Thursday
Rock ‘n roll ruled the roost on Thursday evening, the first night of the 25th installment of one of the best events in C-U — The Great Cover Up. Complete with Daemonweed opening things up as Corrosion of Conformaty, there was plenty of noise to go around. Feral States as Marilyn Manson (an oddly awesome transformation), Teddy Bookmobile (a combo of Teddy Bomber and Bookmobile!) as New York Dolls, a band that has clear influences upon both of these bands.
Feral States as Marily Manson. Photo by Tom Chandler.
Roberta Sparrow as Face to Face. Photo by Tom Chandler.
“We’re going to cover another punk band” said Roberta Sparrow, C-U’s seminal, uh, punk outfit.
Resinater as Slipknot. Photo by Tom Chandler.
Perhaps the most bizarre of transformations thus far in 2016 was the gang of Resinater, C-U’s stoner rock outfit, performing in full-on costumes as Slipknot. It was bonkers, and needless to say, really fucking loud and rowdy. Well done, fellas. — Patrick Singer
Friday
On Friday, I was there in time to see Katie Flynn as Tina Turner. Her sultry style did wonders for the role as she belted out “Simply the Best”, and layered cover on cover with Tina’s renditions of “Let’s Stay Together” and “Proud Mary”. Next was Stone Temple Pilots and Andy Mo paying homage to the late Scott Weiland. They covered some favorites, like “Sex Type Thing” and “Vaseline”. Mo’s swagger, sway and eyeshadow felt like Weiland.
Namorado (formerly A Cool Hand) kept the night in the alternative vein by covering the indie favorites Arcade Fire. They opened with the thundering “My Body is a Cage”, and continued into a three-song medley with the bombastic energy reminiscent of the band. They requested we sing along with the anthem “Wake Up”, and they didn’t need to ask.
Brother Embassy took the night in an entirely different direction as Outkast, and things suddenly got really funky. Covering “Ms. Jackson”, “Bombs Over Bagdad”, and of course, “Hey Ya!”, everyone was dancing. This nineties flashback continued with the evening’s finale, Mike Ingram/New Souls as Eminem. The guys took rap music’s communal aspects to heart with this set. They covered Eminem, and also his associates and those he’s collaborated with. Someone was Dr. Dre, Nate Dogg, Dido, and others. Mike gave a shout out to some of the real local C-U rappers on the scene to further bring it all together, and it felt like family. It was a huge show that ended the event’s first Friday on a lofty note. — Julia McAnly
Mike Ingram as Eminem. Photo by Scott Wells.
Photo by Scott Wells.
Photo by Scott Wells.
Saturday
I entered on Saturday to Lonely Trailer slaying as Nazareth. They wailed on their instruments in true 70’s metal fashion and also featured a multi-layered cover with Love Hurts. The Acme Principle brought some glorious angst to the night as The Cure. Dressed in the appropriate gothy makeup and wigs, the band introduced themselves as four different Robert Smiths, and I was indeed hard-pressed to find a smile peek out from the face of any member. They were brooding and sullen through “Lovesong” and “Boys Don’t Cry”, and it was fantastic. Wrist took their thrashing punkness and became the Circle Jerks without a stretch, and there was a surprisingly low amount of moshing. The crowd was asked, “Has anyone ever heard of punk rock?” And even if no one had answered, they were going to tell us, whether we liked it or not. I had to leave before seeing Honcho Overload as grunge’s Mudhoney, but I heard they ended the first weekend of The Great Cover Up in a way that only veterans of this event can. All but for a few outliers, the two nights together had a decidedly nineties feel. I expect next week will be just as fun. — Julia McAnly
Photo by Sam Logan.
Photo by Sam Logan.
Photo by Sam Logan.
Photo by Sam Logan.
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