As Tribute Gig Looms, Kurt Baker Salutes Jon Spencer, Slade, Lenny Kaye for Strengthening His Musical Chops
Most musicians namecheck their heroes from time to time, out of common courtesy. Others cover their songs to drive the point home that their influence was instrumental in the development of their careers. Still more go the extra mile by immortalizing those cover songs on their studio albums or as staples in their concert set lists.
Power-pop throwback artist Kurt Baker – whose motto is “Have a good time all the time,” a line that should call Spinal Tap to your mind – is taking reverence and respect for his elders the extra mile. Make that two extra miles. Or three, even.
Last month, the likable singer/songwriter from New York saw his previously out-of-print Got It Covered compilation of tribute songs to Blondie, Elvis Costello, Nick Lowe and others re-released in remastered vinyl and digital form, courtesy of Oglio Entertainment. Earlier this month, he paid another salute, this time to Slade and their song “When Fantasy Calls,” on the B-side to his Wicked Cool Records digital single, “Wonder Woman.”
Completing his trifecta of tributes, Baker will take his salutes from wax to stage when he heads up the Beauty Bar 30th Anniversary Bash in New York on Sunday. At the event staged by Little Steven’s Underground Garage., he’ll perform alongside the likes of more of his heroes, including Jon Spencer, Daddy Long Legs and Lenny Kaye.
The Bad Penny recently caught up with Baker to pick his brain about what made the other aforementioned musicians so impactful on his own career.
Slade
“Slade have always represented a lot of what I love about rock ’n’ roll,” Baker says. “Big hooks, loud guitars, tons of personality and songs that are just fun to listen to. They could be heavy and raw, but underneath all of that, they were an incredible pop band. That combination definitely connects to what I’ve always tried to do with power pop: You want the melody and the chorus, but you also want it to sound like a band plugging in and making some noise. I recently covered ‘When Fantasy Calls,’ which is a bit of a deeper Slade cut, and that song really shows another side of what made them so great. Once you dig beyond the huge hits, there are so many great melodies and songs in their catalog.”
Lenny Kaye
“Lenny Kaye has definitely been an influence on me, not only as a musician but as a music fan and DJ,” Baker intones. “The whole Nuggets philosophy — great songs, garage-band energy, melody, attitude and digging a little deeper for records that deserve to be heard — is really close to how I’ve always approached music. I came up playing power pop, but there’s always been a big ’60s garage and rock ’n’ roll influence in what I do. And as a DJ and record collector, I really relate to that idea of connecting the dots between different eras and styles and hopefully turning somebody on to a record they’ve never heard before. Lenny is one of those people who didn’t just make great music — he helped teach generations of music fans how to listen for it.”
Jon Spencer and Daddy Long Legs
“There’s definitely a lot of common ground between me, Jon Spencer and Daddy Long Legs,” Baker reflects. “I actually had the chance to share the stage with Jon a few years ago, so it’s really cool to be playing together again. I’ve always loved that raw, no-frills rock ’n’ roll energy he brings to everything he does. With Daddy Long Legs, there are a lot of mutual friends and connections that stretch from the NYC rock ’n’ roll scene to Spain and beyond. I spent many years living and playing in Spain, and they’ve toured there a bunch, so our paths and circles have crossed in a lot of ways over the years. Musically, we all approach things a little differently — my roots are probably more power pop — but we share that love of garage rock, punk, R&B and the kind of rock ’n’ roll that’s meant to be played loud and live. Having all of us together at DROM, with Lenny Kaye DJing, really does feel like a gathering of different branches of the same rock ’n’ roll family.”
Here’s everything you need to know about Sunday’s shindig:
LITTLE STEVEN’S UNDERGROUND GARAGE & BEAUTY BAR PRESENT
BEAUTY BAR’S 30TH ANNIVERSARY BASH
Sunday, September 13, 2026
DROM
85 Avenue A
New York, NY
Jon Spencer
Daddy Long Legs
Kurt Baker & The 3AMs
DJ set by Lenny Kaye
Doors: 6:00 p.m.
$20 advance / $25 day of show
Tickets available soon through DICE
After-party to follow at Beauty Bar
231 E. 14th St., New York, NY
The Bad Penny (beta) 
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