Courtesy

In late 2005, just as Bayside was beginning to experience a taste of breakout success, tragedy struck. Traveling on an icy Wyoming road on Halloween night as part of the Victory Records Tour, the band's van skidded out of control and flipped over. Drummer John “Beatz” Holohan was killed in the crash, while other band members suffered serious injuries. Among those injured was Bayside bassist Nick Ghanbarian, who broke his back in the wreck and was out of commission for six months. Life since has resumed for the New York-based Bayside, including new drummer Chris Guglielmo, and the band is back to traveling a familiar path — a fall outing on the 2007 version of the Victory Records Tour, including a date at The White Rabbit on Wednesday, Nov. 7. Before the show, Ghanbarian talked to 210SA about losing a friend and bandmate, moving on and making a living in the music industry. 

How much did John's death impact the rest of the band?
The three of us decided not to stop being a band almost immediately after. This was something tragic, but it didn't mean the end of the world for us as a band. We had to move on. A lot of our music is about perseverance, and if we didn't do that, our music might have lost some worth to people. So we wanted to truck on. It influenced our lives, and it's absolutely terrible that a bunch of hard-working kids down the road should ever have to go through that, but it forced us to become adults a little bit sooner.

What did you do for the six months that you were laid up?
The first three months, I was in a cast. It was removable, but basically I had to keep my back straight. For three months, I could barely move and barely walk up the steps. Three months of staying in your house during the winter in New York is depressing. I kind of got stuck in my own head.

Two years later and back on the Victory Records Tour, can you not help but look back on the crash?
Oh, yeah, absolutely. Ever since it's happened, it's hard to just be in any touring atmosphere and not think about that.

How hard is it making a living as a full-time musician?
It's insanely hard. I've only been in the band for four years, and only the past two have we been able to personally profit enough to be living on our own and paying for groceries. Before that, you worked so you could support yourself, and any extra money went to the band.

If you weren't a musician, what would you be?
It's hard to say. I've been in this atmosphere for the last four years so consistently, and I've love to continue doing something in music. I don't know because I feel like a lot of people could get lost in a retail job or any job, but also lose sight of their dreams. It's tough to say what I would be doing or what I would want to be doing because I'm so fully engulfed in this.

CLINT HALE | 210SA