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Trevor Strand performing with Black Dahlia Murder at Knotfest Mexico in 2016.

Best of the Rest

Black Dahlia Murder frontman Trevor Strnad has died

By Randiah Camille G reen

Trevor Strnad, the vocalist of

Michigan band Black Dahlia Murder, has died.

The melodic death metal band announced Strnad’s passing in an Instagram post last Wednesday.

Strnad, who was 41, could frequently be seen drinking beer and sharing laughs at Michigan metal shows. It was hard to miss Strnad, a burly dude with glasses who loved to party and talk about death metal.

“Beloved son, brother, and Shepard of good times, he was loved by all that met him,” the band wrote on social media. “A walking encyclopedia of all things music. H e was a hugger, a writer, and truly one of the world’s greatest entertainers. H is lyrics provided the world with stories and spells and horror and whimsy. It was his life to be your show.”

No cause of death has been given so far, though the band’s post includes the number for the Suicide Prevention H otline at the end.

Decibel Magazine, whose pages Strnad frequently appeared in, wrote that it seems impossible to fathom that Strnad would take his own life to anyone who has interviewed him, seen him perform, or knew him in real life.

“H is life force was so strong that you can’t see him not existing,” the metal magazine wrote. “... he was a consummate performer who turned BDM shows into moving parties, death metal’s version of the late H ank von H ell of Turbonegro. Finally, he was a death metal fan, historian, and archivist of the highest order. Even if you count the ecibel sta , ew people on the planet loved death metal as much as Trevor Strnad.”

The Black Dahlia Murder’s name comes from the infamous unsolved murder of Elizabeth Short in 1947 in Los Angeles, who was dubbed the “Black Dahlia.” The band formed in Waterford in the early 2000s.

The band’s most recent album V erminous was released in 2020, and they had tour plans for this summer including an appearance at Dynamo Metalfest in August. This makes the news of his abrupt death all the more surprising. H e was one of the few original members left in the band’s current lineup.

FACTOR METAL/FLICKR

Grand Rapids Starbucks is first to unionize in Michigan

A Starbucks store in G rand Rapids has become the first in the state to vote to unionize as the labor movement continues to gain momentum nationwide.

Employees at the store at 2480 Burton Street voted 15-3 to unionize Friday.

In a letter earlier this year to Starbuck’s then-president and CEO K evin Johnson, employees complained of insu cient pay, bad e uipment, and minimal COV ID-19 protections.

An additional 11 stores in Michigan plan to hold votes to unionize in the coming months.

So far, more than 60 Starbucks in 19 states have unioni ed as co ee wor ers push for more rights.

In Detroit, employees at G reat Lakes o ee Roasting o. went on stri e in February and are moving to unionize.

—Steve Neavling

Bruce Campbell’s BruceFest canceled

Sorry screwheads, Bruce Campbell will not be heading to Detroit’s Masonic Temple for BruceFest this June. The celebration of all things campy Campbell has been canceled, and the organizers are looking for a new location and date. The fest was originally slated for June 17-19.

“Dear Bruce Fans, we have a less than groovy announcement — due to a scheduling con ict ruce est etroit has been cancelled,” organizers posted on Twitter Friday. “In moore groovy news, we’re announcing a new BruceFest with location + dates soon!”

While a new location hasn’t been set yet, the tweet eatures a ier saying “new dates and city announcing soon,” which sounds like the festival won’t be held in Detroit.

Campbell, who was born in Royal Oak, had previously billed the festival as his “homecoming.” H e retweeted the announcement, apologizing for the cancellation, on Saturday.

The annual festival’s return to etroit was first announced bac in March to the delight of horror movie freaks and geeks. So much for that.

—Randiah Camille Green

CDC recommends wearing a mask in metro Detroit

If you thought we were in the clear from COV ID-19, think again. The U .S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention now recommend people in 16 Michigan counties, including nearly the entire metro Detroit area, to mask up again when visiting indoor, public spaces.

The counties are Wayne, Washtenaw, Oakland, Macomb, Livingston, St. Clair, Chippewa, Mackinac, Emmet, Cheboygan, Antrim, G rand Traverse, Manistee, K alkaska, Benzie, and Calhoun.

An updated map on the CDC’s website shows the 16 counties as “high-risk” for transmission as of Thursday, May 12.

COV ID-19 just won’t give it up. It’s like the annoying person who keeps sliding into your DMs saying “good morning beautiful” even though you’ve never replied and clearly aren’t interested. Once you’ve continued life as normal, it pops right back up again to annoy you.

The Michigan Department of H ealth and H uman Services reported 832 people were hospitalized on Wednesday, which is a roughly 90% increase from a month ago when 430 people were hospitalized with coronavirus.

While the numbers aren’t quite as high as when Michigan hit peak numbers in January with more than 4,600 people hospitalized, the rates are beginning to climb again with the rise of omicron subvariant BA.2.

The CDC recommends getting tested if you are experiencing symptoms and staying up-to-date with COV ID-19 vaccinations, however, fully vaccinated people can still contract the new variants.

—Randiah Camille Green