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Fenix, TX bids farewell to bassist Adam Lewis
But the band will put songs he worked on "into the universe"
Adam Bryce Lewis, RIP
Fenix TX’s new song “Engines” unfolds much like most Fenix TX songs, with the familiar push of power-punk pop, the snap of crisp snare, and fulminating cry of burnished guitar. Listen closely to the lyrics, though — about an astronaut losing power, losing contact. His only hope as his eyes close is that somebody heard him back home. Watch the “Engines” video closely. Amidst the on- and off-stage shenanigans, wacky hijinks, motel fights, pranks, and pumping live footage from Las Vegas’ When We Were Young Festival, you’ll see bassist Adam Lewis — always a tall, skinny presence — seem to grow gaunter and starker. He died June 5 of last year after a long battle with pancreatic cancer. The surviving band members are guitarist Chris Lewis (no relation to Adam), guitarist Damon DeLaPaz, drummer Donnie Reyes, and lead singer/guitarist Scott “Scotty Mac” McLaughlin.
Video:
Engines
Lewis and DeLaPaz are both from San Diego, while Reyes and McLaughlin hail from Houston and Sydney, Australia, respectively. They get together when it's convenient, but otherwise, they come up with ideas at home, share files back and forth, and even record separately. “It’s difficult, as you can imagine,” says Chris Lewis. “Technology definitely helps. There’s no replacement for all being in the same room, though.”
Video:
Fenix TX - FULL SET (Live at When We Were Young 2023)
The “Engines” song, with its lonely orbiter bidding Earth goodbye, came mostly from McLaughlin. “When we started talking about new tunes, this was one that popped up that everyone was into putting our stamp on. It just seemed like the right song at the right time.”
Helping Adam Lewis during his struggle with cancer consumed their time and attention over the past five years, although the nature of their contributions to his health, his household, and his family life, shifted somewhat over the long grind. “I got the call from him in September of 2021,” remembers Chris Lewis. “We weren’t really a functional band at that time, so there were no shows or music being written. I threw myself into doing fundraising for him and his family, and just being there as part of his support system. It wasn’t until 2022 that [the band] got the call to do When We Were Young, and so we made it our mission to make both that and a couple warm up shows happen. His kids had never really seen that side of their dad, and it was so beautiful the way it worked out.”
“We got to see each other a good amount,” continues the guitarist. “Him living in LA and me in San Diego meant it wasn’t an everyday hang, but we definitely made time for each other during that period. There was also the little matter of a global pandemic. He always stayed so positive and loving through it all. Never lost his sense of humor, never stopped giving it everything he had. He wasn't my blood, but he was my brother.”
The end came, finally, on the East Coast. “I had flown out to New Jersey to see him with a couple other close friends and family as he was being treated out there towards the end. We helped move him from the hospital to a care facility in the countryside, and he spent his last days there peacefully, among family and friends. It was beautiful and impossible and incredibly surreal.” Adam Bryce Lewis — bassist, professional chef, and business owner — is survived by his life partner, Adrieanne Guerrero, and two children, Lennon and Sloane. Chris Lewis is organizing a GoFundMe to help out the family.
The fallen bassist left behind a musical legacy, as Chris Lewis explains. “In the last year, we had all compiled a bunch of song ideas and threw them in a Dropbox folder, and started picking ones we wanted to work on. Adam had thrown a bunch in there and had thrown ideas out for some of the other members' songs. Before he transitioned, he asked that I do what I could to help those songs see the light of day. That’s what I want to do.”
Jason Torbert, who played with Adam Lewis and Damon DeLaPaz in Sing The Body Electric, contributed bass to “Engines.” Going forward, the others will reach out to various other bass players from their favorite bands. Chris Lewis isn’t completely sure about that future, except that the songs his friend was working on need to be part of it.
“Not sure if it’ll be an album or a collection or how that will all play out, but I’d love to fulfill his wishes and put some of the songs he left us with into the universe.”
Here's something you might be interested in.
