The late rocker and TV/theater composer Adam Schlesinger, who died from complications of COVID-19 in April 2020, will be feted by dozens of musicians and actors in May in an online tribute being produced by Jody Porter, his longtime bandmate in Fountains of Wayne.
Titled “Adam Schlesinger, A Music Celebration, Virtual Show,” the stream will be primarily recorded at New York’s Bowery Electric and go out May 5 at 8 p.m. ET on the Rolling Live platform, with a ticket price of $20 that will benefit MusiCares and the closed host venue itself.
Said Porter, “This is a proper musical send-off for my soul brother with a bunch of talented and groovy guests that would make Adam wince.”
Among the frequent collaborators of Schlesinger’s who’ll appear on the show besides Porter and his band the Berlin Waltz are Taylor Hanson and James Iha, both of his band Tinted Windows, and Rachel Bloom, whose “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend” series enlisted Schlesinger as executive music producer and primary songwriter for its entire run. The show will also include artists Schlesinger produced or wrote for or with, including Mike Viola, the Monkees’ Mickey Dolenz and Chris Carrabba of Dashboard Confessional.
Others taking part include Courtney Love, Sean Ono Lennon, Butch Walker, Drew Carey, the duo of Patrick Carney (Black Keys) and Michelle Branch, Ben Lee, Peter Buck with Scott McCaughey, Glenn Tilbrook of Squeeze, Jesse Malin, Nicole Atkins, Ben Kweller, Estzer Balint (Louie/Stranger Than Paradise), Matthew Caws of Nada Surf, Britta Phillips, Joe McGinty, John Gallagher, Jr. (“Spring Awakening”), Robert Schwartzman of Rooney, Bambi Kino, Kelly Buchanan, Eddie Baranek (the Sights), Eli Janney (Girls Against Boys) with Justin Pierre (Motions City Soundtrack) and Geoff Sanoff, Diane Gentile and John Brodeur (Birdstreets).
On the April 1 anniversary of his death, PvNew published a one-year-on appreciation. “For a select few of us with a special taste for the sweet-and-sour, FoW, with Schlesinger as one of its two co-architects, was something like the greatest rock band of the last quarter-century,” PvNew wrote. Click here to read our tribute.
Tickets for the event are available on the Rolling Live Studios website.
