By SHANNON HAUGLAND
Sentinel Staff Writer
From Pink Floyd to Queen to Van Halen, the Sitka Fine Arts Camp has presented live tribute shows of rock and roll bands to hundreds of enthusiastic Sitkans.
And organizers hope to take it up a notch this weekend with a David Bowie tribute concert that captures the full six-decade span of the rock star’s music.
From left, Drew Sherman, Samuel Faustine and Joe Montagna rehearse in 2019 at the Performing Arts Center for their Queen tribute concert. The three musicians will join forces once again this weekend for Tribute to David Bowie. The concerts Friday and Saturday start at 7 p.m. (Sentinel Photo by James Poulson)
“He’s a really, really special and important figure in the history of rock and roll, and music,” said Sam Faustine, a bay-area professional vocalist who will perform as David Bowie. “Remembering the success from Queen, we decided to pivot over to kind of a parallel glam rock icon, and David Bowie is the guy for that. He was an innovator.”
“Modern Love; a Tribute to David Bowie” will be presented at 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday at the Performing Arts Center. The show will feature vocal and instrumental talent from Sitka, Seattle, Minnesota and California.
The nine-member band features Faustine, Jess Coker, Abby Saiz and Virginia Pearson on vocals; Joe Montagna, guitar; Zachary Scanlan, synth; Drew Sherman, bass; Ed Littlefield, drums; Mike Jones, saxophone.
David Bowie died in 2016 of liver cancer, two days after the release of his 26th and final studio album on his 69th birthday. In his lifetime he sold more than 100 million records worldwide, and is the best selling vinyl artist of the 21st century.
Faustine said it was not just the longevity of Bowie’s career that was noteworthy but the diversity of material, and the fact that “he wasn’t afraid to be different.”
“And I think that’s a powerful message,” Faustine said. “He suffered most likely from schizophrenia and developed different personalities; you can hear that in different albums and songs, and it became this kind of larger than life, supernatural musical entity and that’s what makes him sparkle. He almost transcends the confines of the genre. He’s just himself.”
Sherman, the bass player, said it was the release of Blackstar, the final album, that woke him up.
“From then on I’ve been a fan of the music, aesthetic, performance – and Ziggy,” Sherman said, referring to Bowie’s alter ego Ziggy Stardust. “So much so when (Rhiannon Guevin) suggested I name my new puppy Bowie, I was sold instantly.”
Sherman is looking forward to getting on stage with former touring bandmate Scanlan for the first time in years, as well as with the others.
“Very excited to see everyone in their makeup and fancy dancing clothes,” he added.
Montagna’s tribute band playing career precedes the SFAC shows. He was in a Kiss tribute band starting as a teen, and has played all the SFAC rock tribute shows.
“It’s a formula that works, and it’s fun,” he said. “People really enjoy them.” Since it’s been two years since the last tribute show, Montagna said he is excited to get back on stage - “100 percent.”
“The PAC is always fun to play – state of the art sound system and a beautiful stage,” he said.
Commenting on Bowie’s cultural significance, Faustine said Bowie as a young musician spoke up for others who were different or felt marginalized, including those of other races. In the 1960s, he started The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Long-haired Men, a little tongue in cheek and mostly related to rock musicians who wore their hair long.
“I think of him more than just a musician,” SFAC director Roger Schmidt said. “I think of him as an artist with a capital A – and that he’s constantly transforming who he is.”
He noted that during his entire career Bowie played with edgy social issues, created iconic characters he portrayed on the concert stage, such as Ziggy Stardust, and showed his versatility as an actor in movies like “Labyrinth,” and “The Man who Fell to Earth.”
“He has been a powerful role model and hero for the LGBTQ-plus communities,” Schmidt said. “He’s played with and challenged people on cross dressing, on sexuality, on gender. He’s been a trailblazer, and refuses to be defined in any way. ... As an artist he’s saying ‘I define who I am and how I represent myself and the kind of music that I choose to do at any given time.’”
Tickets are $20 and available at fineartscamp.org, and the door.
