Smitt E. Smitty & The Fezztones Cover David Bowie

Photo by Smitt E. Smitty

This year marks the fiftieth anniversary of David Bowie's iconic "Rebel Rebel," so Boston's Smitt E. Smitty & The Fezztones have released their own cover of the song. Somehow this cover is both faithful to the original and a complete bizarro reworking of it. Smitt E. Smitty & The Fezztones make their version a little less glam and a little more garage rock, but not by much. Of course, at times it has its very own style of glam, so maybe it's not less glam just... different? It's a more raw and strange version that is going to anger some Bowie fans but delight the true fans, because who really wants a note for note Bowie cover?

Smitt E. Smitty says of his band's David Bowie cover:

“I have wanted to cover this David Bowie song for quite some time,” Smitty says. “Long before he passed away in 2016. We did a version of ‘Panic in Detroit’ for our debut live performance at ONCE in Somerville. We did it again in Detroit at The Detroit All-Star Garage Rock Punk Revue III. The song killed. But I wanted to do a different Bowie song for our performance at the Jamaica Plain Music Festival in 2019. This version of ‘Rebel Rebel’ is ostensibly the version we played live for that event. It came off wonderfully. I knew then and there, I wanted to record it.”

You can watch the video for Smitt E. Smitty & The Fezztones' cover of "Rebel Rebel" below. For more on the band, check them out on Facebook and Instagram.

Smitt E. Smitty & The Feztones - "Buzzkill Baby"

Boston's Smitt E. Smitty & The Feztones make weirdo rock and roll. The band's latest single, "Buzzkill Baby," falls on the heavier side of rock without being metal, punk, or even hard rock. It's a bombastic cut with more of a choir than gang vocals, and more than its fair share of groove. It combines the proto-punk of Smitty's hometown of Detroit with the anything goes rock and humor of Frank Zappa and the lighthearted vibes of They Might Be Giants. It's a weird song that is still firmly rooted in rock without being a true novelty song. It's a special kind of skill to go this deep into the world of fun or weird without getting zany, and Smitt E. Smitty & The Feztones deftly pull this off.

Smitt E. Smitty says of his band's new song:

“There are endless numbers of ‘buzzkills’ we all suffer through everyday, but if I had to pick one, it would be people who are obsessed with being ‘right’ all the time. In the grand scheme of things, being ‘right’ counts for very little. If being ‘right’ means pushing people away, and being generally disagreeable and unpleasant to be around, what have you gained? Nothing. Let it go. There are bigger and more beautiful things in this world.”

You can watch the video for "Buzzkill Baby" below. Smitt E. Smitty & The Feztones will release their debut album later this year. For more on the band, check out their website.