It was really a no-brainer to task the best live band in Portland to cover the best live band, period. For some reason, to me, it made total sense to ask Gaytheist if they would be willing to cover Rocket From the Crypt. I didn’t even know if they were fans, but if they weren’t that would be odd. Turns out they were huge fans and embraced the idea.
But just why does it make sense to pair these two groups? Let me start by asking ‘have you ever seen a Gaytheist show?’ If not, let me describe it- each member plays ridiculously good pouring every ounce of energy into their sets and they look like they’re having a hell of a good time doing it too. Their between-song banter is 100% of the time some of the most hilarious and quick-witted stuff you’ll ever hear. And to top it off, I just love this band. Every show is what you feel a band ought to do- make you excited, elicit joy, inspire movement, and leave the audience awestruck.
And that’s pretty much how I felt every time I got to see Rocket From the Crypt over the years. Every single time I saw them they were the best band ever- one song right after another, quick bursts of punk rock n’ roll (they invented it after all), incredible execution, and outrageous banter.
So, yeah. It becomes quite evident that Gaytheist picked up a thing or two from RFTC even though they generally don’t sound like it. While Rocket has a lot of great 1-2 punches in their catalog Gaytheist went with arguably their best one: the back-to-back of “Light Me” and “A+ In Arson Class” with Jason singing one of them and Tim doing the other. And not to relinquish their sense of humor in the process they played kazoos for the horn parts. I think it’s an excellent not-too-serious way to pay tribute to a band that has made being not-too-serious look flawless.
Stay tuned as a new Gaytheist full length album is imminent. These tracks won’t be on it but they serve partially as a way to let you all know that soon their next album will be out in the world.
Check out the cover(s) below
Jason Rivera, guitar/vocals Gaytheist:
“Nick was like 10 when Rocket From the Crypt's "State of Art is on Fire" EP came out, so he wasn't as familiar with these songs. Tim and I, however, have been lifelong fans. Been going to see them since like '93? A highlight for us was in 2014 when we got to play the Sled Island festival in Calgary and when our set was done we ran to the park and caught most of their set. Tim has a Rocket tattoo on his ankle. We fans.
Our only hesitation in covering RFTC was the fact that we are a 3-piece and they are a 6+ piece. Didn't want it to sound thin, as all RFTC songs should sound like a party. So we added kazoos, multiple guitar parts, and a healthy amount of back up vocals and yelling.
Finally, after we decided to cover Light Me, we realized Rocket never plays Light Me without immediately launching into A+ in Arson Class, so we did too.”
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