The outpouring of grief and fond memories from New Orleans area musicians swept through social media like a tidal wave as news of guitarist David Philastre’s death began to circulate last week.
The 43 year old member of local rock band The Morning Life, who passed away on Friday, March 13, 2015, had spent the past two decades developing lasting friendships and strong musical bonds.
Photo by Kurt Coste
Dash Rip Rock and Imagination Movers drummer Kyle Melancon posted grainy pictures on Facebook of he and Philastre as teenagers just learning their respective instruments along with a moving tribute to his longtime friend.
Topcats drummer Rob Schulte expressed his shock and grief in multiple posts detailing the fun he had with Philastre over the years and how they had planned to continue the revelry at the Irish Italian Parade in Metairie the weekend after Philastre’s death.
For fellow Morning Life band members Jack Miele, Bobby Hoerner, Woody Dantagnan, and Graham Robinson, the news hit especially hard since they are in the process of recording music for the band’s third album.
The fact that Philastre had taken his own life only added to the shock and disbelief.
The social media grief pales in comparison to the real world grief evident at Philastre’s memorial service.
“At the funeral home, every single parlor was occupied for David’s service,” Miele said. “They couldn’t have another service that day. They had to use every parlor to accommodate all the people.”
The ability to draw a crowd, while coveted by any musician in life, turns bittersweet in death.
“Somebody came up to me and said, kind of joking, ‘David’s final gig was a total sell out,’” Hoerner said. “There were some people who were there because of David’s music, but more people were there because their hearts were broken because they loved him so much.”
Out of the crowd of people, one mourner took Miele and Hoerner by surprise.
“We were standing next to David’s casket, and this woman came up to us and told us how much of a great admirer she was of David and The Morning Life,” Miele said. “We didn’t know who she was! A total stranger showed up to pay her respects to David, and I truly don’t think she knew him personally.”
That type of personal connection with fans is something any musician strives for, and not all achieve.
“It was such a nice moment,” Miele said. “We transcended something and we touched somebody.”
“It validates David’s life, as a person,” Hoerner said.
The third Morning Life album will be dedicated to Philastre’s memory, and will contain songs he wrote before he passed away, Miele said.
More importantly than the music he left behind, though, is the message Philsatre’s untimely death can send to anyone else dealing with depression and suicidal thoughts.
New Orleans Musicians’ Clinic and Assistance Foundation president Bethany Bultman said the NOMC works closely with the National Alliance on Mental Illness in the prevention of suicide and coping with its aftermath.
The Brett Thomas Doussan Foundation also works closely with NOMC to provide funding for suicide prevention services.
The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is 1 (800) 273-8255.
More than anything else, friends of David Philastre want to let anyone who may feel suicidal to reach out for help immediately.
“If somebody may have been a fan of David’s, or just liked one song of his that he wrote, if they can just identify with him and just pick up the phone in case they feel like they are at their wit’s end, that would mean everything to us,” Hoerner said.
“If David was able to save one person with a cautionary tale of his life, then his legacy would truly be fulfilled at that point,” Miele said.
