Members of the recent folk revival like to paint visionaries like Pete Seeger, Woody Guthrie, Bob Dylan and Bluegrass legends like Del McCoury as their forefathers. Really, though, aside from the “newgrass” groups like the Avett Brothers with their traditional instrumentation, most of today’s mellow acoustic guitar-strumming folk bands draw more from the sometimes maligned folk-rock trend of the later ’60s and ’70s, with bands like Buffalo Springfield, The Byrds, and their offshoot The Flying Burrito Brothers. In their new Daytrotter session Vetiver embraces this heritage, covering “Here Tonight,” a song that Byrds songwriter Gene Clark wrote for his former bandmates in the Burrito Brothers.
The mellow, laid-back style fits Vetiver’s dreamy, slide guitar-accented sound perfectly. Singer Andy Cabic’s vocals are low-key but emotive, capturing the contentedness of Clark’s lyrics. Like many of Vetiver’s own songs, the images are simple and accessible, engaging but not straining the listener. For its modern sound, the cover actually stays surprisingly faithful to the original, even down to the bass and drum tones. Its a fitting tribute to an under-appreciated but influential period in rock. Listen and download the track below.
MP3: Vetiver – Here Tonight (The Flying Burrito Brothers cover)
[audio: News1011/25HereTonight.mp3]
Check out more from Vetiver on their website.
Good cover, it has a good blend of the original song, and what their own twist on it. Almost has an Eagles, and Tom Petty feel to it, I was skeptical about it at first, but I’m impressed.