Category Archives: Audio File

Riverside musician Orlando Sims died Friday, Feb. 21 after a decade-long battle with cancer. (Contributed Image)

Riverside musician Orlando “Lanny” Sims, who traveled beyond the Inland music scene to perform around the world, died on Feb. 21 after a decade-long battle with cancer. He was 58.

Mr. Sims, who was born in Riverside, played bass and sang in the alternative rock band Chalk FarM, which was featured in the film “Coyote Ugly.”

He grew up inspired by AM radio, the music of the Southern Baptist Church, records and his great grandfather, who was a blues musician from the south.

After he saw Jimi Hendrix perform live, Mr. Sims performed all over town with local bands until he enlisted in the Air Force when he was 18. While he was in the service, the played with his friends he was stationed with until he returned to Riverside.

Upon his return, he became part of the local bands Rampage, Ice, Stranger, Taboo Zoo and Money, which went on to inspire dozens of local musicians.

Mr. Sims eventually moved to Hollywood and he performed with artists including Jermaine Stewart, Debby Holiday and Ian Astbury of The Cult.

He then joined forces with Michael Duff and they formed Chalk FarM, which went on to open for artists as diverse as Joe Walsh and Seal.

Musicians in the Inland area and beyond shared memories about Sims’ and praised his music on social media.

“Heaven just came into some bad… bass grooves,” Vintage Trouble singer Ty Taylor of Vintage Trouble wrote on Facebook.

Musician Jay Nash posted “So very sad to hear about the passing of Orlando Sims. Such a bright, generous and talented soul” on Twitter.

Mr. Sims is survived by his wife, Colleen, and his children Julian, Izzy and Rosalie. In lieu of flowers, the family is asking for donations for his children to continue music lessons in his memory.

Visit www.giveforward.com/fundraiser/z524 for more information.

Please share your memories below.

From left, DEVO’s Bob Casale, Gerald Casale and Mark Mothersbaugh perform at San Manuel Indian Bingo and Casino Thursday in Highland, CA. August 4, 2011. Bob Casale died on Feb. 17, 2014. (2011/File Photo)

Bob Casale, guitarist and one of the original members of new wave pioneers Devo, has died. He was 61.

Casale’s brother Gerald, a founding member of Devo, posted the news that his brother died on Feb. 17 of heart failure on the band’s website.

“As an original member of Devo, Bob Casale was there in the trenches with me from the beginning.
He was my level-headed brother, a solid performer and talented audio engineer, always giving more than he got.
He was excited about the possibility of Mark Mothersbaugh allowing Devo to play shows again.
His sudden death from conditions that lead to heart failure came as a total shock to us all.”

Devo, which started as a performance art project at Kent State University in the 1970s, landed a record deal and became one of the icons of the new wave movement.

Devo’s visual side played well to the then-emerging MTV in the early 1980s, with the hit “Whip It,” complete with a video featuring the band members wearing the red plastic flowerpot hats that became synonymous with their image.

In August of 1980, the band played was scheduled to play two shows in Riverside at Raincross Square, but after technical difficulties, the second show was canceled and a riot ensued. The band later came back to play the second show.

In 2010 Devo released the album “Something for Everybody” and later went on tours and played at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival and San Manuel Indian Bingo and Casino.

Visit www.clubdevo.com for more information on the band.