Alien Ant Farm Deliver Cameo-Filled Video for Wham! Cover
Back in 2001, Alien Ant Farm scored one of their biggest hits, pulling out a cover of an '80s favorite — Michael Jackson's "Smooth Criminal." In 2020, they're heading back to the '80s, this time covering Wham!'s 1984 single "Everything She Wants," and they're inviting their friends to join them.
Even though we're in self-isolating times, Alien Ant Farm still managed to land cameos from a number of their peers in the rock and metal industry for this super fun clip showing the trials and tribulations of home life.
Guitarist Terry Corso tells us, "We’d been working on our first record in 6 years when the lockdown hit and basically halted all production. Luckily, we had a handful of songs recorded, mixed and ready to go, including our version of ‘Everything She Wants’ by Wham! The cover seemed like an obvious choice to inject some fun and happiness into a world that could really use it. To sweeten the deal, we figured why not ask fans, friends and family to film themselves having a little fun while quarantined/social distancing and send it to us for the video. The result is a cool experiment in people being apart and sending the clear message that we’re all in this together."
The cameo list is quite fun. See if you're able to pick out Anthrax's Charlie Benante, P.O.D. frontman Sonny Sandoval, 311's Nick Hexum, Lit's Ajay Popoff, Butcher Babies' Carla Harvey, Hoobastank's Doug Robb and Dan Estren, Hyro the Hero, Drowning Pool's CJ Pierce, Black Dahlia Murder's Alan Cassidy, Taproot's Jarrod Montague, Crazy Town's Shifty Shellshock, Insane Clown Posse's Violent J and Shaggy 2 Dope, Fiction Plane's Joe Sumner, SHVPES' Grant Knight, Zedd and plenty more guests from the worlds of sports and entertainment.
Corso says, "Getting cameos for the video was a lot of fun. Over the years we’ve made so many friends and colleagues and the ones that always seem to end up being life-long, are the ones that don’t take themselves too seriously. So when we asked everyone to get weird with it and join in on the fun the response was good."
Speaking on the decision to cover Wham's Make It Big single, Corso added, "As with any cover we take on, it usually starts with us being huge fans of the song and or the artist. The original Wham! version of ‘Everything She Wants’ is extremely heavy. It’s sonic, soulful and has great subject matter. I think we are a bit drawn to syncopated synth bass lines. They translate well to chunky guitars. I think just like with 'Smooth Criminal,' it was about keeping the attitude in place and maybe even taking it a little further. At the same time playing into the raw simplicity of the riffs and arrangement while beefing up the guitar somehow makes it a whole different beast of a song."
As far as their future plans, the band does have an upcoming live show virtually taking place at the Whisky-a-go-go in Los Angeles. "We live in this wait and watch world at the moment. So I think this online performance at the world famous Whiskey A Go Go in Hollywood is going to be an experiment in what could be the new norm," says Corso. "Everyone is having to get creative and outside the box as far as facilitating material to fans. I think this is a pretty intriguing situation and I’m excited at the notion of playing one show that people all over the planet can participate in." Get your tickets here for the July 11 performance.
And as stated, the band is working on a new album, which they expect to release via Megaforce Records. The guitarist adds, "Getting back on the road would be great. Maybe even keep developing our drink line with Packinghouse Brewing Co. We’ve been trying to write music during the lockdown. Suddenly, everything now is about video, so there’s a lot of that going on. Front yard golfing. Home projects. Etc. Keeping loved ones safe and trying not to go crazier than we already are."
If you're digging the cover of Alien Ant Farm's "Everything She Wants," pick it up here.
Alien Ant Farm + Friends, "Everything She Wants"
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