(Calling all readers: Take a simple, painless test to save a life.)
Roger Pinnell started his first band in San Diego when he was 19. Throughout 1981 and ’82, he sang in Violation 5 and later The Brood, with bass player Chuck Cole and other friends. The Brood’s most memorable show was at the North Park Lions Club, where they opened for The Misfits.
When he moved to San Francisco in 1985, Roger formed Piglatin with bass player Donnie Diaz, another veteran of the early San Diego underground. The band released two records, and Roger briefly led a lineup of Piglatin in New York City. For the last several years he has concentrated on writing fiction and lives in San Francisco.
Since the summer of 2008, Roger has been battling a rare blood cancer, mantle cell lymphoma. He recently had a relapse and needs a bone-marrow transplant in order to beat this. His doctors at UCSF Medical Center are still searching for a donor. Roger is asking anyone who is willing and able to explore this link for the National Marrow Donor Registry and follow the steps to “Join The Registry.”
All that’s required to join is a simple cheek swab, which the Registry will send to your home in a kit.