Venues
Events
VideoMusic
Tribute Band of the Week
The Sons & Heirs cover the Smiths
From L-to-R: Ronnissey, Kevin Joyce and Ravi Marr (Photo: The Sons & Heirs, via Flickr)
| | More
Every week, Encore will highlight a tribute band with an upcoming show in New York City. Today’s installment: The Sons & Heirs covering Manchester’s finest, the Smiths.
The level of idolization Mr. Stephen Patrick Morrissey receives is nearly Biblical. A prized possession of a friend of mine is part of Morrissey’s shirt that he tore off when the former-Smiths’ frontman threw it into the crowd. This was a few years ago, and the thing still smells like sweat. Anyways…people really like the Smiths a lot, especially Morrissey (no disrespect to guitarist Johnny Marr, bassist Andy Rourke and drummer Mike Joyce). But few like them enough to start a tribute band, unless you’re the Sons & Heirs.
The NYC-based group is made up of Ronnissey, Ravi Marr, Gregg Rourke, and Kevin Joyce, and it’s quite uncanny how good they are at sounding like their idols (check out this performance of “William, It Was Really Nothing”). Their attempt is to “authentically recreate the experience of seeing the Smiths live during their brief touring career (’82-’86)…This means we faithfully follow the band’s live arrangements, shunning any artistic liberties that a musician may be tempted to indulge in when covering a song.” They even recreate the Smiths’ unique stage presense with “attention to detail, right down to the last gladioli left on stage when the band is through.”
Encore spoke to Ronnissey a few days before the band’s upcoming show at Brooklyn Bowl. Not only will the Sons & Heirs perform this Saturday at 11:30 p.m., but there will also be a DJ set from Andy Rourke, an actual Smith! And tickets, which can be purchased here, only cost $5.
When did you first begin listening to the Smiths?
I didn’t really start listening to the Smiths until I was asked to join the Sons & Heirs. I know that must sound strange, but up until then, the only exposure I had to the Smiths was through my older sister. She was a big Smiths/Morrissey fan, and every time I walked passed her bedroom I was forced to hear whatever Smiths song she had decided to play, over and over on that given day…
What initially attracted you to the band?
I think it was strictly curiosity that initially attracted me to the Smiths. I was singing in an original band before I joined the Sons & Heirs, and at every show we played, there was always a crowd of people who would start calling out for us to play Smiths songs. A lot of people were telling me that my singing style and sound of my voice was similar to Morrissey’s, so I wasn’t entirely surprised. But what I couldn’t understand was the fact that these people had such a devotion to the Smiths that they would come out and see us with the hopes of maybe hearing a Smiths song. That kind of devotion to a band impressed me and forced me to go out buy my first Smiths CD.
How did the idea of starting a tribute band come about?
There was a guy in Brooklyn who apparently thought he sang like Morrissey. Through Craigslist, he found Jonny, Ravi and Kevin. After rehearsing with him, they realized that the band had something special, but he wasn’t cutting it, so they set out to find to find another “Morrissey.” They put an add on Craiglist, and oddly enough, my girlfriend answered it (in my behalf)… She was a big Smiths fan and thought that it would be “a good fit for me.” I reluctantly went to the audition—and got the gig! At that point, I still wasn’t a big Smiths fan, but after a few rehearsals, I was hooked. That’s when I started to develop a real appreciation for the Smiths and Morrissey.
How long did it take you to be able to impersonate Morrissey?
That’s a really difficult question. I always felt that Morrissey was trying to convey how he felt when he performed his songs live. I try to do the same thing. I like to express myself when I’m on stage, in a way that conveys what these songs mean to me.
Have you heard from any members of the Smiths about the Sons & Heirs?
We had the pleasure of playing with Andy Rourke back in January. He joined us on stage for a song at the Bellhouse. It was a great experience. I felt like it validated what we were doing. We also had the pleasure of playing with Spencer Cobrin, Morrissey’s drummer from 1991-1998.
Favorite Smiths album?
Meat is Murder
Favorite song?
“I Don’t Owe You Anything”
Least favorite?
“Work Is a Four-Letter Word” [ED NOTE: A song so bad it's not even on YouTube]
And lastly: will the Smiths ever reunite?
We can only hope….