Christopher Shayne loves Bob Dylan. As the frontman for his Arizona-based, eponymous band, Shayne can appreciate Dylan’s mastery.
And he admits Dylan covers outrank the original.
“Anytime someone takes one of his songs and redoes it, it ends up better than his,” says Shayne. “’All Along the Watchtower’ by Jimi Hendrix, ‘The Times They Are a-Changin” by Keb’ Mo’, and on and on.”
Perhaps it should be no surprise then that Shayne’s newest hit is a Southern rock take on “Bad Guy” the chart-topping song originally by Billie Eilish. ED Magazine spoke with Shayne — on behalf of StripJointsMusic.com — about his version of “Bad Guy”, livestreaming shows, and ping pong.
ED: What’s it like from a creative standpoint covering a song (“Bad Guy”) vs. making a song from scratch (“Give A Damn” for example)?
SHAYNE: When you listen to music and write music you hear a lot of different voices. It’s always been fun from a creative standpoint to take something someone else did and think “What would this sound like in my voice?” When you’re writing a song from scratch you already have some perspective on what you want to say and how to say it. “Give A Damn” — I already knew I wanted it to be this kind of “fuck you anthem” type song. Taking a song like “Bad Guy” and trying to transform it into what we are leads to a lot of different questions in your head as a creator.
ED: Is part of covering a song as popular as “Bad Guy” to win over new country listeners?
SHAYNE: Not necessarily. In country, Southern rock, and even rock in general, there’s a general tone to cover the standards. Like you’d expect us to do Lynyrd Skynyrd, the Eagles, etc. But the creative challenge we set for ourselves was to cover something recent. We wanted to see what some consider a pop song and do it our way. We listened to a bunch of modern pop songs to find it, but the moment I heard “Bad Guy,” I knew that was the one. Mainly because it used standard blues progressions.
Livestreaming is a fun challenge because it doesn’t give you a lot of time to think of stuff. I like the personal feel of it, but just thinking of constant content, especially in a world that’s a little copyright happy has been a unique difficulty! I watch these streamers and YouTubers for video games a lot and see A LOT of potential for bands and music as a whole to do regular content like that. — Christopher Shayne
ED: You have been playing regular streaming shows on Facebook Live and Youtube Live. What has that been like and do you have any shows planned in the future?
SHAYNE: We’re playing full band for the time together on Saturday! Livestreaming is a fun challenge because it doesn’t give you a lot of time to think of stuff. I like the personal feel of it, but just thinking of constant content, especially in a world that’s a little copyright happy has been a unique difficulty! I watch these streamers and YouTubers for video games a lot and see A LOT of potential for bands and music as a whole to do regular content like that. We’re still working out the details of what a band in that sphere looks like but we’re definitely going to make livestreaming a facet of this band!
ED: With a streaming show like you are doing for Phoenix Raceway — what kind of prep goes into playing this live stream concert as opposed to performing solo? How do both compare to performing in front of a live audience?
SHAYNE: Nothing replaces a live audience! Regardless of just the pure energy rush you get from feeding off of a crowd, there’s something incredibly empowering in commanding an audience. I love holding that crowd in the palm of my hand and coordinating a show for them and engaging in that conversation between artist and audience. I much prefer performing with my bandmates if only to remove one more thing I have to think of for the show: how’s the crowd doing, am I singing the right words, am I singing the right note, etc., so any time I can lean on my band members in front of an audience or on stream, I take it. And for a livestream like this, the challenge comes in the form of understanding the medium. We can’t do usual “live show” stuff because that isn’t what this is. I can’t yell “MAKE SOME NOISE” because … no one’s there. So we’re spending a lot of time working on how to approach a music live show with a TV audience.
ED: You’re successful enough that you have “people to keep track of (your) numbers”. Do you feel having a team makes things easier for you or more demanding?
SHAYNE: So much easier. I’ve done the self-management thing before and it just turns you cold, bitter, and an asshole towards everything. Now I can focus on writing and making better music and a better product instead of trying to keep everything on task. I can finally focus on the road in front of me instead of constantly checking the mirrors.
ED: I read you get into some competitive ping pong games, who’s the best ping pong player in the group? What do those matches look like?
SHAYNE: I think all of us take everything we do as a competition. Luckily we don’t take it seriously enough for it to be an issue but if you put some games and leisure stuff in front of us we will for sure go for the gold. Dave (Lansing, lead guitarist) crushes ping pong without a doubt, all though I’ve worked on my chops. I just gotta figure out that English on the ball!
ED: StripJoints services DJs at gentlemen’s clubs nationwide, so in your own words, why is your cover of “Bad Guy” a good choice to play at a gentlemen’s club? What would your reaction be if you went to a gentlemen’s club and your version was playing?
SHAYNE: This song has the best parts for dancing. The front half of the song has the charging beat that feels aggressive and in your face but when the second half hits, it’s immediately dirty, sexy, and steamy. It’s this perfect mix of the best of both worlds. Hearing my stuff in the club would probably be one of the biggest ego boosts EVER!
Check out “Bad Guy” and more on stripjointsmusic.com.
