Photo Credit: Alexa Nikol Curran
The Bird and The Bee release “Hot For Teacher,” a cover of one of many hits off Van Halen’s 1984 and the final song released by the pioneering rock group’s original lineup. The Bird and the Bee’s distinctive take on the song is sans guitar and with an unmistakable spoken word cameo from Beck.
The track also features legendary drummer, Omar Hakim known for his work with David Bowie, Sting, Daft Punk, Weather Report, Madonna, Kate Bush and more. Listen to “Hot For Teacher ft. Beck.”
This is the third song the duo of singer Inara George and multi-instrumentalist Greg Kurstin have released from Interpreting the Masters Volume 2: A Tribute to Van Halen, a collection of covers of some of the most massive and wild songs from David Lee Roth-era Van Halen. The album is out August 2 on No Expectations / Release Me Records.
Pre-order the album on iTunes here. Special vinyl details below.
LISTEN TO “HOT FOR TEACHER FT. BECK” HERE
“The Bird and The Bee bring unforeseen angles to the Van Halen song book. Makes sense because, like Eddie Van Halen, Greg is a kind of musical wunderkind in his own right and Inara’s vocals bring a cool counterpart to Diamond Dave’s pyrotechnics,” observes Beck. “Making a cameo on their version of ‘Hot for Teacher’ felt like an extension of the kind of riffing and fooling around we do in the studio on a normal session.” Kurstin and Beck are and have been collaborators since the Sea Change-era with Kurstin also having produced the Grammy-winning album Colors.
The Bird and The Bee will embark on a 15 – date North American tour kicking off in Los Angeles’ John Anson Ford Amphitheater. This special one-off performance will feature help from Dave Grohl on drums and Justin Meldal-Johnsen on bass.
In addition to “Hot for Teacher,” the band recently shared their new-wavey, fever dream rework of “Ain’t Talking ‘Bout Love,” from Van Halen’s 1978 self-titled debut, following shortly after the band shared their cover of “Panama,” a song where Kurstin’s lush piano work replaces the revved-up guitar riffs of the original.
Interpreting the Masters Volume 2: A Tribute to Van Halen is the second volume in a series of homage albums, the first being 2010’s Interpreting the Masters, Volume 1: A Tribute to Daryl Hall and John Oates. With the release of Interpreting the Masters, Vol. 2, The Bird and the Bee hope to spread that near-lifelong Van Halen love to a whole new crop of listeners.
VNYL will also release Interpreting the Masters Volume 2: A Tribute to Van Halen as a limited edition on 180 gram smoke vinyl with gatefold jacket, picture insert and a surprise bonus track. Subscribers of The Bird and the Bee’s email newsletter will be first to know when the pre-order launches this July.
Following the August 2 Los Angeles performance, the tour continues sans Greg, with stops in Chicago, Brooklyn, Atlanta and more before culminating in a performance on August 30 at Rickshaw Stop in San Francisco.
Supporting Inara for these dates, and playing in her band, will be Alex Lilly and Samantha Sidley. Barbara Gruska and Vikram Devasthali will be playing in each act, the former on drums and the latter playing guitar and trombone, while Inara will be taking on singing duties in the opening acts, as well. See all dates below and be sure to sign up for the band’s mailing list HERE.