Covert Stations are back with their second cover off their upcoming series of covers from songs of the 70’s and 80’s. This classic by The Cult is forever one of the best songs to come out of the 80’s. And to this day when it’s played on the radio or when The Cult plays it live, it is still an anthem. This version by Covert Stations keeps it close to the original with a bit of a “chuggier/slightly heavier” guitar crunch and the soaring vocals of Craig Cirinelli takes it to the other level a cover should go.
For the past couple months I’ve been writing about KLAE and his upcoming album Stomp Out Hate, Love, Repeat. KLAE is a very diverse musician that excels in drums and percussion. His ability to shift his styles to compliment different genres makes him quite exceptional. With over 20 years of experience be it playing, writing, recording and more, it’s the dedication that shows through in his music. KLAE said “In the last few years I’ve learned that everything has a wide spectrum of perspective. We can choose to see the rainbow of colors that surrounds us or we can choose to ignore it. We have to make the choice within ourselves everyday to stop the hate and set a better example.” Armed with that mindset and a plethora of rhythms, KLAE is working to enact change with each beat. In today’s society, having music and artists like this shows the care and concern that is missing.
A few weeks ago I introduced you to KLAE. This very diverse drummer is really summoning some positive energy with his upcoming EP. “Stomp Out Hate” was the first single and now we are on to “Love,” and this one packs a whole different punch. Speaking on what this track deals with and means KLAE (aka Clay Barnum) said “Love without expectations is the most pure form as it holds no bias but due to the complexity of human experience is the most difficult to achieve. You have to forgo all ego and societal pressures and accept wholly the person in front of you. This is difficult enough with a significant other but exponentially more so with yourself. We hold more bias and expectation without ourselves without ever sharing with the outside world. We live within our own heads and at times it can feel impossible to escape these expectations. We must embrace all that is, as it is without expectation of what we think it could be. Love yourself first then work on everyone else.” With that in mind, it’s clear that with these expressions, there must be a change for the better.
The Cult have long been one of the best and most consistent rock bands in the world. I’d even go as far as saying they are one of the best rock bands of all time. They’ve released some of the best rock albums and continue to make it known that they are still a force to be reckoned with. With that in mind, take a delve into their catalog and see why they are one of the best!
The journey continues to find the top ten bands/artists in the alphabet. L is here and unlike the past few letters this one should be less difficult to complete. As usual your suggestions are wanted in completing this list. These are in no particular order as well.
01) Led Zeppelin
02) Love
03) John Lennon
04) Lynryd Skynyrd
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The Cult formed in 1983. They melded their love for Led Zeppelin, The Doors and assorted Post Punk bands such as Joy Division to create a heavy mystic sound. Ian Astbury and Billy Duffy have been the most consistent members since the inception of the group. They gained notoriety for songs such as “She Sells Sanctuary” “Love Removal Machine” “Fire Woman.” They have created 3 of the most underrated albums in all of hard rock, Love, Electric, and Sonic Temple and have left a distinct mark with each of them. In 1995 the band split for a period of time to work on themselves and came back with a rocking album in Beyond Good and Evil featuring the songs “Rise” and Painted On My Heart (which appeared on in the movie Gone In 60 Seconds). After the release and tour the band took a break again with Ian joining the remaining members of The Doors to play shows. Billy went on to form other bands that while were good, failed to leave any mark on the landscape as The Cult did. In 2006, Ian and Billy got together again to record the album Born Into This. 2012 saw the release of Choice of Weapon. This album is one of their best ever. It’s up there with Electric and the songs themselves are awesome.
Ian Astbury’s vocals, lyrics and stage presence are all things that so many people and other bands have tried to replicate. While some of what Ian does is similar to that of Jim Morrison, Ian took it to another dimension and explored deeper into his own internal struggles to connect with the mysticism that he was involved in. Billy Duffy has a very distinctive guitar tone that has a nice reverb to it all the while packing a punch. The clean sensibilities of his guitar work show the soul of the music. Live, The Cult are captivating and hypnotic. Watching Ian on stage is intense as he gets so into the show and hardly interacts with the crowd. Billy strums like a madman. Completing the lineup for live show is John Tempesta on drums and Chris Wyse on bass. Listening to The Cult and then listening to so many bands that have come up in the past 10 years like Mastodon (yes them), Queens Of The Stone Age and others, you can hear the influence.
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