Yesterday, the Will Callers' guitarist Chase Monks and bassist Bradley Schroeder were on their way back to Fort Worth, to join up with the band ahead of tomorrow's show at Woody's Tavern. But Monks and Schroeder never arrived. Tragically, the pair was killed in a car accident just outside of Hillsboro on Interstate 35W, the band's booking agent Trey Newman confirmed to me this morning.
"No one could ask for a more genuine pair of friends," reads a posting on the band's Facebook page. Schroeder was 33; Monks was 26. Half of the band, which includes a pair of long-time friends, guitarist/vocalist Jake Murphy and drummer Daniel Slatton, is now gone.
"Please keep the guys and their families in your prayers," Newman says. "We have canceled this Saturday's show at Woody's Tavern and will be talking today about moving forward with the rest of the schedule. Chase and Brad would want us to keep trucking."
This devastating blow comes as the Will Callers, which just released a new EP, Keep Everything Close, in August, and was gearing up for a two-month regional tour throughout Texas, Oklahoma, Alabama and Tennessee. The pair also performed in singer-songwriter Bo Cox's band. Cox is signed to Fort Worth label Smith Music Group.