Nick Traina
Encyclopedia
Nicholas John Steel Traina (May 1, 1978 – September 20, 1997) was an American
singer, who was lead singer for the punk
band Link 80
.
, Nick Traina's last name comes from his adoptive father, John Traina. He was raised in San Francisco where he attended Town School but owing to his mother's enormous success in writing numerous romance novels, the family also maintained an estate in the south of France
. His biological father was Steel's third husband, William Toth, a burglar and heroin addict whom his mother later divorced. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/1995/10/22/PK41426.DTL&hw=danielle+steel&sn=001&sc=1000
at age sixteen and played with them for three years, touring extensively.
After leaving Link 80 in August 1997, Traina formed a new band called Knowledge and recorded a demo with them that has since been released on Asian Man Records
. A song titled "Gnat" was included on the release; the song was recorded years earlier with Max Leavitt.
and for treatment of bipolar disorder
. While his mother wrote that she tried everything at her disposal to get him the proper medical help, on his fourth suicide attempt at age nineteen he took his own life. Traina died of a self-inflicted morphine overdose at the home of, Julie Campbell; a family friend.
Traina was interred in Cypress Lawn Memorial Park
cemetery in Colma, California
. His mother told his life story and of the struggles with his illness in her 1998 book titled "His Bright Light: The Story of Nick Traina."
, and "Hey, Nick!" by the White Trash Debutantes
.
Traina was friends with Oscar Scaggs (son of musician Boz Scaggs
), who died of a heroin overdose in 1998, as well as musician Max Leavitt, who died June 3, 2009.
On May 16, 1998, Danielle Steel hosted a memorial show for Traina at Slim's in San Francisco, featuring Link 80, MU330
, the Bruce Lee Band
, Powerhouse, the Hoods
, Subincision, All Bets Off and the Blast Bandits.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
singer, who was lead singer for the punk
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
band Link 80
Link 80
-Band history:Link 80 started in late 1993 in the East Bay of California. In the beginning, original members played around town as Drano, The Rag-Tags, and Mr...
.
Early life
The son of the famous American romance writer Danielle SteelDanielle Steel
Danielle Fernandes Dominique Schuelein-Steel , better known as Danielle Steel, is an American romantic novelist and author of mainstream dramas....
, Nick Traina's last name comes from his adoptive father, John Traina. He was raised in San Francisco where he attended Town School but owing to his mother's enormous success in writing numerous romance novels, the family also maintained an estate in the south of France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. His biological father was Steel's third husband, William Toth, a burglar and heroin addict whom his mother later divorced. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/1995/10/22/PK41426.DTL&hw=danielle+steel&sn=001&sc=1000
Music career
He started his first band, Shanker, at age thirteen with Max Leavitt. He joined Link 80Link 80
-Band history:Link 80 started in late 1993 in the East Bay of California. In the beginning, original members played around town as Drano, The Rag-Tags, and Mr...
at age sixteen and played with them for three years, touring extensively.
After leaving Link 80 in August 1997, Traina formed a new band called Knowledge and recorded a demo with them that has since been released on Asian Man Records
Asian Man Records
Asian Man Records is a small, DIY record label run by Mike Park in Monte Sereno, California. Park started a record label and began releasing music in 1989 under the name Dill Records, with the Asian Man label established May 1996.-Artists:...
. A song titled "Gnat" was included on the release; the song was recorded years earlier with Max Leavitt.
Death
Because of the many problems Traina exhibited from childhood, his life included a number of psychiatric hospitalizations for drug abuseDrug abuse
Substance abuse, also known as drug abuse, refers to a maladaptive pattern of use of a substance that is not considered dependent. The term "drug abuse" does not exclude dependency, but is otherwise used in a similar manner in nonmedical contexts...
and for treatment of bipolar disorder
Bipolar disorder
Bipolar disorder or bipolar affective disorder, historically known as manic–depressive disorder, is a psychiatric diagnosis that describes a category of mood disorders defined by the presence of one or more episodes of abnormally elevated energy levels, cognition, and mood with or without one or...
. While his mother wrote that she tried everything at her disposal to get him the proper medical help, on his fourth suicide attempt at age nineteen he took his own life. Traina died of a self-inflicted morphine overdose at the home of, Julie Campbell; a family friend.
Traina was interred in Cypress Lawn Memorial Park
Cypress Lawn Memorial Park
Cypress Lawn Memorial Park, established by Hamden Holmes Noble in 1892, is a cemetery located in Colma, California, a place known as the "City of the Silent". It is the final resting site for several members of the celebrated Hearst family plus other prominent citizens from the greater San...
cemetery in Colma, California
Colma, California
Colma is a small incorporated town in San Mateo County, California, at the northern end of the San Francisco Peninsula in the San Francisco Bay Area. The population was 1,792 at the 2010 census. The town was founded as a necropolis in 1924....
. His mother told his life story and of the struggles with his illness in her 1998 book titled "His Bright Light: The Story of Nick Traina."
Influence
In addition to his mother's book, a handful of songs have been written for Traina, including All Bets Off's "Catharsis" by best friend Sammy Winston, Link 80's "Unbroken" by former bandmate Matt Bettinelli-OlpinMatt Bettinelli-Olpin
Matt Bettinelli-Olpin is an American actor, writer and musician.-Biography:Raised in Oakland, California, Bettinelli-Olpin later attended the University of California, Santa Cruz.-Music:...
, and "Hey, Nick!" by the White Trash Debutantes
White Trash Debutantes
The White Trash Debutantes are an American rock band from San Francisco, California, active since 1989.-Origins:The band deals with issues of gender equality and transcendence....
.
Traina was friends with Oscar Scaggs (son of musician Boz Scaggs
Boz Scaggs
William Royce "Boz" Scaggs is an American singer, songwriter and guitarist. He gained fame in the 1970s with several Top 20 hit singles in the United States, along with the #2 album, Silk Degrees. Scaggs continues to write, record music and tour.-Early life and career:Scaggs was born in Canton,...
), who died of a heroin overdose in 1998, as well as musician Max Leavitt, who died June 3, 2009.
On May 16, 1998, Danielle Steel hosted a memorial show for Traina at Slim's in San Francisco, featuring Link 80, MU330
MU330
MU330 are a ska punk band from St. Louis, Missouri.Formed by students of St. Louis University High School in 1988, MU330 played a self-described brand of music called "Psycho Ska", high energy ska punk marked by manic performances and humorous, often strange lyricism...
, the Bruce Lee Band
The Bruce Lee Band
The Bruce Lee Band is the name given to the releases of Mike Park and his backing band which has so far included Less Than Jake and the Rx Bandits....
, Powerhouse, the Hoods
Hoods (band)
Hoods is a hardcore punk band from Sacramento, California. Formed in 1994 by Mike Mraz who later added Logan Murray, Tony Goodloe and Billy Gaffney. With influences such as Madball, Sick of it All, Minor Threat and Cro Mags. The Hoods were known as one of the hardest working bands...
, Subincision, All Bets Off and the Blast Bandits.
External links
- Review of His Bright Light, in Psychiatric Services, 2000
- Nick Traina on Find A GraveFind A GraveFind a Grave is a commercial website providing free access and input to an online database of cemetery records. It was founded in 1998 as a DBA and incorporated in 2000.-History:...