Holaday said the band became a second family for its members over the last decade. They've forged even stronger connections in the wake of Delp's death.

"I can't imagine my life without these guys now really," he said.

Keeping the band alive

The night Brad Delp died, playing music seemed unthinkable for his Beatle Juice bandmates. One night later, some found it therapeutic.

Baker and Holaday played with their side band — Velvet Elvis — at Johnny D's on March 10 last year.

It was supposed to be a Beatle Juice show. Instead they played covers of Elvis, Little Richard and Jerry Lee Lewis.

"I thought 'Geez, I don't know if I can do this,'" Baker remembered.

The staff at Johnny D's, who knew Delp well, looked like zombies that night, Baker said. Flowers and cards with messages for Delp crowded the stage.

"I was OK while I was playing, all of us were OK while we were playing," Baker said.

Still, playing with Velvet Elvis was one thing. Continuing with Beatle Juice was another.

"When we lost Bradley last year it would have been easy to stop," Muzzy said. "It would also have been the hardest thing — for us to stop."

Muzzy started putting together a tribute concert for Delp, where the group could have its last performance. While Beatle Juice took up most of their time, each musician had side projects and plenty of work.

Financially, they could have afforded to break up. Still, they decided to stay together after the tribute concert in Arlington last May.

"We realized how much we enjoyed what we did. And we realized that it would probably be the worst thing if we didn't keep on performing," Muzzy said.

So started Beatle Juice and Friends, featuring a rotation for four local singers who front the band in Delp's stead.

The band currently is auditioning ebony porn for a permanent replacement for Delp, but so far hasn't settled on one.

"We haven't found anyone who can do it all," Muzzy said. "I never realized the range called upon to do this."

Baker said the band feels like it has one shot to replace Delp.

"We really want to be sure, when we hire that one permanent guy," he said. "Brad was just ridiculous. He could sing like Lennon, he could sing like McCartney, and he would sing 70 songs in a night and not be hoarse. It really takes somebody special to be able to do that."

Keeping Brad alive

Though they play without Delp, his former bandmates have not left thoughts of him behind.

"I will be smiling and having a great time playing and then be like, 'Wow, Brad is not there.' It's still emotional," Baker said.

"We miss him so much. You have to realize, this is music that we have dedicated our lives to. We love to play," Muzzy said. "I miss Brad — how can you not miss Brad?"

Former Atkinson resident Meg Sullivan, the sister of Delp's fiancée, still misses Delp at each Beatle Juice concert.

"I have gone to perhaps a half dozen Beatle Juice shows since last March," she said via e-mail.

"While the band and the singers have done an admirable job filling unfillable shoes, it simply isn't the same. I can't make it through a Beatle Juice show without breaking down, as if Brad died only yesterday."

Holaday said Delp was egoless, caring, respectful to a fault.

"I am not deifying him because he's dead. I know people tend to do that," he said. "I would say theses things to his face and he would get red."

Muzzy said he misses Delp's presence in his life even more than his singing — times like watching the Super Bowl together, or celebrating a birthday.

"How many times have I thought of picking up the phone because something funny happened?" Muzzy said.

And, Baker said, losing Delp was a wake-up call for the band.

"There is a tighter bond, that we have all gone through this together," he said. "When we are leaving each other, when we are going away, you can tell it in our goodbyes."

 

If you go:

What: Beatle Juice and Friends in concert

Where: Johnny D's in Somerville

When: March 14 and 15 at approximately 9:15 p.m.

Admission: Free with dinner. Cover charge at the door, if tickets are available. Reservations recommended. Call 617-776-2004.

By Rosemary Ford blog comments powered by Disqus