Riley Gale’s Dad Responds to Critics, Says Comments About Power Trip Reunion Not About Money
This past weekend, fans that caught the Fugitive show in Austin, Texas were treated to a special post-show performance, as surviving Power Trip members Blake Ibanez, Nick Stewart, Chris Whetzel and Chris Ulsh took the stage for the first time since vocalist Riley Gale passed away to rip through some of the band’s tunes. With Skourge vocalist Seth Gilmore behind the mic, it was a special moment.
That was, until the Gale family and the Riley Gale Memorial Foundation put out a statement explaining how they were disappointed that such an event took place without their prior knowledge or approval, stating that the late vocalist had laid out plans for how such a thing would happen if he were to die. It was a measured reaction from a family that’s naturally still hurting from their loss.
As is common with the internet, however, scores of terminally online people that need to go out and touch some grass attacked the Gale family, effectively claiming that they were just upset because they couldn’t cash in on the whole thing.
In response to those accusations, Brandon Gale — Riley Gale’s father — took to social media to post a lengthy statement in a bid to clear the air. Not only did he refute those claims that it was ever about money, but rather he said the foundation and family were upset because Riley’s wishes weren’t apparently taken into account.
His full statement is as follows:
“The Gale family posted a message on December 2nd and we were saddened to hear that many fans interpreted our original message as some attempt to grab money, which is absolutely not the case. The wishes communicated were simply the ones Riley had shared with his friends and family given the state of the world in 2020, prior to his death. They were never demands. Please take a moment and allow us to correct any confusion we created.
- The loss of our son, brother and friend Riley is something we will never recover from.
- The Riley Gale Memorial Foundation (RGF) was established after Riley died by Riley’s family and a handful of his friends and POWER TRIP fans. The mission of the foundation is to continue the legacy Riley created by raising money for the social causes that were important to Riley and his fans.
- The Riley Gale Memorial Foundation is an IRS approved 501 c 3 non-profit legal charity and any funds raised must be handled by the laws governing non-profits.
- 100% of the net funds raised for the foundation are distributed to the causes that Riley supported.
- The RGF has no employees, no paid executives and only distributes funds to charitable causes. It operates completely by the kindness and dedication of volunteers.
- Riley’s surviving siblings and his parents agreed that all royalties and income due to Riley’s estate go into the foundation.
- The Gales have not taken a single dollar nor benefited in any way financially from Riley’s estate and in fact the Gale family has used its own resources to fund the establishment of the foundation and all expenses for the fundraising events.
- To date, the foundation has made significant contributions to Dallas Hope Charities (over $100,000 in direct contributions and donations from RGF) and Dog Ranch Rescue.
- The RGF established The Riley Gale Band Tour Grant to help up and coming hardcore/metal artists to cover touring expenses. The first recipient of the band grant was FROZEN SOUL, who also headlined the foundation’s fundraiser, Riley and Friends Vol. 2 in August of ’22.
- The RGF will continue to support Dallas Hope Charities, animal rescue and re-homing organizations, The Riley Gale Band Tour Grant, and mental health & wellness support organizations going forward.
“We also would like to specifically appreciate and thank Seth Gilmore. He really put his all into that performance.
“Our only mission is to embrace the incredible legacy of caring for and comforting those who are marginalized, discarded, or simply forgotten by society. Those of you who truly knew Riley know this was and is his legacy. We are grateful that Riley’s passion for the hardcore community and his work growing POWER TRIP to one of the best bands in the world will help fund Riley’s wishes for decades to come.
“As Riley’s dad and the person who wrote the original message, it broke my heart to hear that I got it wrong. I humbly request that you understand the raw emotions we face and how they impact us every day thinking about what the world lost when Riley died.
“Respectfully, Brandon Gale on behalf of the Gale family and The Riley Gale Memorial Foundation”.
To put things into perspective, it’s important to note that the original statement never once mentioned any financial windfall they missed out on, nor did it talk about business.
Could there have been ulterior motives? I mean, maybe — humans are complicated animals after all with all kinds of motivations behind everything. But after reading a grieving father’s statement, it sounds like some people need to step away from the internet for a bit and let other people live.
