Life On Mars? - Femmes of Rock ft. Bella Electric Strings and Brody Dolyniuk (David Bowie Cover)

“Of all the covers that I have ever arranged, this is the one that I am most emotionally attached to. The night I found out David Bowie had passed away, I remember staring at the television in disbelief of what I had just heard. I, (and most people) did not even know he was sick. He knew though, just as Mozart did in his time, and he left us with his own requiem in “Blackstar.”
I’ve been lucky in my career to perform with some of my favorite musicians such as Deep Purple, Cheap Trick, and even Stevie Wonder. I’ve met Brian Wilson, and stood onstage with The Beach Boys. Other than the obvious (any Beatles), David Bowie was my #1 that some day before I retired, I had to work with. His live performances were so inspired and so good. It is very rare for someone to be able to take their songs, perform them differently live, and still somehow-magically--not lose the song in the new arrangement. David Bowie was THE best at this. I had always envisioned and dreamed we would cross musical paths some day.
In the days following his death, I began thinking about what I would have wanted to do if I had gotten the chance to work with him. Life On Mars is one of my favorite Bowie songs. The lyrics are very post-Beat Generation and the chord progressions are, well-- check the backstory on "My Way" and "Comme d’habitude." I kept coming back to this live performance of Life On Mars, where it is just David singing and Mike Garson (who is absolutely brilliant) on piano. This version pierces my heart every time I hear it. I decided that what I would have liked to have done, is to write and perform a string arrangement for this specific version of the song with David Bowie and Mike Garson. So, I found a prodigious pianist, wrote a string arrangement which encompassed some elements of Mick Ronson’s striking original but tailored it to a stripped- down performance, put my heart into it, and asked the best vocalist I know to be a part of it.
This is the result, a labor of love. Thank you, David Bowie."
--Nina D.
Credits:
Femmes of Rock ft. Bella Strings:
Nina DiGregorio
Christina Riegert
Carissa Werner
Chandra Meibalane
Zuzana Engererova
Krista Solars
Ellie Krasner
Liz Bedrosian
Marlo Zemartis
Rachael Brown
Lead Vocal:
Brody Dolyniuk
Piano:
Otto Ehling
Conductor:
David Perrico
Cameramen:
Adan Van Dam
Dru Dinero
Editor:
Lilly Posner
Hair and Makeup:
Makeovers By Brandy
Producers:
Nina DiGregorio and Michael Licata (Bella Entertainment Group)
Filmed at: Doc Rando Recital Hall, UNLV