BRIDGEPORT, PA — Renowned Philly artist Dorian Maki (a.k.a. Bill DeSpirito, who also performs and writes with Civil Discord and Somewhat Civil) has revealed details for his homage to his late friend and Tri-State music icon Tom “Naj” Najarian. Maki will unveil “Member Of The Band” as both a dual version, collector’s edition CD, and digital download on Tuesday, April 18.
The song, which was inspired by the outpouring of love from Najarian’s friends and family following his unexpected passing in November 2022, chronologically follows a short history of Najarian’s life and music, layered with the emotional sentiment of his heart broken friends. As the lyrics state, “We all just called him Tommy, and a member of the band.”
According to Maki, the track was initially written as a simple tribute to be performed at Najarian’s life celebration. However, upon hearing it, Joe Staiber, CEO and founder of Rotation Records, envisioned something more for the song. He insisted Maki record it at his Norristown recording studio and the result was not one, but two moving testaments to Najarian’s love-filled life.
“One version of ‘Member Of The Band’ is an upbeat tribute performed and sung by myself and some of Tom’s friends,” said Maki. “The other is an acoustic, heartfelt song with a very special guest intro and featuring some of the best artists in the area. I think they both reflect who Tom was as a man and a musician.”
The acoustic version features such notable Philly artists as Jay McKelvey, Larry Hoy, Dave Dubroff, and Joey Ditullio. Both songs were produced and engineered at Rotation Records and engineered by Ditullio.
To celebrate the release, a party will be held Tuesday, April 18 at the Bridgeport Ribhouse (1049 Ford Street, Bridgeport, PA) from 7 PM to 9 PM, featuring Maki’s new musical project Krimson Cirkus. The collector’s CD will also be available for purchase.
Both versions of the song will be available on the collector’s CD as well as download from Rotation Records’ website at https://www.rotationrecords.com/download. The songs will also be available on all DSPs including iTunes, Spotify and other media outlets. Proceeds from the CD and downloads will be donated to select music charities through Rotation Gives.
For more information about Dorian Maki, visit http://reverbnation.com/DorianMaki.
Follow Dorian Maki @Dorianmaki
For more information about Rotation Records, visit https://www.rotationrecords.com.
Follow Rotation Records @RotationRecords
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