Former Bostonian and Saratoga Springs native Samuel “Sammy” Yager was injured late Thursday night in a bike accident and remains hospitalized in a coma at Albany Medical Center. Since the terrible news broke this weekend, the outpouring of support for the “Babydude,” who creates experimental electronic jams as Birthdays, has been overwhelming. But details on his progress have been understandably scarce as family and friends cope with the situation in Upstate New York.
One of Yager’s friends, Sean Saunders, has set up the Babydude Watch, a blog that has detailed Yager’s accident and will operate to pass along progress reports as well as information on how to contribute to the many fund-raisers, from compilations to benefit shows, that are currently in the works.
“I have personally been a bit overwhelmed with how much work there is to do, and how many people want to do it, so while our favorite little babydude is sleeping we’re going to keep everyone informed here,” Saunders wrote in the blog’s first post yesterday.
Saunders has also explained the visiting situation at Albany Medical Center, adding: “We ask to keep gifts to cards and kisses. Sammy has a journal in his room, with many cards in it, that we would love for everyone to write a little bit in, if you need to bring anything else again check with the hospital or one of us first please.”
In the meantime, keep sending positive vibes his way, and we’ll update any Boston-area benefit shows as the details emerge. Below are some links to Birthdays’ music. In January, Yager released a self-titled cassette on Every Day Is A Mixtape, and today its owner, Kevin Fowler, said that all money from sales of Birthdays tapes will go directly to his recovery fund.
“I’m pretty gutted,” Fowler says. “Sammy is why I started this label.”