Written by: Alex Green

Dave Smalley, the charismatic singer of punk bands like DYS, Dag Nasty, Down By Law and All, is recovering from cancer treatment.

The legendary Virginia-raised frontman, who is considered by many to be one of the most important voices in the history of hardcore, has had a GoFundMe launched in his name to help him defray extenuating medical costs.

His GoFundMe reads: Dave Smalley needs your help. If you’re seeing this, you’re more than likely a friend, fan, or supporter of Dave. He’s currently in the beginning stages of recovering from some serious health issues, and is in need of our help. Dave had a tough fight against cancer last year. He spent the first half of 2023 doing several bouts of chemo, followed by a surgery to remove the remaining cancer. The recovery from surgery and treatment brought on its own challenges, which left Dave hospitalized with Encephalitis on two separate occasions, for several months. He is back home now, but will need some PT going forward. It’s been a scary year, but Dave is winning his fight. While he was hospitalized he was unable to work, and is left with an astronomical amount of bills. No matter the amount, any donation will go straight towards the care and medical attention needed to get him back on his feet.

A father of four, Smalley’s kids added a statement of their own: Hi all, Dave’s kids here. We just wanted to say thank you in advance for your support for our dad. He’s had a hell of a year with these health complications, but we’re confident that he’s on the road to recovery. Even while in the hospital he was showing us studio recordings of some new music!!! All the love you’ve been sending is appreciated. Cheers.

Smalley’s range of musical interest has found him hopping genres with ease–over the course of his career he’s recorded acoustic numbers, hardcore, emo, pop-punk and Irish folk songs. Smalley is also a respected scholar, who has a B.A. from Boston University and a Masters in political science. He left Dag Nasty in 1986 to attend grad school in Israel.