Following the surprise reunion of Power Trip earlier this month, with Seth Gilmore (who is also in Fugitive with Power Trip guitarist Blake Ibanez, as well as Skourge) filling in on vocals, the family of the late Riley Gale and the Riley Gale Memorial Fund released a statement. “The Riley Gale Memorial Foundation & Gale family are aware of the event that took place at Mohawk in Austin, TX on December 1st, 2023,” it reads. “It caught us entirely by surprise. At no point in the planning or lead up to that moment was anyone in the Gale family consulted, or even invited. We were not asked our thoughts or feelings about it taking place. If we were, we would have liked to discuss who would fill in on vocals, since Riley had laid out very specific requests for this exact scenario.”
Riley’s father, Brandon Gale, has now issued a second statement clarifying the first, and addressing criticism from fans that have accused the family of turning the scenario into a cash grab. He also thanks Seth and praises his performance. The new statement reads:
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,” wrote the family. “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.
Power Trip have not publicly addressed either of the Gale family’s statements. Previously, Riley’s family filed a lawsuit against other members of Power Trip in an attempt to have some control over band decisions.
