Wednesday, April 15, 2020

An Open Letter Written by Winston House’s Founder, Corey McGuire, After Tracy’s Passing

Hey everyone, Corey from Winston House here. I hope you and your loved ones are safe and healthy during quarantine.

On Thursday night last week, I received the sad news that our friend and Winston House team member Tracy Hill had passed away.

We will host a digital meet-up this Thursday night at 8pm in Tracy's honor, but I wanted to share a few words here first.

In 2016, Tracy heard about what we were doing - a group of friends throwing concerts in their living room in Venice - and offered to help. He had a much better sound and lighting setup then what we were using and wanted to share his with us.

Week in and week out, Tracy showed up earlier than everyone to set up and stayed later than everyone to tear down. His time and gear were contributed 100% for free until we were able to pay something. Even once we were paying him, he would often just reinvest the money into new gear.

Tracy was the epitome of an audiophile and "tech-geek." He was always up to speed on the latest technologies and loved to share what he was learning.

I remember him talking to me for an hour about everything in his place being completely voice controlled and how that technology was going to change everything.

Tracy thrived during live shows and would always find a creative way to get another surprise artist mic'd up. He loved music so much and that came through in every performance at Winston.

I share all of this with you not only to acknowledge and celebrate a good man, but also as a reminder to look after the ones that are still here today.

COVID-19 has and will continue to impact all of us, directly and indirectly. Let's remember to reach out, show that we care and help where we can.

While Tracy's death wasn't directly because of COVID-19, it was related. He had been dealing with mental health challenges and depression for a while.

We don't know the whole story and never will, but it seems like the loneliness of quarantine put Tracy in a place where taking his own life seemed like his only option.

I know we haven't been able to see everyone like we normally do, both because of construction of the new Winston House and now because of quarantine.

Our last Winston event was in August so it's been a while now. We're all dealing with our own versions of staying as physically and mentally healthy as possible during a weird, tough time.

Living in LA is hard enough, let alone dealing with the virus and quarantine. For any of you that are feeling hopeless, please remember that the feeling is temporary and that there is so much to live for on the other side.

You have friends and family at Winston. Please reach out to me or anyone else on the Winston team if you need someone to talk to or any kind of help.

Tracy will forever be remembered as Winston's first proper "Sound & Lighting Technician."

So many artists, big and small, will forever share something special with him: moments that will live on through the recordings of those Thursday night house shows. 

We would not have the opportunities we do today without Tracy's early contributions. 

This Thursday night's digital meet-up will be an opportunity to remember and celebrate Tracy. It will start at 8pm.

Thursday at 8pm is exactly when Winston House's doors open for our weekly house shows. It feels nice to bring everyone together at a familiar time, even if we can't be together in person.

We'll be sharing more details over the next few days prior to the event.

The way Tracy Hill dedicated himself to the things he loved - Winston House, drumming, and the Seattle Seahawks - can teach us all a thing or two about how to live passionately.

Thank you for everything Tracy. You'll be missed and I hope to see you again someday.

Rest in Peace.

- Corey McGuire