Peter Dosanjh parks his car on the north side of the lake. “This seems like the right place,” he muses.
We walk to a weathered green bench. We have cashews and a bottle of Rioja. To our missing friend, we cheers with our red cups. The sky is gray, the humidity weighs upon us, the wind sweeps in.
In shock over the sudden loss of In Letter Form lead singer and friend Eric Miranda, we sit and look over Oakland’s serene yet choppy Lake Merritt, trying to find the right words. So sudden and inconceivable that this is actually real.
For bassist Dosanjh and the rest of In Letter Form — including guitarist James Levis and drummer Andres Lopez — the San Francisco post-punk band has been shown nothing but support through hugs and heartfelt messages. But as one of our friends, brothers, lovers, conduits, and healers, Eric Miranda cannot be reached at this time. His absence is felt throughout the community.
In homage to Eric, In Letter Form is hosting a collaborative tribute this Friday, Oct. 28, at Bottom of the Hill in San Francisco. The band will perform chosen songs with the vocals presented by varying artists from the Bay Area, including Charlemagne Charmaine (Drifting House/Catharsis for Cathedral) Don Bellinger (Tremor Low), Davey Bones (The Ink Bats), Dean Tomihira (Tomihira), Gabriel Maciel (The Trims), Stephen Salit and Scott A Campbell (Thrill of the Pull) Daniel Knopf and Casey Castille (Roadside Memorial) and the original drummer of In Letter From, Marlowe Kent. San Francisco’s Roadside Memorial and Night Nail from Los Angeles provide support in the opening slots.
“After [Eric’s death], we cancelled all our shows,” Peter says. “But this one we thought, ‘This is one of Eric’s favorite holidays. It would be a shame to not do it.’ So we decided we would do the show with people who were connected with the band. These people would come in and sing his songs. Even though he’s not there, they can bring his songs alive by singing them. This is more for us (as a band) to let it go. I hope there’s a lot of tears that night. It’s going to be totally emotional and I want everyone to have some sort of closure with it and something to remember him by.”
In Letter Form started six years ago in the small bars and clubs of San Francisco, where initially “no one wanted them.” On remembering their first encounters, Peter says fondly, “It was thick, heavy, and completely beautiful. Inviting. Invigorating. It had all the markings of what a genuine experience is all about.”
Before they knew it, more people were showing up to their gigs. The band, in turn, rose up to support established post-punk acts like The March Violets, Modern English, Clan of Xymox, and Peter Murphy. They were getting ready to go on a tour through Germany (after discovering their popularity in western Europe via Rolling Stone) and had signed on to release their second album with influential goth-industrial label Metropolis Records. So why does something so fortuitous just end like this? How does it? How does one deal?
“We’re trying to find ourselves in the darkness, looking for light, to get to where we need to go,” says Peter. “You must live every day like it is a gift. When something resonates with you, you keep a piece of it with you. You go back and you look at it.”
He gazes upon Lake Merritt’s white skeletal trees.
“Look how beautiful they are.”
In Letter Form performs with guest vocalists on Friday, Oct. 28, at Bottom of the Hill (1233 17th Street, San Francisco), with support from Night Nail, Roadside Memorial, and DJ Adrienne Scissorhands. Doors 8:30 p.m., music at 9:30 p.m., $10 advance, $12 at the door. 21+.
