WEIRD AL JAMS AT EMO PHILIPS' BIRTHDAY PARTY - A JON-KY Exclusive!

It’s rare that we get our grubby little hands on something that’s unavailable anywhere else, but we believe this WEIRD AL performance to be a JON-KY EXCLUSIVE.  It's hardly The Pharma Brothers Wu-Tang Album, Once Upon a Time in Shaolin, but it's as close as we're likely to get.

As you know, we’ve been making a pretty solid case for WEIRD AL’S BAND being one of THE WORLD’S GREATEST COVER BANDS.

As near as we can determine this is WEIRD AL and his band (TBITB) performing at a private party on an off night on the VANITY TOUR.  AL’s opening act on that tour was the brilliant comedian EMO PHILIPS who’s no stranger to AL’s fans as he was in the weird one’s first film; UHF.  It’s clearly at least partly Emo’s birthday party as there’s a hilarious short version of Yoda that’s about him.

The impromptu affair begins with Al’s Band jamming, and drives home how good they are.  Al jumps up for Superstition & some wise guy requests (Loudon Wainwright III’s) Dead Skunk which seems to be an inside joke.  

But the band accommodates the request, which emboldens another audience member to shout out Disco Duck, which the band takes a swipe at.  Another heckler calls for (The Tubes’) Don’t Touch Me There, which devolves into I Touch Myself.  The fourth request is the more challenging I’ve Never Been To Me by one hit wonder Charlene—which is actually quite good.  But the hilarity is far from over.  

After the short tribute version of Yoda (with Emo-specific lyrics), the guest of honor cracks a couple jokes.

I’ve rounded out that admittedly short set with the two songs that Al’s Band put out to come closer to our usual goal: CD-length compilations.

WEIRD AL - NPR's Tiny Desk Concert! 3 Live Tracks & An Interview!

What's not to love about NPR's Tiny Desk Concerts?  Or Weird Al, for that matter?  

From Brandon Choe’s fantastic Los Angeles Times feature article about AL:

Yankovic is far and away the most successful comedy recording artist of all time. He’s sold more than 12 million albums. His last album, “Mandatory Fun,” was the first comedy album in history to debut at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 — and the first one to top that chart at all since Allan Sherman dropped “My Son, the Nut” in 1963. It went on to win Yankovic his fourth Grammy Award — of what are now five — in 2015. 

We're clearing the decks of Weird One's posts, with our final gem landing on Wednesday.

 

WEIRD AL COVERS LIVE Vol. 3 The Eighties & Beyond! DEVO Violent Femmes BOWIE Talking Heads

WEIRD AL COVERS LIVE Vol. 3 The Eighties & Beyond!  features fantastic "straight" covers of songs by; Devo, Violent Femmes, David Bowie, Stealer's Wheel, Elvis Costello, & The Talking Heads!

Weird Al Yankovic is the most successful comedy recording artist of all time, & has sold more than 12 million albums. His Mandatory Fun was the first comedy album in history to debut at No. 1 on the Billboard 200.  It won Yankovic his fourth of FIVE Grammy Awards.

Even the casual fan knows Dr. Demento, was the first person to play Yankovic’s music on the radio when Al was still a student at L.A.’s Lynwood High School. He went on to be the most-played artist in the history The Dr. Demento Show.  Al & Al's Band generally include a serious cover in their live shows & I've collected the best of these, & attempted to break them into general eras.

Weird Al's audience started including young kids when Radio Disney became popular & started playing his songs—but his audiences are “made up of men who have not been 12 for quite a while, except maybe on some internal, spiritual level” as Brandon Choe wrote in the wonderful Los Angeles Times article most of this info came from: L.A. Times.  

Choe wrote: Whether they all would self-identify as nerds is hard to say, but when Yankovic’s opener, veteran comedian Emo Philips, begins a joke by saying, “There’s probably no one here who was not bullied,” he will have to wait out a long and seemingly cathartic laugh before adding, “… today.” 

Emo Philips appeared in Weird Al’s first feature film UHF, and the two geniuses are old friends who joined forces for THE RIDICULOUSLY SELF-INDULGENT, ILL-ADVISED VANITY TOUR.

 

WEIRD AL COVERS LIVE Vol. 2 The Seventies - Mostly DEEP PURPLE Tom Petty DAVID BOWIE

WEIRD AL COVERS Vol. 2 The Seventies - Mostly 

Here’s the second volume of live performances by WEIRD AL & the band without an official name.  They’re sometimes jokingly referred to as The Innocuous Silhouettes, or The Boys In The Band (TBITB).  The core members are; JIM “KIMO”WEST, STEVE JAY, JON “BERMUDA” SCHWARTZ, & RUBEN VALTIERRA.  

These are live cover versions that prove they’re contenders for the title; THE WORLD’S GREATEST COVER BAND.  On Vol. 2 The Seventies - Mostly they play rock, pop, funk, rockabilly, punk, new wave, & heavy metal.

Some of the highlights are their versions of Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers’s Breakdown and Refugee, The Monkees’ Last Train To Clarksville, & The Sex Pistols God Save The Queen.

