Beachwood Sparks’ Josh Schwartz Dead at 45
Josh Schwartz, the guitarist and songwriter who performed with Beachwood Sparks and Further, has died. His former bandmate Brent Rademaker confirmed to Pitchfork that he passed after a battle with ALS. He was 45. Schwartz joined Rademaker’s band Further in the early ’90s, playing with them until they broke up in 1997. He was part of the original lineup for Beachwood Sparks, which formed that same year. He contributed to their album Desert Skies, which was recorded in the late ’90s but did not see release until 2013.
After leaving the band in 1999, Schwartz worked with artists including Flight of the Conchords, Lou Barlow, and Tift Merritt. In 2010, he released a solo album as Painted Hills. The next year, Schwartz was diagnosed with ALS. In 2014, his friends and family sought funding to help cover the cost of stem cell therapy. Artists including Ariel Pink, John C. Reilly, and Rademaker, performed a benefit concert for him in Los Angeles. Rademaker says Schwartz had “a few unreleased solo things that will blow…
Comments