Steve Soto died in his sleep yesterday at his parents home in Placentia. And the punk rock world mourns. On the brink of releasing a new album, Crop Duster, Soto had just completed a tour in Boston last week and was about to embark on a European tour. His loss was felt throughout the music world. “Not a whole lot of people I’ve met in my life that I could call up anytime, anywhere, any condition and they would help. My brother Steve Soto was one of the few,” said Cj Ramone via Twitter.

Every kid in Orange County had Adolescents at the top of their iPod. We got our music from surf vids like “What’s Really Going Wrong,” “The Decline” and “5’5 x 19′ 1/4.” We were the Kids of the Blackhole. Everyone one of us wanted to be a punk in some way. And their music fueled our teenage antics. Not a surf trip goes by where someone doesn’t play some Adolescents. Steve Soto might be dead but his music will live on forever.

He was a founding member of Manic Hispanic, Joyride, Agent Orange among many other bands.  He was the only surviving constant member of the Adolescents. So many of surfing’s soundtracks were fueled by the Adolescents. LA Girl, OC Life, Kids of the Black Hole, Amoeba and I Hate Children were the mantra of so many punk rock fueled surf flicks. So we ask you to turn up your speakers and play some punk rock this morning.

The music world lost a great one yesterday. -WY