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As the rock world mourns the unexpected loss of the iconic David Bowie, the power trio the Winery Dogs have dished out their cover of Bowie’s “Moonage Daydream” earlier than expected. The cut comes off the classic Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars and couldn’t have been executed better.
The Winery Dogs released a stream of the song on their Facebook page and indicated, “We were saving this for bonus content down the line but decided to share this now with our fans in honor of our hero David Bowie.” The cover version is brilliant as Richie Kotzen’s soulful voice portrays a perfect picture of mourning, though the group recorded the cover during the sessions for their debut album. Sticking close to the original, especially in terms of the rustic guitar tone, the band put their signature Winery Dogs stamp on this version with an impassioned, bluesy feel. Mike Portnoy, a lifelong Bowie fan, had more to say beyond the cover song.
The drummer had collected his thoughts on the legend’s passing earlier in the week, reflecting on how the late musician shaped his musical life from an early age. He said, “Just thinking of all the ways David Bowie’s music affected my life for the past 45 years when I began listening to him. I loved the song “Memory of a Free Festival” when my dad introduced me to it when it was released. I was about three years old.”
Speaking affectionately about Bowie’s work, he added, “The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars to this day is still in my top five albums of all time. An absolute masterpiece from the opening of ‘Five Years’ to the closing of ‘Rock ‘N’ Roll Suicide.’” He continued, “I don’t think many people ever caught this, but look at the shirt I am wearing on the cover of The Winery Dogs’ first album. Yep, Ziggy Stardust is right there with me, Billy Sheehan and Richie Kotzen. And one of the unreleased covers we recorded during that first session was ‘Moonage Daydream.’”
In closing, the drummer stated, “Thank you, David Bowie, for being a part of my entire life. Your music and memory will live with me and millions of your fans forever.”
David Bowie passed away on Jan. 10 after battling liver cancer for the last 18 months. He released his 25th and final studio album, Blackstar, on his 69th birthday just two days before his death.
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Source: Loudwire.com
