Just a wild prediction here, but Paul Simon’s Graceland will most likely influence bands and artists for many years to come. Personally, I would be hard pressed to name 25 or 30 better albums, and Simon’s not even necessarily one of my favorite musicians. It’s just that Graceland is almost a perfect work of art.
For Louisiana’s GIVERS, it’s already made its mark.
“Our connection to Graceland is the fact that most of us grew up with that album in our household,” explains vocalist and guitarist Taylor Guarisco. “It’s probably made its way into our subconscious and it’s influenced the way we play as a band.”
Here’s Guarisco and his fellow GIVERS, along with Dickie Landry and the Lost Bayou Ramblers, covering Simon’s “That Was Your Mother.” It’s their contribution to commemorate the 25th anniversary of Graceland, which will be released as a special CD/DVD/LP box set on June 5th.