The Band of Heathens Enlist Butch Walker for Bob Seger Classic [Exclusive Premiere]
The Band of Heathens have teamed with Butch Walker for an energetic cover of a classic hit from Bob Seger, and Taste of Country readers get to hear it first in this audio exclusive. Press play on the track below to hear their new rendition of "Night Moves."
The Austin-based roots-rock group stays mostly true to the intent of Seger's original recording, which served as the title song of his ninth studio album in 1976. Seger's iconic coming-of-age tale scored him a No. 4 hit in the Billboard Hot 100 and helped him make the transition from a big regional act to national stardom, setting him on the road to what subsequently became one of the biggest careers of his generation.
Walker joins the band on the track, which appears on the Band of Heathens' upcoming album, Remote Transmissions Volume One. The album is set to drop on Feb. 25, and it features an eclectic slate of guest stars joining the group for an album of covers that includes tracks from the Rolling Stones, the Temptations, Lucinda Williams, Marty Robbins and more.
In addition to Walker, Margo Price, Todd Snider, Ray Wylie Hubbard, Hayes Carll and more add their signature vocal styles to the various tracks.
The project is rooted in a series of remote live shows the band staged during the COVID-19 pandemic to keep fans engaged.
“I think our survival instinct just kicked in,” guitarist-vocalist Ed Jurdi says. “There was a calling for connection and return to some kind of normalcy, which meant getting together with the guys in the band and collaborating, finding a medium to be creative. The onset of the pandemic made us say, 'How do we create things and share them with our audience?' It was nice to be able to use music as a connective thread and something that's healing. We were doing it for ourselves, but the greatest benefit was how it created this community for us to hang out with our fans.”
“Everyone was scared and uncertain about what was happening, so the show was like a release, where we all connected and forgot about the stuff going on around us," guitarist-vocalist and fellow founding member Gordy Quist agrees. "We couldn't play music together in the same room, so it was like trading songs, having a drink segment, we were even reading Shakespeare — just doing totally ridiculous things. At some point, we decided to bring in guests for an interview, and that turned into, 'Hey, let's pre-record a music video of a cover song with each of them.'”
The Band of Heathens released the first single from the album, featuring Ray Wylie Hubbard's take on “Papa Was a Rollin’ Stone,” in October of 2021. The second single in December saw Nick Bluhm join the musicians for "Tumbling Dice."
Remote Transmissions Volume One is currently available for pre-order, with various special packages including vinyl, special merchandise, apparel and more.
Remote Transmissions Volume One Track Listing:
1. "Rock and Roll Doctor" (w/ James Petralli)
2. "Tumbling Dice" (w/ Nicki Bluhm)
3. "Papa Was a Rollin’ Stone" (w/ Ray Wylie Hubbard)
4. "Joy" (w/ Margo Price)
5. "L.A. Freeway" (w/ Todd Snider)
6. "Night Moves" (w/ Butch Walker)
7. "Walls" (w/ Robert Ellis)
8. "The Man in Me" (w/ Hayes Carll)
9. "El Paso City" (w/ Mark Wystrach)
10. "You Got the Silver" (w/ Charlie Starr)