Yesterday was David Bowie’s 65th Birthday! Many Bay Area Bands in three cities (Tampa, view St. Pete and Sarasota) paid tribute over the weekend in all three locations. That was the most fun, buy information pills
on so many levels, that I’ve had at one of these stellar events sponsored by Sarasota Music Scene and BAAMO. And I’ve done most of them.
These were largely original bands doing covers of someone who has obviously given our art so much. As I watched young musicians showing Ziggy’s influence, it struck me that age means absolutely nothing. It was starkly obvious. I can only hope it was noticeable to those in the crowd who use agism as a bench mark to value music. I saw musicians who were born twenty years after Bowie had his biggest hits, covering him with conviction and taste. I saw older musicians who you might mistake for accountants or engineers, if you saw them on the street, covering with unmatched passion.
I felt deep camaraderie with every musician who played this event. The support and warmth we had for each other was sincere and deeply felt. I never felt better about the choice as my second career.
I’m a solo act most of the time but I’ve fallen in love with working in a band for special projects and I know there are not only more on the way (Elton John Tribute, anyone?) but Jax Resto and I have cooked up a few ideas of our own. We’re writing and will be recording and so we will be performing as BudahRest as material is honed into shape. For these tribute sets, we are Bud and His Buds. We should be looking for a beer sponsorship, no?
We had video shot by the talented crew from Tampa Bay Video and it is a couple of weeks off from editing completion but you will see it here.
In the meantime the lesson is, age means nothing. Get over it.
