Eric Folino’s Faded Stardust
Eric Folino is a young Canadian musician who came to my attention when one of his fans shared with me his cover of Bowie’s “Quicksand.” Eric is not a cover artist, but he counts Bowie as his greatest artistic influence. I enjoyed Eric’s “Quicksand” but also found myself wondering why, of all songs, would he choose that particular song? So I invited Eric onto my show to discuss that, Bowie, and his future plans. Eric will be my featured guest on the interview tomorrow.
The song I’m posting today is Eric’s Bowie-tribute song, “Faded Stardust.” It contains many obvious Bowie references, and also highlights Eric’s musical style. Eric’s voice shares certain qualities with that of early-70s Bowie. He does not sound like he’s trying to imitate Bowie, but there’s a definite resonance. Eric’s appearance also bears a resemblance to Bowie’s from that period. You can imagine Eric being cast to play Bowie—he’s got the sound and the vision.
One of the things I found interesting about talking with Eric is that his appreciation for Bowie comes without the kind of nostalgia and almost tribal loyalty to the Bowie of our youth that many Bowie fans of my age or older hang on to. The Bowie that Eric most sounds and looks like comes from a time as distant from his personal experience as, say, Rudy Vallée was for me, or maybe Al Jolson was for Bowie himself. On some level, that an emerging artist like Eric Folino can be so directly influenced by Bowie is a kind of validation of Bowie—stripped of warm associations with lost youth, Bowie’s music and style remain timelessly inspiring.
More importantly, though, I just like how Eric sounds, and not just while covering Bowie. Tomorrow’s interview integrates clips of Eric performing and includes, at the end, a complete original song, so be sure to watch the whole thing. And meanwhile, check out Eric’s “Faded Stardust,” which I think would be perfectly enjoyable even without the Bowie references, but if you like songs like Ian Hunter’s “Dandy” or Joe Elliott’s “Goodnight Mr. Jones,” you’ll enjoy “Faded Stardust” (and if you don’t know those songs, search this blog and check them out, too!)