Guest Blog: Tonetta Covers by Doc Shoggoth
So I’m not saying we’re back, but we’re back (for a second). Here’s a guest blog by Tonetta manager Doc Shoggoth:
Today we’re going to be looking at something really cool and really new with Tonetta! Something people have been asking for for a long time.
Today, Tonetta covers some songs by other artists!
Sort of!
Tonetta was sent a request to cover this song, and the lyrics by a fan on YouTube. He decided to record it with just the lyrics and no prior knowledge of the song. He ended up with 2 very different versions.
The song is Racer X by Steve Albini and his Fabulous Big Black Musical Instruments Band.
Tonetta’s first version presents us with a thudding drum bass and droning, battle-damaged guitars. A hollow-speaky vocal sons comes in, and continues along that way. The song becomes very reminiscent of that old chestnut, The Gift by John Cale and his Vivacious Velvet Underground. This however, drags on much less, and is more of a spoken poem than a story.
I really love this version. It’s nasty, dissonant, minimalistic. The “little more speed” chanted section is fantastic, and the guitar work is downright post-apocalyptic. Tonetta as Guitarist is a truly underrated beast.
The second version finds us at a more conventional mid-tempo patented Tonetta jam. The guitars are heavily fuzzed, the pace is just above neurotic. While a fairly standard type of Tonetta tune, it’s a really greta example of one. He’s still shredding that guitar in the background, but the languid doom of the original way gives way to a dirty drive, like whatever Racer X is racing is a little more flesh than machine. I’ve got less to say about this version, it’s less innovative, but it’s a fantastic example of Tonetta’s special brand of dirty grooving rock.
And for completion, here’s the original!