
The first time I heard POP ETC, they were actually called The Morning Benders. They sang “Strangers in the Night” for a Sinatra tribute album called His Way, Our Way. Then I heard them as POP ETC on the Twilight: Breaking Dawn Part 2 soundtrack. (I bought it for the liner notes.) Since then, I have been following their career and have loved the number of covers they have released. (My favorite is the oft-covered Chris Issak’s “Wicked Game”.)
Now POP ETC takes on the song that is at the heart of the whole Sam Smith vs. Tom Petty saga: “I Won’t Back Down”. Lead singer Chris Chu explained in an interview recently why he chose to sing this song. “Something about it hit me completely differently. It’s just such a great pop song. I know for more die-hard Tom Petty fans this song is kind of played out, but for a kid who didn’t discover Petty until later, it was a revelation. I realized I needed to go back and listen to him more. Now I love the man!”
Check out more of POP ETC on their website or Facebook.