Pat Doyle( Offender’s Drummer) wrote:

.. 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.

Franco Rudolph Mares (RIP 1958- 2009)

With much sadness, MDC announces the tremendous loss of founding member Franco Mares. Franco was there from the beginning of MDC, co-writing John Wayne Was A Nazi with David Dictor before the band even started. Franco was a bassist, an activist and a kind hearted soul. Franco played with the band from 1980 through 1989. He was a tireless activist and a major player in the formulation of Rock Against Reagan Tours and for Food Not Bombs musical programming through the 1980's. Currently Franco was performing as a solo acoustic artist and this past summer spent two months with Keith McHenry of Food Not Bombs protesting against hunger and poverty in this country and around the world. Franco traveled and performed Mexico and Latin America extensively this past decade. Franco is survived by his son Juanitio, his long term best friend Martha Burke and his nuclear family who are living in Taos, New Mexico and around the country Hug your loved ones everybody cause life can be shorter than we think.