Beasts of Bourbon drummer Tony Pola has died

Pola joined the Australian alt-rock act in 1990, performing on four of the band's studio albums

Tony Pola, known for his work as the drummer for Australian alt-rockers Beasts of Bourbon as well as Kim Salmon and the Surrealists, has died over the Easter long weekend.

As the ABC reports, In a Facebook post confirming the news, Pola’s wife Katherine wrote, “Tony loved his life and everyone in it.”

“We can all take a lesson from Tony. Be grateful, be kind, tell people you love them with abandon – make jokes, make love, forgive the wrongs, and enjoy your life.

“Life is fleeting, life is short, and this is a time of great upheaval, where the power of love is more precious than ever.”

Pola joined Beasts of Bourbon back in 1990, following the departure of founding member James Baker.

Pola’s first album with the band, who formed in Sydney in 1983, was 1991’s ‘The Low Road’. He went on to perform on the band’s subsequent three studio albums – 1996’s ‘Gone’, 2007’s ‘Little Animals’ and their most recent, 2019’s ‘Still Here’.

Pola is the third member of the band to pass in recent years, with guitarist Spencer P. Jones and bassist Brian Hooper both passing in 2018.

Pola performed alongside Kim Salmon, a fellow Beast, as a Surrealist since 1987.

Salmon paid tribute to his friend, writing on Sunday April 4, “Your life was an act of generosity and you lived it for all who were around you… I’m going to miss the bizarre conversations that only you and I could have.”

Read Salmon’s full tribute below:

Tony Lewis Pola!I thought you were indestructible. Another Keef!All the improbable things that happened round you,…

Posted by Kim Salmon on Saturday, April 3, 2021

Salmon has organised a GoFundMe campaign to help Katherine with Pola’s funeral costs.

“I feel I owe Tony’s wife Katherine a debt of gratitude for making Tony happy the [sic] last few years,” Salmon wrote in the campaign description. “I would like to help by enabling Tony’s funeral costs to be covered.”

At the time of writing, the campaign had exceeded its $8,000 target.

You May Also Like

Advertisement

TRENDING

Advertisement

More Stories