Fenix, TX bids farewell to bassist Adam Lewis
But the band will put songs he worked on "into the universe"
Fenix, TX bids farewell to bassist Adam Lewis
But the band will put songs he worked on "into the universe"
Adam Bryce Lewis, RIP
Fenix TX’s new song “Engines” unfolds much like most Fenix TX songs, with the familiar push of power-punk pop, the snap of crisp snare, and fulminating cry of burnished guitar. Listen closely to the lyrics, though — about an astronaut losing power, losing contact. His only hope as his eyes close is that somebody heard him back home. Watch the “Engines” video closely. Amidst the on- and off-stage shenanigans, wacky hijinks, motel fights, pranks, and pumping live footage from Las Vegas’ When We Were Young Festival, you’ll see bassist Adam Lewis — always a tall, skinny presence — seem to grow gaunter and starker. He died June 5 of last year after a long battle with pancreatic cancer. The surviving band members are guitarist Chris Lewis (no relation to Adam), guitarist Damon DeLaPaz, drummer Donnie Reyes, and lead singer/guitarist Scott “Scotty Mac” McLaughlin.
Video:
Engines
Lewis and DeLaPaz are both from San Diego, while Reyes and McLaughlin hail from Houston and Sydney, Australia, respectively. They get together when it's convenient, but otherwise, they come up with ideas at home, share files back and forth, and even record separately. “It’s difficult, as you can imagine,” says Chris Lewis. “Technology definitely helps. There’s no replacement for all being in the same room, though.”
Video:
Fenix TX - FULL SET (Live at When We Were Young 2023)
The “Engines” song, with its lonely orbiter bidding Earth goodbye, came mostly from McLaughlin. “When we started talking about new tunes, this was one that popped up that everyone was into putting our stamp on. It just seemed like the right song at the right time.”
Helping Adam Lewis during his struggle with cancer consumed their time and attention over the past five years, although the nature of their contributions to his health, his household, and his family life, shifted somewhat over the long grind. “I got the call from him in September of 2021,” remembers Chris Lewis. “We weren’t really a functional band at that time, so there were no shows or music being written. I threw myself into doing fundraising for him and his family, and just being there as part of his support system. It wasn’t until 2022 that [the band] got the call to do When We Were Young, and so we made it our mission to make both that and a couple warm up shows happen. His kids had never really seen that side of their dad, and it was so beautiful the way it worked out.”
“We got to see each other a good amount,” continues the guitarist. “Him living in LA and me in San Diego meant it wasn’t an everyday hang, but we definitely made time for each other during that period. There was also the little matter of a global pandemic. He always stayed so positive and loving through it all. Never lost his sense of humor, never stopped giving it everything he had. He wasn't my blood, but he was my brother.”
The end came, finally, on the East Coast. “I had flown out to New Jersey to see him with a couple other close friends and family as he was being treated out there towards the end. We helped move him from the hospital to a care facility in the countryside, and he spent his last days there peacefully, among family and friends. It was beautiful and impossible and incredibly surreal.” Adam Bryce Lewis — bassist, professional chef, and business owner — is survived by his life partner, Adrieanne Guerrero, and two children, Lennon and Sloane. Chris Lewis is organizing a GoFundMe to help out the family.
The fallen bassist left behind a musical legacy, as Chris Lewis explains. “In the last year, we had all compiled a bunch of song ideas and threw them in a Dropbox folder, and started picking ones we wanted to work on. Adam had thrown a bunch in there and had thrown ideas out for some of the other members' songs. Before he transitioned, he asked that I do what I could to help those songs see the light of day. That’s what I want to do.”
Jason Torbert, who played with Adam Lewis and Damon DeLaPaz in Sing The Body Electric, contributed bass to “Engines.” Going forward, the others will reach out to various other bass players from their favorite bands. Chris Lewis isn’t completely sure about that future, except that the songs his friend was working on need to be part of it.
“Not sure if it’ll be an album or a collection or how that will all play out, but I’d love to fulfill his wishes and put some of the songs he left us with into the universe.”
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