ten years or so, Mikey returned to
Austin and reunited with the original Offenders line-up for a gig at
Emos in March 2002. In 2003 MDC recruited Mikey and the original
ine-up, recorded a new album, and have been touring all over the
world ever since.
Mikey is universally regarded as one of the most innovative and inimitable
masters of the bass guitar. He played his Rickenbacker like it was a
out-sized rhythm guitar. Taking cues from Jack Bruce and Lemmy, Mikey
pioneered an aggressive speed-picking style and liberal employment of
bass chords that few have been able to emulate in the past 20 years.
He will be sorely missed, certainly in Austin and his hometown of
Killeen, but also across the globe. A memorial celebration in Austin
is pending and the date will be announced soon.
David Dictor wrote: Mikey had rediscovered life in Holland in the
last four years. His funny easy going nature was known throughout
Europe. He fell in love with and lived with beautiful run away teen
model and merch goddess, Selina Hakansson. He relished playing with
Tony Slug from BGK’s band “The Nitwitz” and his own squat band
“Brutalized SS”.
Mikey was planning a tour with MDC for Austailia and New Zealand for
February 2008 and with the Nitwitz to Turkey in April 2008. He LOVED
touring and loved music. He went everywhere with his music cd binder.
He loved Swedish Hardcore and was up on the most obscure of bands
everywhere.Mikey was a young hearted person from the old school of
hardcore. He was “speed metal” before the term was coined. They don’t
make many like this and when he is gone... well he is fucking gone.
It is a sad fucking day but know Mikey would want you to love life,
belly up to the bar and yes, practice your instrument like it was the
most important thing in life.
