All donations go to the Spade family, and much appreciated!

Some thoughts from Hitchhikers bassist Tommy Carns, written on Facebook shortly after guitarist Aaron Spade's passing:

RIP Aaron Spade one of my best pals in life. A great bandmate and lifelong friend I'm heartbroken tonight to hear he has left us.
I met Aaron in Middle School and we started playing together sophmore year at Nauset High (very...) getting together after school religiously every day it seems at his pad in Brewster next door to Johnny S. and Wendy D. His Dad had left him a Vietnam War era tapedeck that we used for an amp for his Vox Teardrop. We did some great covers with 2 guitars and singing harmony. Johnny was bringing us Thelononious Monk, Duke Ellington etc etc and of course NRBQ records to fertilize our minds and keep us from bad influences.
I think we played our first show under the name Elder Forum (named after a column in The Cape Codder newspaper) at Old Brewster Elementary with Dana Squire on drums. During that time Aaron was turning into a dedicated songwriter penning among many other hits, Black Sneakers and Not Another Chance.
Later we retooled as The Hitchikers w Dana on drums and me on bass playing songs mostly written by Aaron. We made a demo with Chandler Travis and Chris Blood at the cable station in Orleans and played gigs around The Cape like opening slots for The Incredible Casuals
Later we moved out West to Oakland/San Francisco where we met drummer Damon Carman and played a thousand shows and recorded a ton. By then Aaron was coming into his own as a songwriter, guitarist, singer, producer and as a person.
One night after a show a horrific incident occurred that showed Aaron's brave and heroic side: During a lengthy and brutal home invasion inflicted on us Aaron initiated a counterattack allowing us to gain an upper hand and repel this heinous intruder. I'll never forget the risk he took to make that happen and how, when we were in grave danger, he took action.
Eventually he moved back to The Cape to join The Incredible Casuals. I moved to Europe where I used Aaron as a model of how to be a songwriter in the way I'd seen him do it, by daily slogging it out with guitar and pen filling notebooks.
We kept in touch a bit and played occasional shows when I'd visit and when he and his paramour moved to LA for a spell.
Though we'd lost touch over the last decade or so he's never strayed far from my thoughts and my music.

By the time I'd met him when we were about 12 years old, he was already a well versed student of rock and roll. Through the lens of The Rolling Stones and The Beatles, he already had an idea of where Eddie Cochran Chuck Berry Carl Perkins Little Richard et al figured into the pantheon. And if he and I were The Beatles it was he who was going to be Paul and me John, he'd determined.
At that point I was a folk brat and what I knew of music came from my Moms trad world mostly (though the Easter Bunny always left an lp in the basket, Revolver and Rastaman Vibrations among the most notable). Aaron determined early that the Everly Brothers and Louvin Brothers were going to be a point of connection for us as he knew the influence they had and that that could figure into our equation. Indeed it did as the sound we developed featured intertwining harmony singing like those cats but with a powerful rock and roll foundation.
Before living on The Cape I believe the Spades lived in the artistic crucible of Woodstock NY. If that's true it's plain to see how all that creativity must have distilled into this rock and roll creature who it seemed was born wearing an electric guitar
And it wasn't just music: Andy Warhol Roy Lichtenstein Beat era poets and writers and art movements like Fluxus were influences on Aaron and especially Kurt Vonnegut (thank you Mrs. Lanning) and like the musical artists I'd mentioned, he didn't just know who these people were, he consumed them and knew how they fit together for him by the time he was 15! And he certainly knew what he didn't like and wasn't shy about sharing these notions, a proclivity he never lost.
My point is that by the time I'd met Aaron in those early years he was already a fully formed artistic entity who was always clear about who he was as an artist and how to present himself to the world.

I'm thinking about Aaron tonight and about some of those who'd crossed paths with Aaron and those knew and Loved him- Carol Maggie Barbara Louisa Robin Danny Cora Dot Julia Judy Allison Julie Jack Dana Richard Dave Dan Greg Chris and Chris (RIP) Wayne Evan The Rubbermen Dave Tim and Tim Whitney Helen Alyson Lisa Andrea Deirdre Bevin Kelly Johnny Chandler Rikki Bruce Malcolm Pete Craig Chris Fred Dinty Wendy Mary-Beth Lisa Steve and Steve Erik Jay Mary Anna Sarah Jhon Damon (RIP) KT Wade Michelle Moira Scott Korina Dan and Dan Sputnik Steven (RIP) Rand Timmy Mark Immer Mike John Gary Brian Emily Paulette and more I should remember. Lets tip one back and keep a kind thought for our dear, Aaron Spade