George W. Bush Cover Band
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George W. Bush Cover Band

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"Flagpole Magazine feature"

George W. Bush Cover Band -
Let us remove our partisan hats for a moment and recognize George W. Bush for what he truly is - our nation's greatest lyricist. It is unfortunate that our time to revel in his masterful wordplay has nearly come to an end, but luckily keen Athenian musician Dave Spivey picked up on Bush's presidential poetry and could not resist incorporating the words into elegant indie-rock tunes.
The George W. Bush Cover Band made its patriotic debut on July 4 at the Globe (where Spivey, drummer and cousin Brent Hedrick and bassist Matt Giordano are all employed). Spivey says the band provided a large poster with all of the lyrics, and the words nearly overshadowed the performance itself. The audience crowded around the lyric sheet, squinting to make out every detail and laughing in awe and amazement. Yes, it's true. Every phrase was spoken by Bush at some time. Spivey says for the next show he is planning a multimedia presentation so that the words, and possibly accompanying images, can be projected on a larger screen.

What could potentially take this project beyond novelty status is how well crafted the songs actually are. While the band keeps things fun, the emotion of Spivey's vocal delivery and the accompanying music are moving. "When the lyrics are more critical, we try to present him more as a tragic hero," says Spivey. "So, there are a couple ballads where he is really earnestly reaching out to his electorate. The more aggressive songs... like 'You bet I'll cut the taxes at the top!' we try to make really pumped-up rock."
When asked if our future president is likely to inspire a new project, Spivey is doubtful. "I don't think there will ever be as golden an opportunity to make songs out of quotes than from this president."
-Michelle Gilzenrat 9/10/08
- Michelle Gilzenrat - Flagpole Magazine - Athens, GA


"The George W. Bush Cover Band Takes One Last Stand"

Ah, the brilliant blunders President George W. Bush has bestowed on comics and detractors alike these last eight years. The waning chief might best be described as a lyrical gold mine.
And in a country as hot for its politics as its rock 'n' roll, W.'s words were ripe for some rockin'.
That, at least, was talk around the pub a little more than a year ago among Athens musicians Dave Spivey, Brent Hedrick and Matt Giordano, who work at The Globe. What started out as one of those "that-would-be-funny" conversations turned into bona fide tunes built around the words of the man himself.
The George W. Bush Cover Band was born.
That the George W. Bush Cover Band pretty much dies after today's election doesn't really matter to the players. "We weren't in it for a long-term gig," says Hedrick with a laugh.
• • •
Culled from Bush's speeches and the bevy of unfortunate turns-of-phrases so abundantly available on the Internet, the lyrics of the GWBCB read like W.'s "greatest hits."
There's the famed "Fool me once shame on you..." and "Give my chance a plan to work." And, of course, who can forget "You're working hard to put food on your family."
Surprising, though, is that the music isn't laughable at all. The GWBCB does not stoop to some corny, Texas-tinged twang.
Spivey (guitar, vocals, keyboards), a pianist who earned a music degree from Maryland's Towson University, says he and his band mates weren't interested in making "bad music."
"A lot of people thought it would be some kind of joke, with a country rock sound," he says, "but we just wanted to play some rock 'n' roll - we wanted to play music that would be fun for us to play."
The music's so good, in fact, the gimmick's proven a little confusing for people at the band's shows.
"A lot of people weren't at all clued in that these were all quotes from Bush," Spivey says.
"Dave sings it so straight," adds Hedrick (drums, vocals). "We always use the phrase 'tragic hero' - you know, anytime you see someone who's in over their head, you have a little empathy for them."
"Empathy under the rage," Spivey says.
• • •
Sitting in a downtown Athens coffee shop just days before the election, Spivey and Hedrick don't come off at all as surly or cynical.
The project really only got off the ground a few months ago, but they're ready to put it to rest - that is, after one very big last show to celebrate the release of the band's one and only CD, "Hits from the Oval Ranch."
Tonight, they'll take the stage at the 40 Watt, complete with their slideshow of funny Bush photos. People hankering for election results needn't shy away, though - Spivey says the show will be interspersed with televised election coverage on the big screen, and no doubt will be the most fun gig in town for the evening.
As for the future of the musicians, they've already got other projects cooking.
Spivey and Hedrick play together as the duo Olympus Mans as well as in One L; Hedrick plays in the Half Dozen Brass Band (who likely will join the trio on stage for a song tonight), and Spivey occasionally sits in with Cosmic Charlie.
That's all they can think of off the tops of their heads. And they may even break out some GWBCB tunes down the road. But they're hardly worried about their musical futures.
The future of the country, though, is something else. And it begins tonight.
Spivey worries: "If election results start coming in that McCain's winning, that would put a pretty lame mood on the party," he says.
"Nah," chimes in Hedrick. "I'm optimistic."
-Julie Phillips - Athens Banner-Herald


Discography

Hits from the Oval Ranch (released Nov. 4 2008)

Photos

Bio

We've misunderestimated the president. All those moments of perceived ignorance and irony have been taken in the simple context of his speeches. The truth is that Mr. Bush has actually been dropping quotes from his own rock 'n roll. Don't believe us? We've compiled a record of W's material salvaged from his fabled "Oval Ranch", and we've recorded our interpretations. We are but humble musicians. We offer something greater.