Eyal

It hurts me deeply to say goodbye to my friend and longtime SS drummer Eyal Satat (@eyal_satat_drummer). On September 6, Eyal surrendered after an intense, confusing bout with lung cancer. He is survived by his wife Jasmine (@jasminegranas) and two kids, Kaleo and Ocean.

Eyal was the first person with whom I musically connected when I moved to the East Bay. As I was deep in grief at the time, this was no small thing – his camaraderie gave me a leg to stand on. I was just beginning to form what would become the Soul Song Paralytic project to process losing my friend Andy, and was singularly lost. Floating. Eyal was newly married, adjusting to living in America - his dream since adolescence - and had grand plans for his music.

We quickly became friends, and were comrades in arms on the drums ever since. After hearing him play just once, I asked him to be my live drummer, even though it had been 4 years since SS had played live (and I had no idea if I would form a band again). But I knew this guy was a gem and would soon be in demand.

As a drummer myself, finding someone to learn my songs and comfortably find their place within them was always the hardest part of playing live. Eyal melted that fear away – I could count on him for anything and entrust him with the most delicate of material, and he would breathe his indomitable spirit into it.

It occurred to me recently that he was the longest running member of SS other than myself, by far - helping bring to life three albums.

He was a very disciplined, patient player, who clearly had done his homework in a way the rest of us admired (and envied!) He always located the center of a song’s joy so adeptly – indeed, it was a trick he deployed in many aspects of his life.

We had studios across from one another for 7 years and traded so many tips, tricks, laughs, and stories there in the urban wasteland off San Leandro Street. In friendship and in music, we saw one another go through myriad transformations.

It is difficult to write accordingly in his honor, to accept the reality of his absence.

I remain bewildered by how different death is every time it strikes.

I’m working to share some more photos and unreleased live videos to showcase Eyal in the coming weeks, so that this goodbye doesn’t have to feel so sudden.