RIP Craig Aaronson

I’ve never met anyone with as much genuine enthusiasm for everything in front of him as Craig. Craig started every sentence, email or text to me with the word “brother” and it really did feel like you were to him, as his artist, his family.

After he signed us to Warner Brothers Records I spent every day for two years in close contact with him discussing every aspect of our band and the album we were making.

For one month in particular leading up to the making of the record and already with 60 songs demoed he told me that now was my time to speak to the world and set about pushing me to write with every second we had left before flying to the US to record. I would write a new song every day and by 4pm UK time Craig would be waking in LA I’d send him that day’s demo and await his feedback. It was and still remains the most magical songwriting experience of my life, you see to me this was everything I’d ever wanted.

To have a guy like Craig waiting on my songs every day and then enthusiastically firing feedback back at me, pushing me not to change (like you might expect from a major label A&R) but instead to be the most extreme version of myself. This was the most exhilarating adrenaline shot imaginable for a songwriter. In fact adrenaline is the perfect word to describe Craig, human adrenaline.

Craig visited NRG studios just as we were finishing up our song “Love Will Eat You Alive” with Jackknife Lee and he was literally fist pumping the air at the control desk when the chorus kicked in. The three of us will never forget that moment and we often refer back to it.

Craig is rightfully being described as a music industry legend for the bands he signed and for the way he became an essential part of those bands. Through the records he helped to bring into the world he made millions of people happy.

I last spoke to Craig just after Leeds festival this year when I told him that myself and Jim from Jimmy Eat World had met for the first time and had discussed how much we loved him, I’m so glad I told him this, of course his reply started with “thanks brother” To Craig Aaronson I say thank YOU brother.
Steven