VIDEO PREMIERE: The Jerry Douglas Band Takes On Tom Waits With Funky Cover of “2:19”

When renowned Dobro and lap steel player Jerry Douglas started approaching his new studio album he wanted to do something different. Instead of drawing from the worlds of bluegrass and Americana, he found himself looking towards acts like the Weather Report and Chick Corea for inspiration. Douglas wanted to merge his jazz inclinations with the bluegrass, country, blues, swing, rock, and soul to create music that was different from anything he had done in the past. The result is What If, out on Rounder Records August 18.

Some of these songs have been previously recorded by Douglas, but with his current band he reinvents them with a rootsier, horn-driven sound. The album title seems to suggest that him and his band are up to something different, and with so many accomplishments under his belt Douglas has reached a comfortable place in his career where he can stretch out and have some fun. Ultimately, What If signals that after so many years and so many recordings, Douglas is still pushing the envelope and challenging himself to do new things with his music.

Today Glide Magazine is premiering the new music video for The Jerry Douglas Band’s rendition of “2:19”. The song is an interesting choice since it isn’t one of Waits’ best known tracks, being on his 2006 box set Brawlers, Bawlers, & Bastards. Essentially it is a blues tune and with Jerry Douglas and his talented band at the helm the song is loaded with twang, horns, and some damn fine solo work. It stands out for the heavy dose of funk and soul the band whips up. In a recent interview with No Depression, Douglas described the moment he heard the song and fell in love with it: “I was on a tour with Allison Krauss and Willie Nelson and I picked up the Brawlers, Bawlers, & Bastards box set which had ‘2:19’ on it and I just went crazy for that song. I love what the song says, and how tangled up and crazy it is – it sounds like me!”

WATCH:

The Jerry Douglas Band release What If on Rounder Records August 18th. For more music and info check out jerrydouglas.com.