Rest in Peace “Evil” Steve Ventura

When you lose a friend it hurts, when you lose a family member, moreso. When you lose a guy like Steve Ventura, well, there aren’t enough words to describe the pain.

On 10/20/2010, Steve Ventura, a.k.a Evil Steve officially joined OFNR as our pro photographer. Though many months earlier he had Official FN Radio tattooed on his ass. It was a joke the NJ Vixen (Pina Montagnino) and I made over the air. He ran with it. He was the first. One of only 3 people in this world with an OFNR tattoo on his person. And now he’s gone.

Countless amounts of friends, family, and colleagues took to his Facebook profile yesterday (2/1/2012) to say goodbye. It’s clear by all the posts that he positively touched a lot of lives. He was a walking billboard for countless bands with tattoos of Hung, Thinning The Heard, Ekotren and many others prominently, and proudly displayed. 



Hailing from Brooklyn, NYC, Steve was a regular sight at local events throughout NJ, MA, DE, PA & NY.  He was the very epitome of supporting the underground scene. What’s more is that from the moment he joined OFNR he always ensured that EVERY event he covered was in some way connected to the station. I cannot thank him enough for his exceptional work, his giving nature and most of all, his friendship.

We spent countless hours on the phone talking about all sorts of things from our personal lives to business. He was always there to lend an ear, provide suggestions, and help out whenever he could.  It’s no exaggeration to say he would give you the shirt off his back. 

His last years were spent caring for his mom and dad (who passed away on 5.11.2011). I last saw him on 9.17.2011 (September 2 Remember) at the TRASH bar, one of his all time favorite haunts. I last spoke to him for my birthday back in January. It’s hard to swallow that this amazing person is gone. Taken far too early!
To say I am going to miss him doesn’t begin to capture the loss that the OFNR family, nay the entire underground music scene has suffered. May you rest in peace Steve Ventura. Again, thank you for everything you did for me. I love you, and I will catch up on the other side. 

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