Vocalist Eléa Tenuta, who was a member of the bands Heavy Vegtable and Thingy alongside Rob Crow of Pinback, has passed away after a battle with breast cancer, according to statement by Crow. There is currently a GoFundMe for the performer to help “send her off in the most peaceful way.”
“Before I begin, let me tell you about Eléa. She was a warrior,” the GoFundMe reads. “A beautiful breathe of fresh air in a toxic world. She was authentically herself, in the most pleasant way. I always felt comfortable around her, she was my spiritual sister in so many ways. I met her before her breast cancer reared it’s ugly head. I watched her tackle it with fear in her eyes, but confidence on her face.”
Heavy Vegetable formed in Encinitas, California and released two studio albums The Amazing Undersea Adventures Of Aqua Kitty And Friends and Frisbee which were released in 1994 and 1995 respectively. Heavy Vegetable eventually broke up during the mid-1990s, but the band would go on to form Thingy who released Songs About Angels, Evil, and Running Around On Fire in 1997 and To the Innocent in 2000. Their influence on Pinback is extremely evident, as they utilized math rock style chord progressions.
Crow would eventually revive Thingy in 2018, and released the album Morbid Curiosity, for his Artist in Residence project with label Joyful Noise. He formed Pinback in 1998, who would go on to release five studio albums, with their most recent release Information Retrieved, coming out in 2012.
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