Friends of John Pike, supporters of Ra Ra Riot remember band's former drummer

JUNE 5, 1:14 P.M. - To Ryan Hickey, John Pike was an inspiration.

To Jeff Irvine, a very talented drummer.

To Style Band Aid, a client.

To Kacie Barton, a close friend.

To all of them, John Pike was a bright, skilled young man whose time came too soon.

Pike, drummer of Ra Ra Riot, a band made up of Syracuse residents and Syracuse University alumni, was found dead in seven feet of water in Southern Massachusetts' Buzzards Bay Sunday afternoon. He had been reported missing late Friday night after attending a house party in Fairhaven, Mass.

Pike, a 2006 SU graduate, was 23.

Since the news of Pike's death broke Sunday, there has been an outpouring of support for the band from its fans, mainly in the form of messages on the band's MySpace Web page and on Facebook fan groups for the band.

They are messages of hope, messages of sorrow, messages of remembrance. Messages from fans across the nation, across the globe.

The band's MySpace - which, instead of the entire band as its profile picture now features one of just Pike - has been bombarded with messages of condolences since Sunday afternoon.

"I love you all," wrote user NewCliché at 7:20 p.m. Sunday. "He will be sorely, sorely missed."

NewCliché's profile picture, along with many users that have left comments, has been changed to a picture of Pike.

Style Band Aid, a Japanese graphic design operation geared toward indie rock bands, left a message in broken English, saying, "Japanese 'Ra Ra Riot' Fan hopes that there is john safely."

In an e-mail, a representative of Style Band Aid said the group was shocked to hear the news of Pike's death.

"The loss of John Pike is a great sorrow to us too," the representative wrote. "Also, I was making a flyer for the band's summer tour. Just as it was completed and sent to them, I heard of John's death. We, Japanese Ra Ra Riot fans, are groping for something we can do for the band, especially now, after this sorrowful event."

Ryan Hickey, a sophomore wildlife sciences major at the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry, also left a message on MySpace.

"Words can't even describe how sad I am," Hickey wrote. "I am so so so sorry for your loss."

Hickey said he had the opportunity to speak to Pike a couple of times after attending Ra Ra Riot shows.

"He was real friendly," Hickey said. "He just seemed like the kind of person you could talk to. He was nice and didn't shove me away."

Hickey, who also plays drums, said he admired Pike for his talent and looked at him as an inspiration, which made the tragic news sting more.

"I was in disbelief," he said. "I felt like I had just seen him yesterday playing a show. When I found out, my heart dropped. I just couldn't believe it."

Jeff Irvine, also a 2006 SU graduate with a degree in television, radio and film, said he did not know Pike personally, but saw him perform at countless Ra Ra Riot shows in Syracuse and ran into him a few times since the two had the same major.

The news was shocking to Irvine. He said he could not put into words the emotions he felt when he found out, adding it's always a shock to lose someone so young.

"He was a great guy," Irvine said. "Always friendly and smiling. I wish I had known him better. I didn't know him that well, but we had some mutual acquaintances and I know they all loved him very much. I'm sure that everyone who knew him could tell a story of how he touched their life."

Kacie Barton, one of Pike's close friends, is one of those people.

Still reeling from the news of her friend's death, Barton has turned to the memories.

Barton, also a 2006 television, radio and film graduate at SU, met Pike during their sophomore year, when she was working with a friend on a documentary film about Pike's other band, Sweaty Etiquette.

Barton and Pike became close during their last semester, when she said she spent a lot of time with Pike and Ra Ra Riot keyboardist/vocalist Wes Miles.

Barton said she loved going to the band's shows and watching them play - not as a fan, but a friend.

"That was the reason it was fun," she said. "Because I would always try to get them to make eye contact so they would start laughing, or yell inappropriate things at them. If I didn't know people in the band, I would definitely still like their music. But it wouldn't have been the same at all."

Barton said she did not get to see Pike often after graduation, since Pike lived in Massachusetts and Barton was near New York City.

But their friendship did not dim. Barton said she will forever remember Pike's unique idiosyncrasies, like the way he made a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

Afraid of doing her friend injustice, she preferred to explain Pike's originality in his own words.

"As for the PBJ … I'm glad you asked," Pike once said. "My method is often characterized as unorthodox by the mainstream. People say I'm dangerous or unruly with my application of the 'J' on the bread before the 'PB.' But it's a common misconception that the two don't jive in that order."