Airplanes fly overhead as Christopher Thorn remembers the ‘good ol’ days’ from his Seattle home.Thorn, former guitarist for the once-popular band Blind Melon, reflects on the group’s immediate takeoff and the tragic crash the group felt with the sudden death of lead singer Shannon Hoon.’The shock of Shannon’s death threw the group for a loop,’ Thorn said.Technically, Blind Melon died with Hoon. The day was Oct. 25, 1995. The cause was an overdose of cocaine.Today, Blind Melon is survived by Roger Stevens, Brad Smith, Glen Graham and Thorn; four musicians who never wanted anything more than to do what they loved most: writing and performing music.Their love for music and working together kept the foursome sane during their difficult time. Not long after the group’s loss, the remaining members reunited in the recording studio. This time, Hoon was with them in spirit.Working together again was almost therapeutic, said Thorn. ‘We felt like he (Hoon) was still there.’In a sense, he was.The friends began to dig up old songs which had been left off of previous albums. They took bits of stuff Blind Melon had done when playing around after gigs. They even took a message left by Hoon from an answering machine, and they titled the new album ‘Nico,’ after the 13-week-old daughter the musician left behind.The name of the album was an obvious choice, said Thorn. It was a gift to her; the most beautiful thing he ever made, he added.Their latest release will also be their last. It was done as a tribute to a friend who passed on, and for all the fans who stuck with the band through the good times and the bad.Critics may say that the remaining members are just capitalizing off the rock star’s death. But from the tone of Thorn’s voice, it is apparent that the new CD has a deeper meaning than that. ‘Our friend is gone. We aren’t going to retire because of this record, we just want to give back to the fans that were there in the beginning, that were in the clubs where there were only 50 people,’ Thorn said.In memory of Hoon, portions of the proceeds from ‘Nico’ are being donated to the Musician’s Assistance Program, which offers treatment to drug addicted musicians, especially those who cannot afford it.In retrospect, Thorn sees that many of Hoon’s lyrics were a cry for help.Sometimes, and in the case of Blind Melon, help was not enough.All too often, many talented people die for senseless reasons. Of all the messages Hoon tried to convey through his lyrics, no message was quite as powerful as the abrupt and tragic way he left the earth.He (Hoon) wasn’t talking about bull, or getting laid, he was talking about deep stuff, Thorn said. ‘He was a brilliant songwriter.’Now that Thorn is living back in Seattle, away from the rock star lifestyle he lived not more than 16 months ago, all he can do is wait. Like the other surviving members of Blind Melon, Thorn waits and hopes that one day someone will come along with the spirit that Hoon had when he was alive.’There is still hope for a new bad,’ Thorn said. ‘But, no one will ever be able to fill his (Hoon’s) shoes.’