The Verbs Bring Cover Story February 24th

Steve Jordan, Meegan Voss, Willie Weeks & Tamio Okuda Celebrate the Music of The Kinks, Jessi Colter, John Fogerty, The Dave Clark Five, Badfinger, Clapton & more on New Album

The Verbs are a band founded by renowned drummer and producer Steve Jordan and Meegan Voss, frontwoman of cult band The Poptarts and CBGB regulars The Antoinettes, with bassist Willie Weeks (George Harrison, Eric Clapton, David Bowie) and Japanese legend Tamio Okuda on guitar.

Produced by Jordan and Voss, Cover Story (February 24 / Jay-Vee Records) is a collection of music the band loves from the 60s and 70s, sparked unexpectedly by Howard Stern’s love of the Verbs’ version of Neil Young’s “Only Love Can Break Your Heart.”

“For us, each piece of music is a work of art. On Cover Story the whole album is a vibe,” adds Jordan, a multiple Grammy winner and an Emmy winner for his musical direction who has produced, performed and written songs with Keith Richards (and the X-pensive Winos), Neil Young and John Mayer Trio. “All these songs have that energy that we can interpret in our own fashion and that’s really where it’s at for The Verbs. Even though it’s a wonderful album to listen to, the underlying current comes with a more renegade approach.”

All of the songs on Cover Story were hits; the band did not try to do interpret obscure music, but simply honor their favorites. Steve adds, “Even in the jazz tradition, you would cover a popular tune and make it your own. We played a few of these songs live in Japan on our last tour and the response was fantastic. Most of the audiences hadn’t heard these songs before but they just blended seamlessly with our original material. That was the confirmation for me.”

Collaborating with Steve has been Meegan’s first musical project since the heyday of CBGB’s, when the Antoinettes were managed by Hilly Kristal. “We were very psychedelic and grungy and nobody knew what to do with us,” she laughs. “I got fed up with the business and quit.”

“Meegan and I have a sound, when we just play guitar and drums, and it has a very special thing that I’m very excited about and that comes through in our music and on this album,” says Jordan, who encouraged Voss to make music again.

“I thought about what Steve wanted to do and what I wanted to do,” adds Meegan. “The biggest influences to me were really the great songwriters like Smokey Robinson; Holland, Dozier, Holland; John Lennon… I just love a great song and love writing with Steve.”

One of the highlights on Cover Story is the bright rave-up “Glad All Over” by the Dave Clark Five, a version already named “The Coolest Song in the World for 2014 on Little Steven’s Underground Garage. For Meegan, “It’s just a terrific song, a great happy song.” For Steve, it was about a childhood musical idol, the eponymous drummer who was at the forefront of the British Invasion alongside the Beatles. “Steve van Zandt introduced me to Dave Clark at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony in March of 2014. He asked me what drums I played on it. Amazing.”

The Verbs Cover Story

“Till the End of the Day” (The Kinks)
“Baby Blue” (Badfinger)
“Black Is Black” (Los Bravos)
“Easy Now” (Eric Clapton)
“United We Stand” (Brotherhood of Man)
“Glad All Over” (The Dave Clark Five)
“I Saw the Light” (Todd Rundgren)
“You Showed Me” (The Byrds / The Turtles)
“Have You Ever Seen the Rain” (Creedance Clearwater Revival)
“I’m Not Lisa” (Jessi Colter)