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Anthony Mikel Gius, former drummer in the East-West Coast dance-punk collective !!!, died last month in a traffic accident, it was revealed today.
Gius was struck by a motorist while riding his bicycle on December 17th, police in California confirmed.!!!'s guitarist Mario Andreoni wrote the following on the band's website:
"I met him when I was eight after a mutual friend told me I 'Had to meet the other guy in the neighbourhood with more Kiss posters than you'. We quickly became best friends and went on to share the most significant times of our lives together: family vacations, puberty, crushes, loves, mixtapes, illicit activities, dancing, air guitar/drums, actual guitar/drums, bands, US tours.
"He was a straight prodigy on the drums; we played 'Tom Sawyer' and 'For Whom The Bell Tolls' from start to finish the first day he got them... spoiled me for life. He had a unique, occasionally overwhelming style that coincided with the way he lived his life. No matter what you thought of him, he made bands, some ordinary, some not so, worth paying attention to.
"We grew apart as our passions led us down different paths. I still love him like a brother and miss him terribly."
