Scary Pockets funkify pop classics (with Lizzy McAlpine)

Switched on Pop

Vox Media Podcast Network

Music Interviews, Music History, Music, Music Commentary

4.6 • 2.7K Ratings

🗓️ 1 November 2022

⏱️ 33 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Scary Pockets is the musical collective that has been transforming pop classics into funk anthems for over half a decade. Each week they release a new cover on YouTube featuring razor-sharp instrumentalists and a rotating cast of virtuosic lead singers. Amazingly, each of their 200-plus covers is arranged on the fly, in a span of about 90 minutes—capturing the talent and spontaneity of a group of musicians at the top of their game. We here at Switched on Pop were struck by the band's ability to infuse familiar songs with syncopation and backbeat, and rack up millions of views in the process, so we reached out to Scary Pockets's leaders—guitarist Ryan Lerman and keyboardist Jack Conte—to arrange for Nate and Reanna to be flies on the wall during their creative process. After documenting the behind-the-scenes dialogue that led to a slow-burning interpretation of the Bee Gees's 1977 classic "Staying Alive," we called up Ryan, Jack, and the song's lead vocalist, Lizzy McAlpine, to hear their insights on making a song that everyone knows sound fresh and unfamiliar Songs Discussed Bee Gees - Staying Alive (Scary Pockets Cover) Paul McCartney and Wings - Arrow Through Me (Scary Pockets Cover) Beatles - Maxwell's Silver Hammer Coldplay - Fix You (Scary Pockets Cover) Parcels - Tieduprightnow Bill Withers - Just the Two of Us (Scary Pockets Cover) Justin Bieber - Peaches (Lizzy McAlpine Cover) More on Scary Pockets Watch the video of Scary Pockets and Lizzy McAlpine covering "Staying Alive" See them LIVE with David Ryan Harris & John Scofield, November 16 at Echoplex in Los Angeles! Tickets Subscribe to their YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/scarypockets Merch Store: https://www.scarypocketsfunk.com Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/scarypockets Listen on Spotify: Scary Pockets Instagram: @scarypockets Musician Credits: Vocals: Lizzy McAlpine BGVs: Sophia James, Arielle Kasnetz Guitar: Ryan Lerman, Will Graefe Wurlitzer & Synth: Jack Conte Bass: Travis Carlton Drums: RJ Kelly Audio: Engineered & mixed by Caleb Parker Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	This podcast is brought to you by Dash Hudson.
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0:47.0	Welcome to Switched On Pop.
0:48.4	I'm musicologist Nate Sloan, and I'm a simple man.
0:51.9	I see funky music, I click.
0:54.0	And that's what happened back in 2018 when I spotted a YouTube video thumbnail
0:59.0	with the title, say a little prayer, Aritha Franklin funk cover featuring Kenton Chen.
1:18.7	I was immediately taken by the way this cover infused the original
1:21.5	with syncopation and backbeat and racked up millions of views in the process.
1:26.0	And I've been a fan of the band behind the cover, Scary Pockets, ever since.
1:31.3	Each week, they post delicious funk covers to YouTube,
1:34.6	featuring a rotating band of studio musicians and highlighting new lead singers on most tracks.
1:39.7	And what's most amazing, they create each cover in just 90 minutes.
1:43.6	So fast forward four years and almost 200 covers later.
1:47.9	And I reached out to Scary Pockets leaders, guitarist Ryan Lerman,
	...

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