In the ’90s, School of Seven Bells’ Benjamin Curtis was known around Dallas – and other places – as the kid brother drummer in UFOFU, then as Tripping Daisy’s drummer.

Then he showed what he could do as a guitarist for Secret Machines, fronted by his brother Brandon. The release of their debut album Now Here Is Nowhere electrified the indie rock landscape in 2004 with a big, brave sound. The expansive guitar on that record was just the beginning of Curtis’ wider contributions to music.

He died Sunday of lymphoblastic lymphoma at only 35.

KERA’s Lyndsay Knecht looks back at Curtis’ music and his Dallas roots on keranews.org. Read, watch and listen to Curtis’ music.