- February 19, 2025
The tribute concerts by Timeless Tributes aren't simply about the desire to pay homage to artists like Billy Joel, Elton John and Elvis.
They're also intended to carry on the role of a now-closed fixture of Sarasota's community, the Sarasota Classic Car Museum.
In 2023, after 71 years of operation, the museum was closed to make way for an athletics facility at New College of Florida.
Yet after noticing a demand in the community for the tribute concerts once held at the museum, three former employees had an idea for a new community gathering space.
“We decided, let's just do it, and so we're putting on a show,” said Debra Muenchow.
At the time it was in operation, the museum was recognized as the second-oldest continuously operating classic car museum in the country.
However, in May of 2023, it was faced with the termination of the lease on the property and the need to relocate its 3,000 pieces of memorabilia and over 150 vehicles.
The request from the property's owner, New College of Florida, was intended to facilitate anticipated growth at the college, including its athletics program.
While extensions to that lease offered the museum additional time to move out, it ultimately closed later that year.
The site has now been flattened to make way for a field.
"It was really awful," Nadine Kulikowski said, recounting the loss of the site.
Kulikowski is part of a group of former employees of the museum, which also includes Muenchow and Tetra DiNapoli, who decided to revive the concerts with the blessing of museum owner Martin Godbey.
They established Timeless Tributes, a series of Saturday night concerts which will be held at Columbus Banquet Hall through April, as well as one Soul Sensations concert during the fall.
The group says that although it can be difficult to make the public aware of the concerts and their relationship to the museum, the events are nonetheless drawing many museum regulars.
Attendee Fran Seratz called the news of the concerts returning "phenomenal."
"I used to go to the Classic Car Museum, and I was very saddened when they went away, because even though they're tribute bands, these bands feel for the groups they portray, and they put on an awesome show for the audience," she said.
After searching for a venue, the organizers found Columbus Banquet Hall, the meeting site of the Knights of Columbus which is available for rent, on Fruitville Road.
They say the site is larger than that of the car museum, while bringing the addition of full food service and a liquor bar, as well as space for dancing.
Muenchow said the public has been responsive to the location.
“I'm finding that when they find out, they tell us there's a lot of credibility for the Knights, just like there was for the Car Museum, and people like it, like the location."
The organizers say they're hoping to bring a new element to the tributes to attract younger audiences as well.
The Petty Experience, a tribute to Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers that played on Jan. 25, may be able to exemplify that concept, according to its leader singer Davy Alder.
“The great thing about being a Tom Petty tribute band is you can play at biker festival and people love it," he said. "You can play at a community center in a retirement community and people love it. And it's a real advantage, that he appealed to so many people of different ages and backgrounds and all that good stuff."
Alder also brings a passion for the group, as well as tributes in general, having played with tribute bands for the Beatles and Def Leppard.
“I saw Tom 37 times across three countries, and as you can tell, I'm a bit of a fanatical Tom fan, and I've been doing the tribute thing for a little while,” he said.
He said he aims to emulate the style of Petty.
"Getting the right tone, I think, is important, because he was famous for playing in a very jangly kind of style," he said.
During that concert, there was indeed a mix of ages present in the crowd.
“There are a number of older people that come, but they have a blast," said Muenchow.
"It's hard for us to afford the $100, $200 tickets anymore; we're all retired," said Seratz."And they're just wonderful. It brings us back, makes us youthful again. We enjoy the music, and it's fun."