Tides mourning the loss of its guitarist, Harmony Rankhorn

The alt-metal band Tides had its future laid out. The Tucson musicians were excited about their new EP, “Pararse,” and the release party on Friday, July 7, at Club Congress.

They were headed back into the studio in November to record yet again.

But all of that changed in June when guitarist Harmony (Robert) Rankhorn died unexpectedly from a pre-existing health condition.

“He was just about music and his family,” said bassist Abel Moreno.

“He loved making music. He had been playing in the music scene for quite some time. He loved his family — his wife, children and his dogs. He loved his life. His health issues got the best of him. I don’t think he realized what was happening.”

The show has since evolved into a memorial listening party for Tides’ two EPs, with the openers — American Standards and Sinphonics — still performing. Vinyl and limited-edition T-shirts will be sold.

“Robert didn’t grow up with everything, but he became a success at whatever he put his hands on,” Moreno said. “He was an intelligent person. Everyone at (his employer) Intuit loved him. Everybody loved working for him. Nothing was ever handed to Robert. He made it off his own steam. He was humble.”

Moreno — who is joined in the band by drummer Justin Bernard, and vocalists Marcos Moreno and Roman Casillas — said Rankhorn saw the beauty in music and life itself.

“Robert believed in God,” he added. “If I was going through a hard time — or any friend of his was going through a hard time — he would say, ‘Hey, you’re on my mind. I don’t want you to feel bad. We’re going through this together. I love you.’ He had a heart as big as the world.”

Moreno said the band is in no state to perform.

“We’re just trying to mend ourselves,” he said. “We’re in no place emotionally or mentally to perform. We’re going through a loss right now that’s not easily replaced.

“I don’t want to make promises for the future. I have an actual brother in the band and we’re trying to heal from it. I cried all over his amp. I’m still not handling this well. He chose to make this endeavor (Tides) happen and he did.”

Tides was founded as a way for the musicians to heal from losses, ironically, according to Moreno. Looking back, he said Rankhorn was trying to say “goodbye” through his music.

“It’s eerie and heartbreaking,” he said. “We had such a good time that we planned go to back into the studio six months later.

“He saw the promise in Tides and what our message was and what we really wanted to do. His heart and his mind were invested into what we were doing and saying. We knew what we were doing was bigger than ourselves. Our music resonated with other people.”