Check out Vol. 1 here: WEIRD AL COVERS LIVE VOL. 1

Wintersleep: Awake Again in 2026

 

Could be wrong, but it seems like the "big in Japan" phenomenon applies less often to Canadian artists than those from other countries.  To phrase it less awkwardly: Canada seems to value its artists.  They don't have to go away to become famous or to be appreciated for their artistry.  There aren't many prophets without honor in the Great White North.  Again -- just one blogger's impression.  There may be exceptions. One bad apple might spoil the whole bunch, girl.

Case in point: the Nova Scotia band Wintersleep.  As the winter of 2026 comes to an end, there's a new album on the way called Wishing Moon, and a European tour begins in April.  

Perhaps you've slept on them?  Wintersleep began as a side project of another band called Kary.  Their self-titled debut appeared in 2003, followed by an untitled Wintersleep album in 2005.  I got into their music after hearing the amazing song Archaeologists on college radio.  I saw Wintersleep during their US tour supporting the 2007 album Welcome To The Night Sky, which remains a personal favorite. 

Members of Wintersleep also perform in a group called Contrived, and they released an album in 2024 called Addicted To Sadness.  Meanwhile, Wintersleep's frontman Paul Murphy has a side project called Postdata.  These are busy people.  You're probably busy too.  You don't have time to dig through Wintersleep's history and compile some of their best songs into a CD-length mix.  If only someone could spare you the effort and give you the lowdown.  A bird's eye view on the Wintersleep caper, if you will.

Weird Al Covers LIVE Vol. 1 - The Sixties CREAM Alice Cooper STEPPENWOLF The Beatles

Weird Al LIVE Covers Vol. 1 - The Sixties

It’s been said that THE WHO was THE WORLD’S GREATEST COVER BAND, because Pete Townsend’s demos were so thorough that he basically walked in & played the other guys a finished version of his latest song, and they learned their part.  They’re such good demos that three volumes of them SCOOP, ANOTHER SCOOP, & SCOOP 3 were commercially released.  As much as I love THE WHO, they were playing songs tailor-made for their strengths.

For me, the title of THE WORLD’S GREATEST COVER BAND would have to go to WEIRD AL’s band, because they capably reproduce nearly every style of music live, night after night.  And they kick ass!

So I present to you the FIRST volume of live performances by the band without an official name.  They’re sometimes jokingly referred to as The Innocuous Silhouettes, or The Boys In The Band (TBITB).  They even put out a song called "Al's Band".

I give you the core group of JIM “KIMO”WEST, STEVE JAY, JON “BERMUDA” SCHWARTZ, & RUBEN VALTIERRA (the newest member who’s been aboard since 1991).  These guys get my vote for THE WORLD’S GREATEST COVER BAND!

Here’s some tasty Weird Al Trivia: Guitar legend Rick Derringer produced Al's first six albums through 1989's UHF Soundtrack, when Al himself took over the production duties starting with 1992's Off The Deep End. Rick got the Stinky treatment here: IN THE MIX Rick Derringer

This is one of several compilations, with a special surprise that’s available nowhere else bringing it all home!

CHROME COVERS: Songs of Damon Edge and Helios Creed

Chrome was a band that blew my mind when I first heard them as a teenager.  The surreal vocals and synthesizer of Damon Edge combined with the spacey guitar work of Helios Creed was irresistible. 

Damon started the band in San Francisco and released Chrome's debut The Visitation on his own Siren Records in 1976 (50 years ago!).  Helios joined for 1977's Alien Soundtracks. Edge & Creed experimented with recording techniques on that album and Half Machine Lip Moves (1979).  

Chrome then signed with Beggars Banquet and released Red Exposure, The rhythm section of John and Hilary Stench (formerly of Pearl Harbor & The Explosions) backed Damon and Helios on the next two albums, Blood On The Moon and 3rd From The Sun. 

Damon moved to France with his wife, Fabienne Shine (singer of Shakin' Street).  He formed a new Chrome lineup and released a series of albums between 1984 and 1994 (which have been collected on the Chrome Box II).  Helios Creed released his first solo album on Subterranean Records in 1985.  Later he found a home among like-minded folks at Amphetamine Reptile.

Damon died in 1995.  Helios and the Stench Brothers reunited under the Chrome name and began releasing new material, starting with 1997's Retro Transmission.  Helios Creed solo records continued to appear (often with his Chrome bandmates), and he also collaborated with Nik Turner on several projects.  He has also played with the Butthole Surfers and MGMT.  

2023's Blue Exposure may be the final Chrome album.  Helios is now 72 and was the beneficiary of a fundraiser last year to help pay for his care.  Buy some Chrome and Helios records from Bandcamp!

The best-known Chrome covers are Prong's version of "Third From The Sun" and the Jesus Lizard's medley "Chrome".  There's also a Chrome tribute album.  I've collected a variety of Chrome covers for today's share.  It's cool to see how Chrome has influenced metal bands, punks, industrial music, and noise rock.  Two recent covers that didn't make the cut are Imparity's version of "Third From The Sun" and last year's single by Anal Babes, with "Chromosome Damage" on the b-side.  

Chrome has also been sampled by Kendrick Lamar, Saul Williams, Billy Woods, Bradford Cox and Jim Thirlwell!  Hats off to Helios Creed, one of the gnarliest of all gnarly guitarists.