When I moved to Athens in August of 2006 I immediately sought out the local record store. I went to Schoolkids Records and the first album I bought was the We Versus the Shark/Cinemechanica/Maserati split – three bands that would all eventually have profound effects on me as a musician in this town.

The first time I saw Maserati was at the 40 Watt. I had heard good things about their drummer, and obviously heard their recordings, but nothing could have prepared me for what I was about to see. I was blown away.

I immediately devoted any and all free time to playing drums.

Gerhardt “Jerry” Fuchs passed away in the early hours of Sunday in Brooklyn at the age of 34.

I didn’t know him personally, but watching him play drums was one of the most inspiring moments to me as a musician. He has been constant motivation for me to always strive to be better and work harder and is a figure that comes to mind whenever I have hit a wall in music or am feeling uncreative.

I still can’t process that I will never stand in front of his kick drum in awe of his right foot with a room full of similarly hypnotized fans, or that music has lost someone so talented.

I’m not reporting the details, and I’m obviously not the best person to tell you about his life. Walk through downtown Athens and ask around. It won’t be hard to find a life he’s touched, whether it’s a music fan experience like mine or as a personal friend like so many musicians in this town.

To me he was a hero, to some he was a bandmate, but to many he was a friend. I never met Jerry, but a lot of my friends were his friends, and I know the world has lost a great man.