If you've been following LG 104.3FM's vanCOVER then you know that they've called on local artists to record covers of songs from the 70's or 80's which have influenced them as musicians, and the winners so far have been amazing.
Each month a jury selects a 1st place winner who receives $5,000 and a 2nd place who receives $1,000, and throughout the year a number of live showcases featuring the winners will be held that you can (and should) attend.
Here's BESTiE's version of The Payolas' Eyes of a Stranger, this month's $5,000 winner!
We asked their lead guitarist, Graham Madden, a few questions about this track and the band's influences...
How did you choose your cover song?
We feel that it's one of the most under-appreciated gems by a local Vancouver 80's band. The group had one of the biggest producers to come out of Canada, Bob Rock, in it and we maybe wanted to try to get his attention. Fun fact: Bob Rock once got out of his car to help lead singer Tristan and his friend, both 19-year-old university students, when their car was overheating and nearly in flames and ruined his dress shirt in the process. We really like the similarities of the song's reggae and new wave influences to our bands sound and felt it was a good fit. We wanted to put a current twist on it so we asked our friends from HUMANS to add some electronic textures.
When did you first discover The Payolas?
I first heard The Payolas when I was working at a software company in university. This was before streaming was a thing and the company had this huge database of music that you could listen to at work and The Payolas were in it. At the time I was listening to a lot of cheesy sad indie bands and hadn’t really delved into new wave at all so I probably listened to No Stranger Danger a thousand times and remember being blown away by the vibe it had.
If you could perform live as one 70s or 80s band or artists, who would it be and why?
I’ve been listening to a ton of soul lately so I’d have to say Al Green circa I'm Still In Love With You. That man has some serious groove and the babymaking vibe is unbeatable.
Has music from those decades inspired your own music, beyond this recording?
We definitely draw a lot of influence from 80s bands like Police, The Smiths, Paul Simon, The Cure, and Fela Kuti. It’s fun to be able to mix new wave guitar sounds with afrobeat. Andrew, the previous guitarist, was heavily influenced by 70s African rhythms and melodies so it's been fun learning his tricks all the while lending my own twist that brings more soul and R&B to the table. We're writing for our next album right now and I'm loving the direction that the mix of genres is taking.
What’s coming up for you?
We’re playing with HUMANS for their album release party on March 28th at Celebrities and you just might hear our Payolas collaboration (LINK).
Know an artist that you think should enter? Forward them the link to information (www.lg1043.com/vanCOVER/) and keep your eyes on V.I.A. as we'll be sharing the winning songs each month from now until August, 2015!
