“Adam Schlesinger: A Music Celebration” will stream on May 5.
What do Courtney Love, The Monkees’ Micky Dolenz and Drew Carey have in common? Probably lots of things, but one thing we can say with certainty: They will all participate in a virtual tribute to the late Adam Schlesinger, May 5 at 8 p.m.
Schlesinger, who grew up in Montclair and was best known as a member of Fountains of Wayne, died in April 2020 of complications from COVID.
The show was organized by Schlesinger’s Fountains of Wayne bandmate, Jody Porter, and is billed as “a mix of performances, stories and videos.” It is being recorded at The Bowery Electric in New York and will benefit that venue, as well as MusicCares. To order the stream, visit theboweryelectric.com.
Porter will perform with his band, The Berlin Waltz, and James Iha of Smashing Pumpkins and Taylor Hanson — who both performed with Schlesinger in the group Tinted Windows — will appear as well. So will actress Rachel Bloom, whose television series “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend” Schlesinger wrote music for.
In addition to everyone mentioned above, participants will include Peter Buck (of R.E.M.) and Scott McCaughey (of The Minus Five); Glenn Tilbrook of Squeeze; Chris Carrabba of Dashboard Confessional; Sean Ono Lennon; Jesse Malin; Nicole Atkins; Patrick Carney (of The Black Keys) and Michelle Branch; Ben Lee; Ben Kweller; Matthew Caws of Nada Surf; Mike Viola; Justin Courtney Pierre of Motion City Soundtrack; Eli Janney of Girls Against Boys; Eszter Balint; Britta Phillips; Peter Himmelman; Butch Walker; Eddie Baranek of The Sights; Kelly Buchanan; Bambi Kino; Joe McGinty; John Gallagher Jr.; Robert Schwartzman of Rooney; John Brodeur; and Diane Gentile.
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