David Z
"All of us get lost in
the darkness, dreamers learn to steer by the stars"
​
-RUSH
David Z was an incredible musician with an accomplished and celebrated career. He performed on stages all over the world, gaining recognition for his extraordinary ability on the bass guitar. He was best known for the bands ZO2, The Trans-Siberian Orchestra (TSO), and Adrenaline Mob.
EARLY LIFE
David Z (Zablidowsky) was born in Brooklyn, New York, and was the middle child of three brothers - Paulie the oldest and Brian the youngest. He was half Polish-Jewish on his father’s side and half Colombian on his mother’s. His father was a bass player, and his side of the family is where David and his brother Paulie got their musical influence. Together the brothers would make fake guitars out of cardboard and perform regular concerts for the family. David got his first bass when he was 11 years old, and it was clear from day one that he was very gifted. When he was 16, David discovered that he had juvenile diabetes, but it did not stop him from pursuing his passion for music.
MUSIC CAREER
David formed Legend, his first band in high school, which his brother Paulie later joined. While playing packed clubs all over the city David was getting noticed for his virtuoso bass playing and being presented with bigger opportunities. He was recruited to play bass for a project focused on Christmas rock music. That project eventually became the extremely successful group Trans-Siberian Orchestra (TSO). From their first tour in 2000 onwards, David remained their bass player, playing sold-out venues around the country, including every New Yorker’s dream: Madison Square Garden.
While David continued to get more recognition within the industry while also playing bass for Joan Jett & The Blackhearts, he and his brother Paulie decided to form a new band called ZO2. In 2004, the guys scraped together enough money to release their first professional album and soon were on a 40 date national tour opening for KISS and Poison.
In 2010, David joined Rubix Kube - a high-energy ‘80s tribute band and the metal group SOTO.
KIDS MUSIC
While David was building his impressive rock star status, he and his brother Paulie were also working with children as music teachers. Together they would perform concerts as The Z Brothers and teach music classes. They released a kids CD in 2007 called the ABZ’s. The brothers loved working with kids and became very successful at it. They were soon approached about doing a TV series based on their dual life as rock stars at night and kids stars by day. The show, Z Rock, made its debut in 2008 on the IFC channel and ran for two seasons.
David and his brother also formed the Rock Asylum Foundation, an organization that provides free rock concerts to New York public schools in an effort to inspire children to succeed in their education.
DAVID WILL ALWAYS STAY IN OUR HEARTS
In 2011, David was asked to join Adrenaline Mob - a new metal supergroup. The band was getting a lot of major press as they toured the country to support their new CD.
On Friday, July 14th 2017, while en route from a gig in Biloxi, Mississippi to St. Petersburg, Florida, a tractor-trailer veered off Interstate 75 into two vehicles carrying members of Adrenaline Mob as they stopped to fix a flat tire. David died on impact. He was 38.
