Photo by Jim Hall
Audio By Carbonatix
Earlier this week, Frank Falestra — known to most in the Miami music scene as Rat Bastard — was seriously injured in a car crash on the Florida Turnpike near the Golden Glades interchange. The accident left the local music legend with head and spine injuries and resulted in an induced coma. While Falestra is now recovering in a local hospital, he faces a long road ahead, and the community he helped build is rallying to support him.
A GoFundMe campaign, launched by friends and family, is now live to help cover his hospital and rehabilitation costs.
“Anything helps and will get him back up and running to ensure that your shitty band is LOUDER than ever,” reads the GoFundMe description written by Liz Fulcher.
Falestra is a tireless force in South Florida’s DIY scene: a musician, producer, promoter, and sound engineer whose influence spans generations. He’s the founder of the long-running International Noise Conference (INC), a free festival that spotlights extreme and experimental sound art, and one of the driving forces behind the recently reopened Churchill’s Pub. He also founded the Miami Music Archive, a nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving six decades of local alternative music history and media.
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Screenshot via GoFundMe.
The crash occurred early Monday morning, around 1:30 a.m., while Falestra was driving his pickup with a trailer loaded with equipment from the Archive. He was transporting materials from the old Miami Music Archive warehouse to a new location in Little River. A friend at the scene reported that the trailer fishtailed, causing the vehicle to spin sharply, just as the Turnpike merges into I-95. Compounding the danger, streetlights in the area were out according to a New Times source, and emergency services took nearly half an hour to arrive.
The GoFundMe has a goal of $50,000. “His recovery is uncertain at the moment but will likely take several months,” the campaign states. Falestra remains in the ICU with limited visitation. His family and close friends have asked for privacy during this difficult time.
Supporters are also encouraged to donate to the Miami Music Archive to assist with relocation costs and operational expenses while Falestra recovers. Contributions can be made at miamimusicarchive.com.
