Last night I saw Eggy at House of Blues Boston post-Phish and was thrilled that they let loose their fire Interior People (of Phish-Gizz cock-block fame; IYKYK). It was an absolute highlight of the night.
Generally speaking, I love when I go see a band and they cover another band. It tells me whom the band I dig, digs. It places them in the music timeline. It’s participation in the Big Thing.
It got me thinking: who else covers Gizzard?
And… whom have our Aussies covered? I know there was the Dead Milkmen dude sit-in / cover at FOV, and I was over the moon for their Beasties engagement at FH last year… what don’t I know here?
Furthermore, what songs / acts would you want KGLW to cover? I’m not sure I have an answer to this, but if I am ever in attendance at a show where they full bore own another band’s composition, I’d be thrilled.
It was a Dead Kennedys cover, although Dead Milkmen are great too. Personally I prefer that Gizzard do not regularly cover other bands, I primarily want to see them do their thing. I guess the DKs cover would be a personal exception there since it was with Jello, I was in attendance, and I have been listening to them since the 80’s. I did also appreciate the Jailbreak cover as well because it was a cover of fellow Aussies, was in an appropriate setting, and was a more uncommon song by AC/DC.
I do occasionally get excited when seeing other bands do a tasteful cover, I like it when they either nail it or completely make it their own. I think for me Gizzard exists a bit outside of that because they have primarily not done covers. Although I do know if they did it more then they would make it their own. The occasional teases of another artist are fun.
Kitchen Dwellers do a good version of The River. As for songs KGLW has covered, there’s a ton. Personal favorite is their version of Open My Eyes by The Nazz. Definitive version in my opinion.
Honestly embarrassed I goofed Milkmen for Kennedys, Auntie. Appreciate the correction.
Totally agree that the I want to see the bands I love do their thing–that’s why I go to their shows. I mean, cover acts are fun (Pink Talking Fish is a regional fave), but the art is the art and that’s why you see the artist. The cover concept is secondary to the main thing.
But… all art exists along the spectrum of the art that came prior and the art hence to come. To me, when an artist makes clear and, by extension, exalts the art that mattered on their own journey, it hits powerfully. It shapes how I see the band… and, in the moment, it’s just fun as fuck to get a live cover that you already know and didn’t expect. The bands often seem to bring an extra oomph to their covers as opposed to originals, at least to my experience.
I came to Gizz from Phish and when dumb Phans like me are yelling at the band what to play next during the rare pause, I always yell “random cover!!!” It’s just super fun to get one… and sometimes the new band covers it so well and so consistently that the song becomes theirs. Phish examples are Talking Head’s “Crosseyed and Painless”, Rolling Stone’s “Loving Cup”… and others…. Eggy’s, if they get a lot bigger, could become “Interior People”… would just be cool, for me at least, to see Gizz dial in on a cover and make it bigger and better and their own.
I first enjoyed Gizz when I recognized their similarities to bands like Hawkwind, Gong, and Oh Sees but with their own flavor. And then ITRN really took me over edge into full Fandom. As a metal fan since the 80s I recognized a true appreciation and dedication to genre(s). So I can appreciate approaching the band through one or more familiar lens. But I don’t particularly want them to be more like another band in their appeoach. I want them to be true to themselves and follow inspiration organically, even if it is a form of pastiche, but still their own music for the most part.
I’ve had that Melt the Guns basically on repeat since Saturday morning. So good!
Bonus: It also inspired me to listen to some XTC for the first time in a while.
Edit: I’m kinda cool with the fact that Gizz doesn’t do many covers. That said, I’d love to hear them play the Butterfield Blues Band’s East - West. Per kglw.net, they have teased it, but never played it.
Since I have largely been pushing back on covers as related to Gizz, I will offer a Sun City Girls live release that is all covers from 1986. One of my favorites, For fans of Gizzard’s more World Music influenced moments.
