Cut Worms Shares Cover Of Tom Petty's "Louisiana Rain" [Listen]

Indie-underground rising star Cut Worms (a.k.a singer-songwriter Max Clarke) honored the late Tom Petty with a cover of “Louisiana Rain”, released on Tuesday. The Damn The Torpedoes cover comes on what would have been Petty’s 70th birthday.

This rendition of “Louisiana Rain” comes on the heels of Cut Worms’ latest album, Nobody Lives Here Anymore, released earlier this month. The album marked the second full-length release from the the Brooklyn-based act and has been met with critical acclaim, as Clarke’s songwriting abilities continue to develop.

While the cover largely stays true to the simple Petty sound, it’s also awash in many of the indie-alternative hallmarks that have come to define Cut Worms. The vocals—the sticking point of many classic Tom Petty songs—are still distinctly Clarke as he masks them in the far-away, reverb-laden tone found throughout the ever-emerging genre. The power of the song comes from its simplicity; Clarke is not attempting to reinvent the tune at all, but rather to honor a fallen hero.

Clarke said of the cover in a press release,

Growing up in that place called the midwest, Tom Petty’s music was everywhere and nowhere. I couldn’t tell you the first time I heard it because it just felt like something that was always there, like part of the landscape. It influences you like heat coming off a highway or a smoke-filled barroom or a warm summer evening might influence you. I was fortunate enough to see Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers live one time at an outdoor pavilion in Ohio called Blossom Music Center. It poured rain and he played for 3 and a half hours. Sounded incredible. I was glad to get to record this tribute to him. I was also glad that my bandmates could play on it with me (albeit remotely). I sent it around and everyone put their parts on and then I mixed it. I’m pleased with how it came out and I hope you like it. Hope Tom would have liked it.

Listen to Cut Worms cover “Louisiana Rain” by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers via the player below, or through your preferred streaming service here.

Cut Worms – “Louisiana Rain” (Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers)