David Hemingway Memorial Concert Happens At The Columbus Theatre on October 1

On September 13, 2015, the Providence music scene was shaken by the loss of one of their own. David Hemingway, who was a local fixture as a drummer who played in a bunch of bands in the city, passed away after a bout with testicular cancer that took his life at the young age of 33. He was respected by many for his rhythmic style of drumming and he was loved by his friends for his kindness and his particular charm. Around a year ago a bunch of Hemingway’s closest friends played a memorial show in his honor at the Columbus Theatre in Providence and they’ll be doing it again at the same place on Saturday, October 1. Like last year, all the proceeds will go to the Dana Farber Cancer Institute for Cancer Research in Boston.

“He was never my drummer, I was his bass player. He was also one of my best friends,” says Adam Bourget, who served as the other half of the rhythm section with Hemingway for the rockabilly act Sasquatch & The Sick-A-Billys along with performing with him as part of the sludge rock band Woozy.

Damian Puerini had the pleasure of being on stage with Hemingway as the lead guitarist in the rock ‘n’ roll band Joe Fletcher & The Wrong Reasons and he adds, “Besides being a nice guy, great musician and educated fan, Dave was thoughtful, sensitive, wildly funny and very principled. Never mincing his words, Dave never stayed silent when something didn’t seem right. He always spoke his mind and respectfully objected when things were off. I can’t think of a more admirable quality. I miss him a lot; there’s so much music we never talked about and so much music he never got to make.”

Joining Puerini, Hemingway and Fletcher in The Wrong Reasons was Joe Principe on bass and he remembers Hemingway by saying, “Dave was a truly unique individual. One of the finest I’ve ever had the opportunity to spend so much time and make music with.”

At the Columbus Theatre on Saturday Bourget, Puerini, Principe and many of Providence’s finest and most talented musicians will be taking the stage. Woozy, David Tessier’s All Star Band, Tall Teenagers, The Above, Eric & The Nothing, Viking Jesus, Heather Rose and Dan White will be performing for what will be an emotional and joyful evening. Even if you never knew Hemingway, but you’ve been affected by either losing someone to cancer or you’re dealing with it yourself, you should absolutely go. David Hemingway was a great guy and a hell of a talented individual who was taken way too soon. Join in remembering his life through the sounds of his closest friends at the Columbus Theatre this Saturday.

Buy tickets to the David Hemingway Memorial Concert @ The Columbus Theatre on October 1  here: www.ticketfly.com/purchase/event/1312041; David Hemingway: A Remembrance