Neal Langford, a founding member and bass player for The Shins, has died at age 50.
Neal’s death was announced by The Shins record label Sub Pop Records.”Neal Langford was the bass player in The Shins, back when we first started working together in 2000. Before that, he played guitar in Flake/Flake Music. Neal passed on July 21, 2023. He was a sweet, funny guy, and also a hot air balloon pilot. We’re grateful to have known him, to have been his friend, proud to have worked with him, and heartbroken to lose him. And the answer to the offer of a hot air balloon ride should always be yes. RIP Neal, with love from your friends at Sub Pop”.
Neal Langford has a short innings with The Shins, from 2000 to 2003. He only appeared on the debut album ‘Oh, Inverted World’ (2001). While the album only reached no 168 on the Billboard chart, it eventually sold Platinum (one million) when later albums ‘Wincing the Night Away (2007) and ‘Port of Morrow’ (2012) reached two and three in America and fans revisited the early works.
The track ‘Caring is Creeping’ was used in the movie ‘Garden State’.
Langford became a Balloon pilot after leaving the band in 2003. He had a balloon company called IBX Balloon Flights that he started in 2018. In 2012 he started Sad Baby Wolf with former Shins member Marty Crandall.
In a statement on Instagram, James Mercer said,
“Just want to let you guys know one of the best friends I’ve ever had has passed. He was in several bands with me including the Shins. A very important figure in my life you could say. I mean this is the guy who talked me into getting over my shyness and up on the stage. He put me in front of the microphone! He was the catholic school kid who showed me how to sneak into the back of the old El Rey theatre and get a “free” beer. An invaluable person! Who turned me onto Dinosaur Jr. and Interview Magazine and the Cocteau Twins and countless other piles of cool stuff. He would pick me up in his stepdad’s El Camino and we’d listen to his latest mixtape. With our swerve on. Driving when we probably shouldn’t have been. Where we shouldn’t have been. We were like that. A long time ago. There’s too much to the story but I loved him. And I owe him a lot. Neal Langford you were always loved and you always will be”.
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