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.”
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