Tie-dyed to eternity: Remembering Pat McKenzie

Patrick “Largemouth Bass” McKenzie was a performer many described as larger than life. Whether you saw him DJing under the name “Largemouth Bass” or performing alongside Travis Wagner as the duo “Fendz,” you were left with an impression that would be difficult to forget. 

He was known for his tie-dye shirts and his ability to engage a crowd. He was a beloved performer, brother, friend, and son. On September 4, 2026, McKenzie passed away peacefully in his sleep.

McKenzie’s friends remember him as someone who could not only pump up and engage a crowd, but also be a thoughtful and kind friend away from the stage. 

“This man could throw a show and pump up a crowd like nobody I’ve ever seen in my life,” his best friend Andrew George told Watershed Voice. “There are no pictures of this man performing where he is not giving it his 100%.” 

Wager, the other half of Fendz, recalled times when McKenzie would walk through the back of the crowd to DMX before taking the stage, immediately catching the crowd’s attention. 

“He knew exactly how to read a crowd,” Wagner told Watershed Voice. “He really pushed me to do more, to try to be more of a presence on stage as well, and beyond that, he was just a phenomenal DJ.” 

McKenzie, 38, was born in Kalamazoo, Michigan, on March 11, 1988, the son of Patrick Michael McKenzie I and Patricia Arlene (Chaplin) McKenzie, who preceded him in death. McKenzie grew up in Three Rivers on Seventh Street and graduated from Three Rivers High School in 2006. McKenzie later attended classes at Western Michigan University before discovering his love of music and DJing. 

Around 2010, McKenzie and some of his friends picked up decks and started DJing. While some treated it as a hobby, for McKenzie it was different, he fell in love. 

“Between him and a few of the other guys in the house, they all got really good. Not as good as Patrick. Patrick really ran with it,” George, who lived with him at the time, said. “It was never a phase for Patrick. He latched on hard and it wasn’t another year before he started playing almost every weekend at Papa Pete’s in Kalamazoo.” 

His friends said that ability extended beyond selecting music to reading a crowd. Wagner recalled a time when McKenzie saw his wife and her friend leaving the crowd for a smoke break, and immediately switched to a song he knew they loved. 

“My wife would joke about a time when her and her friend were at a show, and Pat was playing as Largemouth Bass, and he saw them walking out to go smoke a cigarette and immediately changed the song to something that he knew they loved, and they came running back. And that’s an extreme example, but that’s why he made everybody want to be there.”

Pat’s personality

McKenzie was also widely known for his big beard and seemingly infinite supply of tie-dye T-shirts. Whenever he was performing, he was wearing one. His friends say his personality was as colorful as his wardrobe. 

“Pat believed in encouraging people to follow their dreams and to be kind to everyone they met. He stood up for his friends and family and was always willing to lend a hand. His generosity, humor, individuality, and genuine concern for others left an impression on everyone fortunate enough to know him,” his obituary published by Ray Funeral Services states. 

George remembered McKenzie joining his family for Thanksgiving and Christmas every year, moments he cherished because they felt removed from the music scene, and took them back to their childhood growing up on Seventh Street. 

“Those times were the best for me because it was so removed from the scene,” George said. “It felt like we were back to being kids again at Mom’s house. It was just Patrick.”

George added that McKenzie would have wanted to be remembered for his generosity and the impact he had on people. 

“His generosity was so much larger than people could even know. He never spoke badly about anybody,” George said. “The second thing he would love to be remembered by is that he was larger than life. This man always wore a tie-dye shirt. He was a big guy, and no matter if he was a big guy or not, on that stage, he weighed 100 pounds and could jump and move around that stage and entertain like it was nobody’s business.”

Celebration of life

A celebration of McKenzie’s life will be held at Papa Pete’s on October 4, 2026 from 4-8 p.m. Those who wish to make a memorial donation are asked to consider contributing toward McKenzie’s funeral expenses to help with the cost of his services. 

Please visit Ray Funeral Services to gather and share in McKenzie’s memory.

Maxwell Knauer is a staff writer for Watershed Voice.