Skip Brooks: Fight The Good Fight Memorial

I bring you unfortunate news today. Loving father and well regarded scene veteran and minister, Skip Brooks, has just lost his battle with Cancer. He leaves behind a loving wife and children. To help with funeral costs, friends of Skip have launched a special set of Memorial Shirts in his honor. Check out the shirts right here and purchase one to help pay for hospital bills and funeral costs. All money raised from the sale of these specials shirts will go to the family to help pay these costs. Please take a minute a read up a little more on Skip Brooks, his ministry, and the friends who loved him most, below.

Skip Brooks was a son, brother, husband, Dad, friend and a legend in both music and ministry. Originally from East Tennessee growing up on bluegrass and outlaw country from the 70s and 80s, he would set his sights on punk rock, cutting his first Mohawk at just 10 years old, inspired by the scarce few punk records he could buy in his small Appalachian town. He would then move to San Antonio Texas where his love of punk, metal, funk, jazz and blues would grow to influence his guitar playing. He played jazz bass in ska band Resistors and would play guitar for a humorous thrash punk crossover Kapsized both bands often sharing the same stage. He later would join Shift Seven, playing skate/hardcore. All during this time he interned for a large church, working with fringe youth, forming a bible study group as a safe place for kids to hang out after shows. In 2000, already a fixture in the local music scene, he would form Our Corpse Destroyed , hardcore punk band that would be the beginning of his church Rise Above Ministries. He touched countless lives through his music and unapologetic message of the love and grace of Christ. He walked out his faith and never compromised his music or faith. Through touring with his band and speaking at conferences he sought to reconcile the idea that church culture and punk/music culture weren’t mutually exclusive, that church wasn’t a place for perfect people, but a safe place for all to be real with the very real God he loved and served. – Jenni Brooks

“Skip left a hugely positive mark with his ministry and music. His life was dedicated to bringing the Good News to the outcasts, the punks and others on the fringe. And he did it with love and respect.” – David AptosMusic – Thumper Punk Records

“Skip Brooks is a man I will never forget. Skip was a Pastor, father figure, and mentor to so many in our scene. He wasn’t just “Pastor Skip” to those who attended Rise Above Church, he was a pastor to our whole scene. Skip loved everyone. Regardless of your past, race, religion or subculture. Just being in his presence gave you a sense of love, hope and acceptance that is so rare in the world today. The thing that always stood out to me about Skip was his love for the rejects. He chose to surround himself with outcasts and his church was evident of that. Skip poured his heart into everything he did. Whether he was doing ministry or tearing it up on stage behind his Ace Frehley signature Les Paul. Skip was an amazing guitar player and when he was playing is when he really was in his element. I had the honor of sharing the stage and the road with Skip many times. Some of my fondest memories of the road were the ones I spent touring alongside Crush the Enemy. Skip was a good man and his influence was endless. My relationship with Skip influenced me to love people more and the world is a little darker without him. Let’s carry on the legacy he left us, together.” – Nate Rising – FBS / The Festal Shout

“Skip was a friend and an encourager to everyone who he met. Like many of us I first met Skip through his music, as a fan of Our Corpse Destroyed and later Crush The Enemy. Skip was an incredible musician, had a great sense of humor and genuinely loved life. Skip was the quintessential punk, and as a man who had experienced God’s incredible grace he was perfectly positioned to reach other punks for Christ. He took this privilege very seriously and in so doing touch many lives and leaves behind an incredible legacy. Skip was truly a warrior who fought hard in God’s strength, to overcome so much in His life. Even in the final months as he battled cancer, the messages I got from Him showed that same fighting spirit and sense of hope. He loved his wife and kids deeply and so I think its a fitting tribute to Skip, our way of thanking him, that as a community we rally around Jenni and the boys. Please help us raise much needed funds for medical and funeral costs by purchasing a Skip Brooks Memorial shirt.” – Dave Emmerson – ZAP Records