Home » BowieVision Elevates Nectar Audiences, Focused On The Music

BowieVision Elevates Nectar Audiences, Focused On The Music

by Kirby Lindsay Laney, posted 28 March 2016

 

BowieVision brings the music to the Nectar stage with Katrina Kope and Stefan Mitchell singing the lyrics.  Photo by Catch The Groove Photography
BowieVision brings the music to the Nectar stage with Katrina Kope and Stefan Mitchell singing the lyrics. Photo by Catch The Groove Photography

On April 2nd, fans of David Bowie – and his interactive musical style – have an performance to attend at Nectar Lounge.  BowieVision is coming to Fremont, to share their incredible stage show, bringing to life the musicianship and brilliance of Bowie, to fans – or not.

“Certainly if they like David Bowie, I don’t think they’ll be disappointed,” acknowledged Jeff Mosier, founding member and drummer for BowieVision, “even if you don’t think you like David Bowie, I think you’ll be surprised.  It’s a great show, in a unique venue…”

Imagery Married With Music

Mosier avoids calling BowieVision a tribute band.  They are not a bunch of wanna-be Bowie fans.  “We are not trying to be Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars,” he explained, “for me, it’s not that rewarding for the audience or the band.”  Besides, as Mosier observed, “it seems silly, to have someone dressed as Ziggy doing 40 years of musical history.”

To the credit of BowieVision, locking into one ‘look’ could be the downfall of trying to capture this unpredictable artist.  As Mosier acknowledged, Bowie didn’t lock himself into one image.  “It kept him from getting stereotyped,” he said, “look at David Cassidy.  He spent his entire career locked into one era.  What makes him [David Bowie] so amazing is how he created these iconic images, then ditched them.”

12647231_1075678435815874_4612958906965014764_nBowieVision instead shows the bravery of what Bowie did, including his signature theatricality.  “Musically, we try to hit a bunch of the different eras,” Mosier observed.  BowieVision uses ‘A Reality Tour’, the musicians last tour from 2003/04, and what Mosier described as ‘the least affected’ of Bowie’s performances, “it was just him – almost the Greatest Hits.”

In addition to the extraordinary music, BowieVision, with Marcell Marias providing video art design and engineering, combines images with the music.  “It was part of the concept from the beginning,” Mosier explained, “to marry the imagery with the music.”  They avoid showing flat videos of Bowie performing, or creating a stalker clipping wall of Bowie photos.  “We didn’t want to be a soundtrack while the audience watches the videos,” Mosier said.

“It’s a big mélange of stuff,” Mosier said of the ‘weird old films’ footage Marias has collected, including London in the 1960s, animation, footage of a Japanese girl putting on makeup to transform herself into a boy, and other samples.  They sought images that are, “more illustrative of the songs,” Mosier explained.  For Life On Mars?, they’ve used pieces from The Umbrellas of Cherbourg and Jason & The Argonauts.  “I didn’t want it to be too literal,” Mosier said, although for Ashes To Ashes, they have used some of Bowie’s video.

On the BowieVision Facebook page, and the BowieVision YouTube Channel, they have promotional videos that show some of what they do.  For the whole package, it is necessary to experience the show, where video, music and audience come together.

‘Suggestive, Not Imitative’

“There is a great satisfaction as a performer,” Mosier observed, in presenting great, quality music, as it was created and meant to be performed.  “I would consider us a David Bowie cover band, more than a tribute band,” Mosier explained.  He used Harry Connick Jr. as a parallel.  “He made a career of doing Frank Sinatra songs, but he doesn’t try to pretend he is Sinatra.”

Jeff Mosier, drummer and founder of BowieVision, playing the music he enjoys.  Photo provided by BowieVision
Jeff Mosier, drummer and founder of BowieVision, playing the music he enjoys. Photo provided by BowieVision

As it says on the BowieVision website, “While others imitate, BowieVision elevates.”  They forego wigs and costumes, “and we try to dress like we belong on stage,” Mosier observed.  Lead singer, Stefan Michell, doesn’t try to sing like Bowie, but he brings his absolute love of Bowie’s music, and talent, to each show.  “We’re kind of suggestive, but not imitative,” Mosier explained.

“Musically, we’re much more verisimilitude,” Mosier explained, “We’re much more faithful to the music than to the look.”  Yet, “we don’t slave over every note,” in trying to play the song exactly as Bowie did in a particular recording, or “just for the sake of change, trying to change the arrangements.  That said, we have found some cool ways to transition from one song to the next.”

Mosier, who also helped start the Dudley Manlove Quartet, knows about performing the music of others.  “Everything we played,” he said about spending 20 years with the popular lounge-pop band, “we gave what the song needed.”  Yet, after all that time, “we went a lot farther than we thought we would, but I was ready to do something else.”  While he knew he wanted to move on, at his age he knew he couldn’t place an ad on CraigsList to get work as a drummer.

Instead, BowieVision developed out of his playing music he loved, with friends who shared his appreciation for Bowie.  “We had so much fun doing Bowie songs,” Mosier recalled, “we very quickly found an audience.  People are very invested in David Bowie, and people appreciate our approach.”

BowieVision lead singer Stefan Mitchell and bassist Steve Okimoto performing the poetic music of David Bowie.  Photo by Catch The Groove Photography
BowieVision lead singer Stefan Mitchell and bassist Steve Okimoto performing the poetic music of David Bowie. Photo by Catch The Groove Photography

Focused On The Music

Bowie’s passing, in January, suddenly forced BowieVision to make decisions.  “It put us in a weird ethical position,” Mosier admitted.  The band members are musicians who want to play great music – not ride celebrity coattails.  They already had scheduled a show at the Tractor Tavern, that sold out.  When asked to add a show, the band considered it, not wishing to profit from this tremendous loss, but choosing to do the show – on Super Bowl Sunday.  It also sold out, but more importantly, “the atmosphere was exactly the way we thought it would go, exactly what we wanted it to be,” with fans coming together to acknowledge the performer’s memory and gifts.

Bowie’s unexpectedly early passing could change BowieVision – which only began about three years ago – but Mosier doesn’t know how.  “I don’t know that we’ll change a whole lot,” he mused, “I don’t want to become maudlin.  It’s not what we’re interested in doing.  We focus on the music,” he stated again, “the music is the most important thing.”

Hear the music, see BowieVision and celebrate the art of David Bowie on April 2nd at Nectar Lounge in Fremont.  Purchase advance tickets, now, through NectarLounge.com – and experience this ‘great show, in a unique venue!’

 

 


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©2016 Kirby Laney.  This column is protected by intellectual property laws, including U.S. copyright laws.  Reproduction, adaptation or distribution without permission is prohibited.

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