The Infamous Stringdusters have released a cover of “Cold Beverage” by G. Love featuring the man himself. “Cold Beverage” served as G. Love & Special Sauces’s debut single all the way back in 1994 when G. Love was just emerging as an artist.
The cover comes from a recording session The Infamous Stringdusters booked in Philadelphia while there for their annual Halloween show. The band contacted G. Love, a Philly native, who came down to the studio and recorded “Cold Beverage” with the band over the course of a single-day session.
The new rendition of the song (because it’s not really a cover if the original artist is on it, right?) finds The Infamous Strindusters giving the song a chilled-out, bluegrass twang. The band also cuts the beats per minute in half, taking it out for a leisurely 5:18 minute stroll. The lyrics still come from G. Love, but this time he is saying them at such a tempo that they can actually be understood without slowing the record down to 33 rpm. The Infamous Stringdusters and G. Love collaborating on “Cold Beverage” sound like what would happen if somebody handed Sublime‘s Bradley Nowell a banjo during the sessions for 40 Oz. To Freedom. G. Love’s lyrics, and more importantly their delivery, gives the music a type of swagger not common in bluegrass. G. Love said of the collaboration,
Andy Falco and I met and jammed at the Grey Horse Tavern a couple years back with Ron Artis during my BeachSide Blues tour. We’ve kept in touch since then and when Andy suggested a collaboration with The Stringdusters I was over the moon. I was thinking either let’s cook something up from scratch or do a bonafide hit down home style. We decided to rock the Special Sauce hit Cold Beverage which has become one heck of a great drinking song over the years. I went down to Philly the day before Halloween as everybody was off before the Stringdusters’ Halloween show at the TLA so we had some studio time in Germantown (where I went to high school). We circled up and ran the song acoustic til we had a killer arrangement. We cut it live and nailed it in the first couple takes and added a few harmony vocal overdubs.The next night I sat in at the Stringdusters show and we debuted the collaboration to a full house. It was such a pleasure to get to work with these amazing musicians and I look forward to the jams to come.
Listen to The Infamous Stringdusters and G. Love’s take on “Cold Beverage”.
The Infamous Stringdusters, G. Love — “Cold Beverage”
[Video: The Infamous Stringdusters]
Despite the cancellation of their summer tour, The Infamous Stringdusters have managed to stay connected to fans during quarantine. Every Tuesday and Thursday, the band hosts the SDTV webcast, as well as the Peace of Mind Facebook hang featuring the full band. Head to The Infamous Stringdusters’ Facebook page to tune in.
Additionally, The Infamous Stringdusters are one of many acts set to participate in Quarantine Comes Alive. The virtual music festival features a lineup of over 60 artists sharing fresh, original content on Saturday, May 30th. All proceeds from the donation-based event will be split between the participating artists and the comprehensive PLUS1 COVID-19 Relief Fund. Working directly with leading non-profit organizations like Sweet Relief, MusiCares, Center for Disaster Philanthropy, World Central Kitchen, Partners In Health, Trans Lifeline, and Backline, the PLUS1 COVID-19 Relief Fund’s goal is to provide aid where it’s needed most. For more information or to donate/RSVP today, head here.