So, my job is to write a concert review. But to be honest with you, I can not do that at the moment. I need to share something personal with you all.
I need to share with you how music is my life; and how one musician changed my life. As well as many other lives around me.
Music- it is something everyone in the universe can relate to. Music is language that everyone can understand.
Music is a moment that turns into a memory. Music in the long way, its creates a journey. Music is what helps you get through that crappy day, or makes that day better. Music can take you back in time, and music can pause a moment.
Music is one thing that will never die. Music is art which comes from deep within the soul.
The world lost a beautiful musician on Friday, July 14th 2017. David Zablidowskybest known as David Z, 38, from Brooklyn, NY was taken away too soon.
David Z was on tour with the band Adrenaline Mob. As the band was pulled over, on the side of the road, their RV was struck by a semi-truck. David lost his life that day.
Life, for so many people, changed that day, myself included. My heart is hurting so much for his family. David had a very close relationship with his parents and two brothers. I can not imagine what they are going through. No parent should ever have to lose their child. There are really no words that can be said to make the pain go away for this family.
Grief is something that has no time-limit. When a loved one dies, there will be good days and bad days. But what you have to do is keep living. Life has no guarantee. So you must live each day for what it is worth. The time we have behind us is all a what we call a memory. Memories are what keep the life of a loved one who passed, spirit alive.
I would like to share with you all my memories of David and how he touched my life.
I met David 12 years ago when he was touring with the rock and roll, Christmas band; Trans-Siberian Orchestra. I saw this young, good looking man, with awesome biceps, playing bass! I thought, who on earth is this man?! I need to meet him.
David had a smile that could light up the whole arena. And energy that was so powerful you could almost feel it.
After the show I was able to meet David! The one special thing about David was that he took the time to meet every single person who wanted to talk to him. It did not matter how many people were around him. He wanted to meet you.
That night I exchanged information with David. I had no idea how much greater my life would be. I was kissed by Rock and Roll. He told me to check out his band ZO2. I immediately went home and searched for his band. I went on (dating myself now) MySpace where I found the ZO2 page.
ZO2 was made up of three guys, two of them brothers: Paulie Z– Vocals/ lead guitar, David Z on Bass, and Joey Cassattaon drums.
The first song I heard was Temptation. A lot of people who I have met over the years told me that this was the first song that got them hooked. I was taken away. Temptation is a song that truly defines rock and roll. It has catchy lyrics, a great riff, and a sexy side to it.
I ran to the store the next day to get this CD. But the CD was nowhere to be found. I did some research where I found out these guys were just up-and-coming. ZO2 had just opened up for Kiss and Poison a few years back.
After begging my Mom, she finally took me to see ZO2. At that moment I met a new group of friends that I would forever have, for the rest of my life. We all teamed up together and helped promote ZO2 in our region.
I went to every place I could think of to hand out post cards. I took my Dad to a festival here in Rochester. It was the Lilac Festival. When I was passing out post cards, I went up to a local radio station tent where I tried to give them information and get them on the air. Well, that was a big fail and I was not permitted to be soliciting. “Flyering” was quickly over, but it was all done in the name of Rock and Roll! I ended up meeting the Promotions Director of Entercom Rochester at the festival. A week later he hired me as a Promotions Representative, which then grew into a Promotions Coordinator. It was all because of David and ZO2.
ZO2 was a band that should have made it. They also had a television show on the IFC Channel called “Z Rock”. “Z Rock” was an unscripted comedy based on the lives of this band. By day, David Z and Paulie Z had a gig called “The Z Brothers”. And at night they played out at the local bars as ZO2. The “Z Brothers” were best known for playing at children’s birthday parties, and Bar Mitzvah’s. They were a kids band. Believe it or not, they actually have a kids CD. Parents, its way better than Kids Bop! And if you really listen to the lyrics, there are some adult twists on there!
If you ever get a chance to watch “Z-Rock” you will see the real David Z personality. Not only David’s but Paulie’s and Joey’s personalities too. You will get to see performances of David’s, jokes, and his love for food. It was a show that will have you hooked. If you knew the guys, you knew this was the real them. No Hollywood Bullshit. Just three guys having a great time.
ZO2 wanted to let their fans be a part the show. They also had many guest appearances from quite a few celebrities: Joan Rivers, Gilbert Gottfried, Dave Navarro, Jay Oakerson, Dee Snider, and John Popper, just to name a few. ZO2 would announce where and when the show was being filmed, and people would go down to be a part of this production. I went down to the first taping of the show. I think we heard the song Temptation one hundred times that day. Oddly, it did not get old. We filmed for a good 8 hours that day. Doing the same thing over and over again. It was pretty exhausting, but so worth it in the end. I made a lot of new friends that day. I still remain in touch with them. Unfortunately, something went wrong, and they could not use the clip from the day we were there. So, they had to re-shoot the whole scene. Even though we did not make it on the show, it was really neat to be apart of such a great moment.
David toured with many different bands through out his life. David was best known for Trans-Siberian Orchestra, ZO2, and Soto. He had recently joined Adrenaline Mob. When he was not working with those bands, he was playing bass with Rubix Kube, a kick ass 80’s cover band based out of NYC.
One thing about David was his passion for playing music. It did not matter what band he was in, what style of music he was playing David always gave his performance his all. He had such an energy that you could connect with. Whether it was a Christmas song or a cover of Rush, you could feel how much love and passion went into David’s performance. When David saw a familiar face in the audience, you were his focus. A lot of people would try to mess with him as he performed. But David never missed a beat.
