Local Band Dirty Bangs Gets in on the Taylor Swift Cover Craze

Photo by Ultra 5280 on Flickr/Creative Commons

Earlier this week, Ryan Adams released his highly anticipated album of Taylor Swift covers, putting his own spin on her chart-topping 1989.

“It wasn’t like I wanted to change them because they needed changing,” he told Rolling Stone. “But I knew that if I sang them from my perspective and in my voice, they would transform. I thought, ‘Let me record 1989 like it was Bruce Springsteen’s Nebraska.'”

Swift herself was thrilled—”Ryan’s music helped shape my songwriting. This is surreal and dreamlike,” she tweeted.

Shortly after the digital release of Adams’ 1989—vinyl and CD versions are forthcoming—folk singer Josh Tillman, formerly of Fleet Foxes and now popular as Father John Misty, put forth his own, tongue-in-cheek take on it.

“My interpretation from the classic Ryan Adams album ‘1989,’” he announced in a tweet that has since been deleted, sharing a link to a SoundCloud track of his Lou Reed-sounding take on “Bad Blood,” complete with an image ripped from Velvet Underground’s iconic Andy Warhol-designed The Velvet Underground & Nico album cover.

Later, Father John Misty also uploaded a cover of “Welcome to New York.” Both songs and relevant tweets have been deleted without any comment—it had nothing to do with Swift, Billboard reports—although YouTube versions are still floating around.

None of the involved parties have commented yet, but in the meantime, a local band is getting in on the fun. Cambridge-based Dirty Bangs, whose lead singer Evan Kenney works as the studio manager for the Boston outpost of Converse Rubber Tracks, has released their own take on a Swift song—or, rather, a take on a take on a take of a Swift song.

“Here is a Dirty Bangs cover of a Father John Misty version of a Ryan Adams version of a Taylor Swift song in the style of Suicide,” the band proclaims on SoundCloud.

This weekend, both Dirty Bangs and Father John Misty will perform at Boston Calling, so there’s potential for one or two Tay-Tay sing-alongs at City Hall Plaza.

Listen to Dirty Bangs’ version of “Bad Blood” below.