RIP Isaac Steve Thomas of Singapore Band Take Off – Words Penned by Band Member Bob

The Singapore scene mourns the passing of drummer Isaac Steve Thomas of the band Take Off. The following heartfelt words are written by fellow band member – Bob.

Our condolences to Isaac’s friends and family…

Rest in Power.

My friend. My bandmate. My brother. It pains me to write this, and my fingers are all sweaty and my heart is heavy from having to pen this.

Isaac Steve Thomas was called home to be with the Lord on 9th October 2020. Born December 2nd 1986, Isaac always lived his life to the fullest, and achieved far more than most do in a single lifetime. He had a very successful career, a happy marriage to a loving wife, loyal and devoted friends, and family all around, a successful band that was a vehicle for his undeniable talent and virtuosity in drumming, traveled the world. and was full of kindness, love, charm, wit, humor in every situation. He was the glue that held a lot of people together and was always the life of every party.

But I’m not here to talk about the entirety of his life. People more qualified than me will be able to do more justice to that than I can. I’m here to talk about the man that I know – my friend, my bandmate and my brother. The first time we met, he showed me his blink-182 tattoo emblazoned on his chest, and I knew instantly we’d be good friends. The first time I played music with him in a studio, I knew the chemistry was undeniable and that this man had a rare gift that needed to be seen and heard and recognized by the world. We’ve been friends for a long time now, and through it all – be it the rehearsals, the gigs, the tours, the conversations, the support, the love, the achievements, the laughter and the light – he remained the best of us all, easily the best musician in the room that I’ve ever known, the most charming, the most magnetic, the most charismatic, and through it all, a loyal, fierce and protective friend. He had a lot of love for everyone around him and always lit up the room with his smile and his presence, always quick to diffuse a tense situation with a well-timed joke or remark and easily one of the best human beings I’ve ever had the privilege of meeting.

To this day, I still don’t know how or why he chose to stay with the band. For those of you who know, Isaac and I remain the only original members left. He could easily have left the band for a more successful one, and I would have understood, but every time I broached the topic, he was always quick with an “I love this music and I love this band”. His fierce loyalty, commitment, and devotion to the band and to people around him is something that defined him – he never half-assed anything and was famous for always saying “Go Hard or Go Home”, meaning either you go all the way and give 110% or don’t even do it at all. This attitude carried him through life, and extends to everything he touches or does, be it his relationships with people around him, his career and his passions.

There are good drummers and great drummers. And then there are those drummers that transcend that and become legendary. Never one to limit himself to one style or one beat, Isaac was always creative, always precise and always the heartbeat of our music. The thing about drumming is that you’ve got to have a good sense of rhythm. This can sometimes be taught, but neither of us were formally taught music. Isaac always played by feel, by instinct and by sense. He had an excellent sense of rhythm, which extended to all facets of his life, making him a joy to be around because he understood what made people move and how to move people.
The loss of a loved one, of anyone, is always tragic. But the loss of a loved one who made such an impact on all of us who knew him (and perhaps even on those who didn’t) is a particularly difficult thing to accept. We know we will never forget him, he will always be with us in our hearts and in our heads and we know he is looking upon all of us now with that same bright smile, with those wide twinkling eyes and that magnetic presence that tells you its all going to be ok.

It was a privilege to have met and to have known him, and an honor to have had him as a friend, a bandmate and a brother. I love him very much and without him, I would not be who I am today. I only wish he lasted as long as the lasting impressions and influence he left on the people he met, memories that will last a lifetime.

We know he would want us to celebrate his life, and in that spirit, we encourage all of you to share your experiences and stories of Isaac. May this be a small light for each of us that extinguishes the loss we all feel.

Thank you to all of you for all your kindness, your love, your support, your patience, your presence, your voices, your applause throughout all the years.

We weep for ourselves because we miss him and cannot see him again in this life, but we celebrate his life and everything he did, achieved and inspired, in the hope that when we meet him again in a better place, we may hug him and once again be reassured that everything is ok.

Rest in Power, my brother.
Til we meet again.

Your friend, and the voice inside your yead,
Bob