VIA PRESS RELEASE | Adam Schlesinger was a prodigious and prolific songwriter, producer, and multi-instrumentalist. He died on April 1 at the age of 52 as the result of complications from COVID-19. Not only was Schlesinger in multiple beloved bands—including the power-pop-leaning Fountains of Wayne and sophisticated electro-pop act Ivy—but he also collaborated on songs for movie soundtracks and the TV show Crazy Ex-Girlfriend.
A wide array of artists touched by Schlesinger’s life pay tribute to the many musical projects of which he was a part via a Bandcamp-exclusive benefit compilation, Saving for a Custom Van. The 31-song collection features collaborators, tourmates, friends, and fans putting their own spin on songs spanning his entire career. Crazy Ex-Girlfriend co-creator, executive producer and star Rachel Bloom turns Fountains of Wayne’s “Stacy’s Mom” into a jazzy cabaret moodpiece, while Schlesinger’s Fountains of Wayne bandmate Jody Porter contributes a melancholy, shimmering take on Ivy’s “Four in the Morning.” Sarah Silverman—who teamed up with Schlesinger on the upcoming musical The Bedwetter—joins with songwriter Ben Lee for a gorgeous, folk-leaning take on “Way Back Into Love,” a Schlesinger song central to the film Music and Lyrics.
Other musicians on the compilation tackle Fountains of Wayne songs (Letters to Cleo’s Kay Hanley, “Radiation Vibe”; Motion City Soundtrack, “Dip in the Ocean”; Nada Surf, “Sick Day”; Vivian Girls/Upset member Ali Koehler, “Hackensack”), while Ivy songs are also well-represented (Belly members Tanya Donelly and Gail Greenwood, “Undertow”; Ted Leo, “Everyday”; HUNNY, “Tess Don’t Tell.”) A full tracklist is below.
Saving for a Custom Van, which takes its title from a lyric in Fountains of Wayne’s “Utopia Parkway,” is co-curated and co-released by Father/Daughter Records and Wax Nine, the label/journal run by Speedy Ortiz’s Sadie Dupuis (who also contributes a FoW cover under her Sad13 moniker). One-hundred percent of Saving for a Custom Van proceeds will be donated to MusiCares’ COVID-19 Relief Fund, which is dedicated to helping music industry and community members affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Track Listing:
1. Apex Manor – Utopia Parkway
2. Tanya Donelly and Gail Greenwood – Undertow
3. Jeff Rosenstock – Please Don’t Rock Me Tonight
4. Kay Hanley – Radiation Vibe
5. Ben Lee and Sarah Silverman – Way Back Into Love
6. Remember Sports – Just the Girl
7. Rachel Bloom – Stacy’s Mom
8. Christian Lee Hutson – Red Dragon Tattoo
9. Sad13 – A Fine Day For a Parade
10. Jack Dolgen – What’ll It Be
11. Motion City Soundtrack – A Dip in the Ocean
12. Field Mouse – Valley Winter Song
13. Cheekface – That Thing You Do
14. Lucy Stone – I’ve Got a Flair
15. Nada Surf – Sick Day
16. Jody Porter – Four in the Morning
17. Suzy Shinn and Charlie Brand – All Kinds of Time
18. Ted Leo – Everyday
19. Potty Mouth – I’ve Got A Feeling
20. Cocktails – Sink to the Bottom
21. Bree McKenna – Our Twisted Fate
22. Ethan Eubanks – Troubled Times
23. Ali Koehler – Hackensack
24. Charly Bliss – Pretend to Be Nice
25. Julian Velard and Alex Dezen – Michael and Heather at the Baggage Claim
26. HUNNY – Tess Don’t Tell
27. Mikey Erg – Hey Julie
28. Off Book and the Family Band – Come On
29. Prince Daddy & The Hyena and Just Friends – Mexican Wine
30. Lisa Prank – Little Red Light
31. Joshua Stoddard – Survival Car
