Mikey Dees, frontman of the Olympia punk band Fitz of Depression, has died, K Records’ Calvin Johnson confirmed to Pitchfork. A cause of death has not been revealed.
Fitz of Depression was formed in the late ’80s by Mikey Dees, Jim Koontz, and Craig Becker. Their debut self-titled EP was released in 1989. In 1991, the band held a benefit concert to help Dees pay off traffic tickets to avoid jail time. Bikini Kill and Nirvana played; it was featured in the film Hype! A follow-up 10" self-titled album followed in 1993. K Records released two proper albums—1994’s Let’s Give It a Twist and 1996’s Swing.
The band underwent multiple lineup changes over the years and broke up following the release of Swing. They returned and performed live consistently in recent years; they recently announced plans to record a new album. Dees also played bass in the Stuntmen.
