Covering Up: The Marshall Pass Takes On Petty

We lost a lot in 2017. Perhaps one of the biggest losses to the world of art was that of Tom Petty. I’ll spare you all the words on how much he meant to the vast majority of us all…because you already know.

With that loss came a whole slew of new takes on covers of everything from his biggest hits to rarer B-sides. Craig Rawding and Duncan Arsenault didn’t go for the low hanging fruit here with their own rendition of “Mary Jane’s Last Dance” or “American Girl”, instead choosing tracks that are seemingly missing from all the “top Petty tracks” listings that poured out following his passing.

When I first heard The Marshall Pass there was a lot of emotion going on inside me. Their 2012 release was a “somber, sorrowful sounding record with so many colors and deep levels to it.” and they really manage to continue that vibe and feel to these two tributes. The layering of instrumentation and vocals crafts a soft and pillowed palette of sound that engulfs you in a comforting, but melancholy, sort of a way. There is a sadness that is, at the same time, sweet and pure in how it can evoke and pull feelings from your chest.

They have injected themselves into these songs and came out on the other side with something that is much more than a cover of a Tom Petty song, but a beautiful tribute to an artist the two musicians so obviously loved and appreciated. Where we are seeing so many tributes to our fallen hero these days that merely try and mimic the genius of this man, its a wonderful thing to have something fresh and compassionately felt by these two artists. Well worth your time, so give it a few streams below.