NewburyportNews.com, Newburyport, MA

Breaking News

Local News

Discussion

comments powered by Disqus
June 30, 2006

Musicians keep friend's memory alive with concert

NEWBURYPORT - They called themselves the "Fab Five," with their very own female sidekick.

Friends since they were teens in Newburyport and even before, they formed a bond over their shared love for music, the outdoors and good times.

Even as the six followed their separate dreams - one moving to Colorado, another to California and yet another serving his country overseas in Iraq - the fellow 1993 graduates of Newburyport High School managed to remain intact.

Until last November, when the Fab Five lost one of their heroes.

To most, James Esoldo seemed like he had everything. He was the life of the party, a biochemist, talented chef at local restaurants, versatile musician, Sunday churchgoer and a man who could be loving, sensitive, witty and wacky all in one.

"He just made everything better," said Whitney (Volz) Bourgeois, the Fab Five's female denominator. "It was guaranteed to be a good time when he was there.

" ... People were attracted to him. He just had a contagious personality."

But beneath the fun-loving exterior, Esoldo also battled demons, including depression and alcoholism. He died last November in Newbury, after a 100-day streak of being sober, at the age of 30.

"We all knew he battled these things, but you almost didn't believe it," Bourgeois said. "We all tried to help him over the years. But it was a disease out of his control."

Six months after his death, Esoldo's friends - still struggling to come to terms with the void in their gang - are looking to music to help them heal. And in doing so, they're hoping to see that their buddy won't be forgotten.

The five friends - Mike Crounse, Ryan King, Adam Ledwell, Erik Vose and Bourgeois - together with Esoldo's family, have formed the Recurring Dream Foundation in Esoldo's memory.

They officially launch the foundation tomorrow with their inaugural Waterfront Dream Festival, a daylong, all-ages concert in Newburyport showcasing two of the bands Esoldo played with as well as three other New England bands.

The lineup boasts The Leon Rich Band, Proud Baby Mudfoot and Primary Others, with Esoldo's bandmates in The Flapjack Vikings and Slow Match as special guests. A $15 donation is requested, but people are welcome to donate what they can.

The festival aims to carry on the musical conviction that was Esoldo's life - with all the money raised supporting the Newburyport High School band and its purchase of a new drum set and other equipment.

"I think of all the things he did, his real love was music," said King, who used to play in The Flapjack Vikings with Esoldo before moving to Colorado. "The whole idea around the foundation is to provide opportunities for kids. Hopefully one day we might be able to have an annual scholarship for kids who want to go forward with music as part of their career."

King's first introduction to Esoldo came not long after he moved from Michigan to Newburyport for his senior year in high school. Esoldo issued King a formal invitation to be a guest on a mock talk show he and Ledwell ran from Ledwell's living room.

"I had no idea what to think of it," King said.

It didn't take long for King to discover Esoldo's "crazy and wacky sense of humor."

"He had a lot of passions and layers and multifaceted talents," King said.

Crounse credits Esoldo with teaching him how not to take himself too seriously and have fun.

"People in your life can have an effect on it in a positive or a negative way," Crounse said. "Having Jim in my life has made me a better person."

Crounse said Esoldo pursued everything that interested him with devotion. And music was foremost. A drummer and guitarist, Esoldo was an expert on the Beatles, loved to dissect songs and lyrics by everyone from Steely Dan and The Police to Phish and Smashing Pumpkins and was always writing his own music.

In addition to music, Crounse had a flair for cooking, working at David's, Glenn's and other restaurants in Newburyport during semester breaks and summer vacations from Binghamton College in New York.

But professionally, his forte was science. He went on to work in pharmaceuticals at Wyeth in Andover and later I.D. Biomedical in Northborough.

"He was just very creative," Bourgeois said. "He was very book smart, but he thought outside the box."

Bourgeois' last communication with Esoldo was Nov. 15, the day before he died. Then-pregnant Bourgeois had just learned she was having a boy and was excited to e-mail Esoldo the news. When Bourgeois and her husband, Mat, welcomed their son eight weeks ago, they named him James in Esoldo's memory.

"You always knew he loved you," she said of Esoldo. "He wasn't afraid to tell you how he felt."

Tomorrow's concert will feature bands with a mix of styles - from hip hop to acid lounge to jazz - in tribute to Esoldo's broad taste in music.

"The fact that we're putting together a show raising money in his name for the purpose of musical education," King said, "he would be really proud of it."

If You Go

What: The Waterfront Dream Festival, a benefit concert for the Newburyport High School band in memory of James W. Esoldo. Featuring The Leon Rich Band, Proud Baby Mudfoot and Primary Others, with special guests The Flapjack Vikings and Slow Match.

When: Tomorrow, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Where: Market Landing Park, Newburyport waterfront.

How: Suggested donation $15. Raffles also planned. Visit www.recurringdreamfoundation.org.

Text Only | Photo Reprints
Musicians keep friend's memory alive with concert
by Anonymous , , Fri Jun 30, 2006, 11:59 AM EDT

Port Pics
AP Video
Special Features