A Tribute to Kirk Goodman

On June 12th, 2014 my good friend, Kirk Goodman lost his life to suicide. This was the first time I had lost someone close to me to suicide. I still remember receiving the telephone call like it was yesterday. A mutual close friend of ours called telling me that he was gone and the circumstances of his death.

I felt a combination of shock and disbelief. How could someone who seemed so confident, strong, secure, funny, cocky, so full of life, someone who always went out of his way to make others laugh, have made the decision to end his life?

I felt tremendous guilt - wondering if there was more I could have done to prevent it. Then anger; How could he have done this to his friends and those cared about him?! It wasn't until I took a Mental Health First Aide class in 2015 that I learned how difficult it can be to predict if someone is going to attempt suicide, and how people who do so are not thinking rationally and believe (incorrectly) that the world would be better off without them.

A few days later I was out seeing a band play and one of my friends came up to me and told me that he had contemplated suicide after a recent breakup. He told me that Kirk knew a lot of people and (as much he hated to use the word) this was an opportunity to bring attention to the suicide epidemic, help others and prevent us from losing more good people. He asked that his name never be mentioned, but he is the one who gave me the push that resulted in me redirecting my grief and focusing it into a tool to help others. For this I will always be grateful.

I asked a few friends who worked in the psychiatric field which mental health/ suicide prevention organization would be the best to raise money for and they said The Mental Health Association of the Southern Tier. I contacted them and the rest is history!

At the time of this writing, June 12, 2016, Rock Against Suicide in partnership with our local community has raised over $11,000 for MHAST's suicide prevention programs. This is thanks to the support and generosity of local businesses and volunteers.

Thank you to everyone who has helped with this cause and to those survivors who have been brave and courageous in sharing your stories in order to save other people's lives.

Sincerely,

Paul Tauterouff
Organizer, Rock Against Suicide

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On July 31, 2014 my band Highline played The Mosquito Lounge and had a very special musical celebration of the life of our late friend and bassist Kirk Goodman. The outpouring of love and support from the local musical community meant a lot to all of us.

We had the honor of playing with many of the area's most talented bassists in tribute to Kirk - Mark Sedlock, Alex O'Connor, Mike Wu, Ken Wilson, Chip Beam, Jamie "Packrat" Bates, Sid Peak and Adrian Tauterouff. The air was electric that day and the vibe was so positive. I still get goose bumps thinking about that day. I believe Kirk was looking down at us and sharing the moment. He would have been honored.

Thanks to those who supported - Brian Casterlin on sound, Adrian Tauterouff on monitor mix and Drew Lewis for capturing the show on video and the wonderful friends who took photos so that we could share them with you. Scroll down for photos and videos.

Photo Album #1 by Linda Phelps, Photo Album #2 by Rebecca Collins and Photo Album #3 by Adrian T along with camera phone shots from a few friends.


Click On a Photo Below To Open a Slideshow






Click The Arrow to Watch Videos from the tribute show