When I sat down yesterday to write my first “blog” as an employee of Denver Magazine, I had intended to praise our local music scene. Tuesday morning, Colorado’s latest band to be signed to a major record label, Tickle Me Pink, a group of Ft. Collins rockers on the rise, released their debut album “Madeline,” on Wind-up Records. Next Tuesday (July 8), Boulder hip-hop act 3Oh!3 will be releasing their major label debut, “Want,” on Photo Finish Records. With the recent success of the Flobots, Meese, The Swayback, Single File, the Photo Atlas and Gregory Alan Isakov — the list really does go on and on — Denver, a city that has been largely ignored on the national level, has arrived.

Unfortunately, as the news began to circulate around town as to the tragedy that struck the local music scene Tuesday morning, I had to somberly hit the “delete” key. Yesterday, according to a Denver Post report, Tickle Me Pink’s bass player Johnny Schou, a 22-year-old from Ft. Collins, was found dead in his bedroom by lead singer Sean Kennedy. A day that should have been a celebration for the band quickly turned into a day of mourning and loss. The local music scene, prepping for another breakout CD by another Colorado breakout band, should have been reveling in its success. Schou should have cracked a giant bottle of champagne with his fellow band members over an excessively expensive four-course dinner. What they accomplished only happens to a handful of talent-laden, hard-working musicians.

Tickle Me Pink, a band I have seen numerous times — the last being in February headlining the Aggie in Ft. Collins with Meese — will never be my proverbial cup of tea. However, “Madeline” really is a solid piece of work. Check out Schou’s bass work on “The Time is Wrong,” and just try to get the band’s first single, “Typical” out of your head. It won’t happen, trust me. It’s a record the boys from Ft. Collins should be proud of. Go out and grab a copy or download it on iTunes — I did, even though a complimentary copy is sitting on my desk.

Our heartfelt condolences go out to the band, Schou’s friends, fans and most of all, his family. The young man should have had the chance to play all over the country, to thousands of new and adoring fans, and witness firsthand the fruits of his labor. As a musician, as a music journalist and as a Coloradoan, I wish you all the strength to get through this.

For more information on Tickle Me Pink, visit ticklemepink.com.