A couple weeks ago I got the message that local musician David Dely had suddenly passed away at the age of 36. Tim Child and I attended the funeral in Budakeszi on April 6th along with what must have been at least 50 other mourners. There were so many that most had to listen from a distance outside.

I cannot say that I knew David very well, but he and his band Tumba y Quema played fantastic shows at Treehugger Dan's a couple times. I remember when his wife Claudia, very pregnant with their lovely daughter, pulled me on stage to dance with her as she sang. But more importantly, whenever I asked for his help, he was there, and he was there for a lot of people. For example, David was one of the first people to agree to play at the Mookie Was Robbed benefit concert, and he did not even know Mookie at the time. He also played at the memorable Red Mud Aid. I remember watching one of the Tumba y Quema music videos and noticing that his teeth were the whitest I had ever seen, prompting me to ask for his dentist.

The beautiful service included touching songs in Spanish, English and Hungarian. I know it was a funeral, but with a Colombian drum band, it was a funeral that rocked. It was a beautiful send off for a beautiful man.