Has it been ten years already since David Bowie passed on Jan. 10, 2016?
Yet somehow Donald Trump is still president, Stranger Things is still streaming, and the Rolling Stones are still threatening us with world tours. Time is a flat circle, indeed.
The contributions of the Thin White Duke to music and the arts more broadly are too numerous to mention. More than a mere generator of pop hits, Bowie evolved into a culture hero from another planet who projected a provocative persona across multiple media while effortlessly walking the tightrope between avant garde experimentation and mainstream commercial success.
When you hear contemporary artists describe David Bowie’s influence on their own work, they almost never cite this or that album or song. His impact was much more fundamental than topping the charts, operating at the cellular level, transforming the way artists from Lady Gaga to Kurt Cobain lived and practiced their art.
In the words of Madonna, speaking at Bowie’s induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: “This is a beautiful man. Before I saw David Bowie live, I was just your normal, dysfunctional, rebellious teenager from the Midwest, and he has truly changed my life.”
At least two local shows on Jan. 10 will remember how David Bowie ch-ch-changed us all. Tribute band The Young Americans bang out the hits in the comfy confines of an Irish pub in Davis Square while conductor Evan Ziporyn and the Ambient Orchestra perform an orchestral reimagining of Bowie’s final album Blackstar (with immersive video projection) at MIT.
Two gigs, as different as can be, reminding us of the diverse legacies left behind by a seminal artist.
Rest in peace, forever and ever.
Rest in power, just for one day.
Hit This
Friday, Jan. 9: Everything Yes (Warehouse XI, Somerville)
A human freight train of Gen Z jazz fusion energy pulls into Union Square in the form of Everything Yes. While the ensemble is young, members Sean Reeser (tenor saxophone) and Cole Sipe (bass) have been playing together since before they were licensed to drive. The remaining members hopped aboard during college somewhere in the Carolinas. The chemistry clicked and they’ve been jamming and touring ever since. Inquire about alto saxophonist Nathan Graybeal’s YouTube persona “Saxologic.” Rhode Island’s funky and freewheeling Guess Method open.
Tuesday, Jan. 13: Gary Air, Shelly Shu, Richard Crowe (The Jungle, Somerville)
When Guns N’ Roses fans think of The Jungle, they think of a place where you “live like an animal,” “it gets worse every day,” and you “taste the bright lights but won’t get there for free.” Sounds intense. The gentler psych and folk stylings of this three-act lineup reveals a softer side of Somerville’s Jungle that is less likely to cause you lasting psychological harm. Gary Air brings a Crosby, Stills & Nash energy that will put you on the path to emotional wellness in the new year. Leave the “serpentine” at home.
Thursday, Jan. 15: “First Round” at the Boston Celtic Music Festival (Club Passim, Cambridge)
The festival kicks off with the Boston Urban Ceilidh at Crystal Ballroom and “First Round” at Club Passim, a three-act bill which includes a trio of Nathan Gourley, Laura Feddersen, and Owen Marshall, the folk quartet Forsyth, and Diarmuid Ó Meachair with Matt Mulqueen. Woof, that’s a mouthful to communicate a three-act bill. Easier to list lineups for post punk bands that name themselves “Worm Gutz” or “Thawng.” But BCMFest, the annual love letter written to traditional Celtic and Scottish music, is worth the extra word count.
Live: Your Friends In Hell
Your Friends In Hell highlighted a bill at The Jungle last Friday. The band performed as a three-piece, consisting of bass, guitar, and alternating contributions on xylophone and accordion. Their performance was sandwiched by opener Mike Messina, See You At Rogers, and Lions & Lavender on a fourstack lineup.
Every day is Halloween when Your Friends In Hell hit the stage, though the birthday of the accordionist, Mia Culpa, comes only once a year. The birthday girl got to pick the set, in recognition of the occasion, and she stocked it with rollicking anti-capitalist anthems that got the Somerville crowd singing.
The room was full of all sorts of friends besides the aforementioned goth folk punkers.
There were “show friends,” the people you’re glad to see, exchange a few warm words with, but otherwise only see in the clubs.
There were “band friends,” the people who play in other bands with the performers, and come out to cheerlead their fellow band member’s other projects.
There were “supporter friends,” the people who might not play music, or even like music, but know the performers from work, school or church, and want to show love.
There were “friends of the club,” the people who have no idea who is performing, merely like the vibe of the establishment, and attend regardless.
And, of course, there were the standard “friend friends,” average, ordinary, yet always appreciated. May we all get to spend more time with them in 2026.
Michael Gutierrez is an author, educator, activist and editor-in-chief at Hump Day News.
A stronger
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