Steve Gunn is proving himself to be a musician of many colors. The folk-rock guitarist and singer is currently in the process of gearing up for the January 18th release of his latest studio album, The Unseen In Between. On Monday, Gunn and indie music blog Aquarium Drunkard shared a pair of tasteful covers as part of the outlet’s “Lagniappe Sessions” performance series. The two covers performed by Gunn include Michael Chapman‘s “Among The Trees” and The Misfits‘ “Astro Zombies”. Both recordings were recently tracked at Gold Diggers Recording Studio in East Hollywood, California.
Michael Chapman’s “Among The Trees” initially appeared on the English singer’s 1970Â Window LP. The easygoing song’s folk instrumentation and relaxed but sincere makeup fits Gunn’s own style perfectly. He sticks pretty close to the original, starting with the descending acoustic guitar riff and minimum production work. Gunn’s version is slightly less energizing than Chapman’s, but that’s okay considering the old folk tune is really about solemn reflections of the past.
Gunn’s cover of The Misfits’ 1988 punk anthem is the recording that really sticks out with its polar opposite sound from the original. Surprisingly, the updated version runs at 2:55 minutes (only 0:40 seconds slower than the adrenaline-pumping original) although you’d never think that with Gunn taking more of an eerie folk approach to the rock track. Gunn trades power chords in exchange for fingerpicking as he opens the song with the sounds of his acoustic guitar and soothing vocals. It is slightly odd hearing such an innocent singing performance belt out the unapologetic lyrics of “With just a touch of my burning hand/I’m gonna live my life to destroy your world/Prime directive, exterminate/The whole fuckin’ race.” Yet, if anyone can pull it off with true musical sincerity, it’s Mr. Gunn.
“Misfits were my first favorite band when I was a teenager,” Gunn said about the rock band in a statement to go with the two songs’ premiere on Monday. “There’s a certain pop sensibility to their songs, and Glenn Dazing’s Elvis-like yodeling is actually quite melodic. For a punk band, I think he was one of the better singers. Their songs are also very catchy, which helped ingrain almost every lyric into my young mind.” Fans can click here to listen to both recordings in full.
This is not the first time in which Gunn has recorded a pair of covers for the “Lagniappe Sessions”. He shared a pair of Smiths covers last winter with his own renditions of “The Night Has Opened My Eyes” and “The Hand That Rocks The Cradle”.
Gunn will head out on his 2019 winter and spring tour beginning later this month with an opening night at Great Scott in Allston, Massachusetts on January 31st. Fans can head over to Gunn’s website for tickets and more info on the upcoming tour.
