A short time ago, I was shocked and saddened to learn that an old friend of mine had passed away suddenly. Bill Dumas was, without a doubt, one of the biggest supporters of local music in Massachusetts, but especially in Worcester. He always had a band T-shirt on, his favorites being 7thRailCrew, Tester and Nullset.

Larger than life in stature and personality, he could be found with his horns up and hair whipping at local venues all around the city, and he poured his heart into promoting the concerts that benefited to charities. Billy had a passion for music that went above and beyond. In one of our last comversations, Billy marveled that people are hesitant to spend $5 at the door of a great local show, but will spend $100 to see a concert and sit on the lawn “where they can’t see nuthin’.”

He was real, and his friendship was genuine. Billy could make you smile with a single glance and was always ready to listen to your complaints and rants and woes, often responding with his simple tagline, based on years of experience and an understanding of life that went well beyond his age.

“It ain’t no mystery kid.”

Followed by advice, an arm around your shoulder or a quick-witted comment that would make you smile and roll your eyes and forget about whatever it was you were so upset about in the first place.

I visited his Facebook page nearly every day ~ he always had an interesting post that stood out from the others and made me take notice, sometimes a shared picture or comment about music or Game of Thrones, sometimes a general thought. My favorite posts were the song lyrics ~ chosen so carefully, they could hit you right where you stood. Billy put his soul out on the table for all to see, and he made you reflect on your own life. And now that I look back at those posts, I wonder if he had a gift of prophecy, because they almost always centered on mortality and mentioned how short life was and how vital it is to take in the moments we have.

Though his loss has us all shocked and saddened, we are honoring his memory the best way we know how and in the way we know he would have wanted us to ~ a local show complete with some of his favorite artists, door prizes and a raffle to help out his daughter. Please come out and show your support for local music, share a story about Billy and join with his friends to make a mark on the night.

The memorial show for Bill Dumas will be held at 8 p.m. Friday, May 30, at the Lucky Dog Music Hall, 89 Green Street, Worcester. Cost is a $15 donation at the door. Event is 21-plus. For more information, visit facebook.com/events/262706833903805.

By Jennifer Russo