Destructor bassist Dave Iannicca was murdered New Year's Eve 1987. Members of his family and band have organized a petition to deny parole to his killer, who was sentenced to life in prison but becomes eligible for release in May. The petition, online at petitiononline.com/iannicca, has more than 2,400 signatures so far. Letters can also be sent to the Ohio Parole Board, 770 West Broad Street, Columbus, OH 43222 by Wednesday, April 15.
Iannicca's survivors are mounting various activities to call attention to the cause. On April 11, Destructor and surprise guests will play a show at the Beachland Ballroom (15711 Waterloo Rd.). On Friday March 6, bandmates and two of Iannicca's sisters will appear on WJCU 88.7 FM's Metal on Metal, which airs from 6:30-9:30 p.m. and on wjcu.org.
Destructor had gathered at their Cleveland practice spot on New Year's Evn 1987 to celebrate Iannicca's recent engagement and the band's imminent major-label debut. A stranger, Robert Bedzyk, crashed the party after leaving a nearby bar. Iannicca, the group's peacemaker, talked him into leaving but he remained outside. When Iannicca went down to check on him. Bedzyk stabbed him through the heart. The bassist died before the ambulance left the parking lot.
"I had asked David if he had made a resolution for the new year," says sister Pam Iannicca in a statement. "And he said he hadn't, but did have one wish instead. He said 'I just want everyone to be happy.' He was such a selfless, quiet, humble kind of person."
Dropgun wipes the dust off its guitars for a show at the Grog Shop (2785 Euclid Heights Blvd.) on Thursday, March 5. The Akron punks are finishing a new CD, and the live set will feature a handful of rockin' new tunes. "We're more or less straight-up punk rock 'n'roll [at this point]," says guitarist Paul Hooper. "We probably have more in common with Turbonegro, Hellacopters [and] Demons than we do anything you'll find on Epitaph [Records] or in the pages of Maximumrocknroll."
Las Vegas-based reissue label Retrospect Records has released Halfway to Heaven, the 1988 hair-metal high-water mark from Cleveland's Champion. The disc was co-produced by vocalist John Norman and the Outlaws' Freddie Salem. Visit RetrospectRecords.com for more information. The disc is also available via iTunes. Norman went on to work with magician David Copperfield, and keyboardist-singer-songwriter David Mauk plays with Vegas duo Paris Pianos.
Self-described "legendary hellbastards" Nunslaughter return Saturday, March 7, for a show at Now That's Class (11213 Detroit Ave.). The rare local show is a warmup for a two-week European tour from Denmark to France. The band's latest release is the long-out-of-print Ouija EP, reissued as a picture-disc split with '80s death-metal cult heroes Dr. Shrinker.
