27 Club show celebrates the lives of musicians gone too soon

Isaac Kane
Fri, 22 Sep 2017 10:20:13 +0000
Arts & Life, Music, News, 27 club, Alexander the great and company, alexander tuma, amy winehouse, brother's drake, brothers drake meadery, Janis Joplin, jimi hendrix, kurt cobain

The “27 Club” commemorates music icons who have died at 27. | Credit: Courtesy of Brother’s Drake Meadery

From Jimi Hendrix to Kurt Cobain, many iconic musicians have died at the young age of 27, but their music lives on.

Members of the “27 Club” –– a phrase used to describe famous musicians who have died at 27 years old –– ?will be celebrated Saturday with a tribute concert at Brothers Drake Meadery in the Short North.

By the time the show ends, the audience will be taken through time as Alexander Tuma and his band Alexander the Great and Company play covers of of more than 30 songs from Janis Joplin all the way up to Amy Winehouse –– in chronological order.

Oron Benary, the owner of Brothers Drake Meadery, said he was immediately interested when Tuma brought up the idea. ?

“He brought up the idea of the 27 Club and it immediately resonated with me,” Benary said. “Celebrate life itself. Twenty-seven is a very young age given that life expectancy is in the mid-70s these days. However, that’s how life is. Some live for a long time and some live for a short time. One thing is for sure, no matter how long we live, we never know when the last day and living a full life is what matters most. The 27 Club in my opinion is a celebration of life, actual life.”

Tuma, the band’s lead singer, has a long history of performing in Columbus with other bands. After moving to Florida in 2015, he has moved back to Columbus and has returned to performing the music he loves.

This will be Alexander the Great and Company’s first live show together, and Tuma said he believes it will be a great success.

“Honestly, I think it will be the best show in Columbus,” he said. “It is well-planned and iconic. Anyone from 21- to 70-years-old should be into it. People who have a bedtime and want to leave after hearing music from their time can leave when they’ve heard it.”

Though the setlist will also include songs from hit bands like Nirvana, The Rolling Stones and Badfinger, the band will end the night with a set exclusively devoted to Amy Winehouse. For Tuma, the deceased soul artist’s music holds a “soul-and-funk” vibe that he and his band enjoy playing the most.

The show will take place at Brothers Drake, 26 E. 5th Ave., Saturday at 9 p.m. Tickets are $10 at the door. Local food truck Alphabetical will be also be serving food during the show.