I had so many good memories with Dave. I went all over the country to see these guys. I even went out to LA at the very last moment. My best moment with David was when we were at the famous Rainbow Room. I was hanging with David, Paulie, and Joey. The wrestler Chris Jericho was at our table. I pretty much insulted Jericho to his face that night. Joey asked me if I made the trip to LA to see Fozzy– the band Chris Jericho is in. I responded why the F would I want to see Fozzy, clearly I am here to support you. As Chris was sitting next to Joey, luckily I do not think he heard me. I felt like an ass so David and I walked away.
David was a fan of food. One night in Erie PA, I was hanging with Dave before the show. Somehow we ended up at McDonald’s. Shocker, David was hungry. We get in line, and Dave didn’t have his wallet. He ordered everything off the menu. He was not a cheap date that night! Paulie had texted Dave asking where he was. My friend Sarah had pulled into Erie while we were a McDonald’s, and told David and I that Paulie was looking for us. Dave said “Oh, he will be here any moment, I just told him we were eating at McDonald’s” Three, two, one, Boom! Paulie walks in and we all ate, and laughed our assess off.
Because of David, I have been in three music videos. Myself, and a few other girls I knew were picked to be in the Painted Lady music video. David told a friend of mine, before the cast was picked, I would be in. I flew down to NYC. I had my mom come with me. I was so excited and so nervous to be apart of this production. We filmed for about 12 hours. We did take an hour break to…. Guess what…. EAT! Everything those boys did, involved food.
ZO2 played an acoustic show at The House of Guitars here in Rochester after playing at The Montage the night before. David wanted to try a Garbage Plate. So, we made it happen. I told him there was no way he could eat this for the first time by himself. I wanted him to share with Paulie. And I told him he has to share or it would ruin his beautiful six pack. Well, they were loading the van up after the show David hid outside by the van, and crushed the whole plate. Paulie got nothing! He was not happy!
Because of ZO2, I made so many friends from all over the states. We would all find ways to meet up even when there was not a ZO2 show. The ZO2 crew quickly became family. I found myself going to different cites just to hang with these people.
Unfortunately some of my ZO2 Family and I saw each other on Sunday July 16th 2017. My heart was shattered. I really felt the need to show my respect. Here it was, a Saturday night, and before I knew it, I was leaving for NYC in a few hours. I told myself there is once place you need to be tomorrow. It is NYC. So, I just booked the flight. I went with the clothes on my back. I always dreamed of just jumping on a plane to go somewhere with nothing but a smile and the clothes on my back. Here I was with a broken heart, flying to NYC, and I just could not understand what I was doing. There was no thrill. No excitement. It was the worst pain I had felt in a long time.
I met up with a dear friend of mine. We walked up to The Cutting Room where the memorial was taking place. There was a line out the door. David’s brother, Paulie, was greeting everyone as they walked in. Paulie was trying so hard to be strong, but I could see the pain in his eyes.
TSO was playing in the background as pictures of David flashed on the screen in the first room. There was a table full of food. Hot dogs and donuts, David’s favorites. At that moment, things got real. There was something about the TSO music that just made me realize “this is it”. We are here to say good-bye to David. I walked in the back room where there is a stage. On the stage there was a beautiful display of David’s bass collection, TSO records, along with a lot of things that he loved. There even was a display with food.
I truly did not have the words. This was the most beautiful thing I have ever witnessed. David was blessed with awesome friends that pulled this off, basically, overnight. I was in complete awe. As I looked up at the screen seeing the pictures of David flash, the smell of the flowers, and the music playing, a strong emotion of sadness stuck. This is it. How did this happen to such a wonderful person? How could this be true? David was such a loving and caring person. He had so much life that needed to still be lived. David was one that truly loved life. Every moment he had, he filmed something. It was either planned out or just home movies. Everyone there was lucky enough to see these videos.
Sunday, there were a lot of tears, hugs, but also laughs. It almost felt like this was a milestone birthday party and Dave was going to walk in, surprised.
Lots of musicians were there to pay their respects. Lots of David’s TSO family was there, along with Jay Oakerson, and Mike Portnoy, the drummer of Dream Theater.
The memorial was from 2p til 6p. A lot of us left around 8. We all were just gathered up watching these videos of David over the years. There were some embarrassing moments of Dave. But I am sure he would have been excited to relive the moments.
As odd as it is to think this way, I know Dave would have been so happy with the turnout for the memorial. I know he would have appreciated every moment and all the effort that went into planning this. This was not just a memorial. It was a true celebration of life. David was someone who was truly loved
To whomever made this memorial happen. I thank you. I thank you for your strength and courage for making this happen for David and his family. Although the energy and vibe in the room was sad, there was also an energy of comfort and love.
My heart is with David’s family. Especially his parents. There is a void that can not be filled. Death can come at any time. We all need to open our eyes and see that every day is a gift. Every second is a blessing. Count your blessings. Appreciate what you have rather than focusing on what you do not have. Treat others with respect. It is really easy. What you put out, will come back to you.
If there is something you want to do, do it. Do not hold back. Fight for what you believe in and chase your dreams. Do not let anyone hold you back. David and I were chatting once and he said something to me I hold close to my heart. “If you don’t do what you want to do now, you may never have the chance to do it again”. And that is why I live my life the way I do!
Hold your loved ones close. Never go to bed mad. If you are in a fight, and you decide to walk out that door, that could be your last moment. Always say “I love you”. Life is hard. No one said it will be easy. Make today count. In the words of ZO2 “Your time’s unknown, I’m living now on my own
Can’t waste the day, I’m living now on my own”.
Rock in Peace David Z. You maybe gone from this Earth, but your music and spirit did not die.
