Steve Almaas, a musician instrumental in the earliest days of punk in Minnesota, has died at age 69.
Best known as the bassist of the Suicide Commandos, Almaas died on Friday in Beacon, N.Y., due to complications from recurrent cancer, according to an announcement from the band.
Almaas was born in Minneapolis in 1956 and formed the Commandos in 1975 with Chris Osgood and Dave Ahl. In those nascent days of punk, the band quickly made a name for itself and released its first LP, “Make a Record,” in 1977.
The band was a major influence on dozens of Minnesota bands, from the Replacements and Hüsker Dü to Soul Asylum and Craig Finn of The Hold Steady and Lifter Puller…