Photo courtesy Travis Jackson, Jourdan Betette, and Vinnie Betette.
Late Wednesday night, 34-year-old Travis Jackson, founder of local record label Windian Records and drummer in the scuzzy party-punk band The Points, was killed in an incident on Suitland Parkway in Southeast. He is survived by his wife, Ashley, and their one-year-old son, Link.
Friends of Jackson have set up a memorial fund on FundRazr to help assist his wife and kid. More info via the fund’s website:
As many of you know, Travis Jackson, father, husband, musician, and founder of DC’s Windian Records, was killed in a work accident last night off of Suitland Parkway in DC; he leaves behind his wife Ashley and their 1-year old son, Link (named for Link Wray, as he’d be happy to tell you!)
Many of you know Travis from his years as the drummer in the Points, or maybe he helped book your band in DC as he often did, in return for nothing but the friends it created. Most of you have probably ordered a record or three from Windian Records, the label that he ran almost single-handedly for three years that earned accolades and fought to keep DC in the spotlight.
There has been an awesome outpouring of support from friends and fans alike, and the DC media has offering excellent support as well. That is why Windian Records is setting up this fund while Travis’ passing is fresh in everyone’s memory; while none of us can know what his wife Ashley and his son Link are going through, we can reach out to help through this tough time.
Every dollar helps and will Keep Travis’ legacy alive. The reason he did what he did was because he cared deeply about others, so your support shows that you do the same.
Jackson’s band, The Points, formed in the early aughts and quickly became one of the most well-known garage-punk bands in the city. They played the kind of scuzzy, anthemic party-punk jams that invoked everyone in the room to stomp along to. As the house band for the now-defunct underground skate park, Fight Club D.C., The Points were known for their dynamic, raucous live shows that aptly matched the kind of music they were playing. Think Andrew W.K. meets The Ramones.
After The Points broke up, Jackson went on to start the prominent local record label Windian Records in 2009, which helped pioneer D.C.’s ever-growing garage-rock scene, putting out records from bands like Title Tracks, The Shirks, and The Ar-Kaics (although they are a Richmond band).
Windian Records co-owner Eric Brady tells DCist that they’re setting up a tribute show for Travis, but details haven’t been ironed out yet.
