Scary Pockets funkify pop classics (with Lizzy McAlpine)
Scary Pockets is the musical collective that has been transforming pop classics into funk anthems for over half a decade. Each week they release a new cover on YouTube featuring razor-sharp instrumentalists and a rotating cast of virtuosic lead singers. Amazingly, each of their 200-plus covers is arranged on the fly, in a span of about 90 minutes\u2014capturing the talent and spontaneity of a group of musicians at the top of their game. We here at Switched on Pop were struck by the band's ability to infuse familiar songs with syncopation and backbeat, and rack up millions of views in the process, so we\xa0reached out to Scary Pockets's leaders\u2014guitarist Ryan Lerman and keyboardist Jack Conte\u2014to arrange for Nate and Reanna to be flies on the wall during their creative process. After documenting the behind-the-scenes dialogue that led to a slow-burning interpretation of the Bee Gees's 1977 classic "Staying Alive," we called up Ryan, Jack, and the song's lead vocalist, Lizzy McAlpine, to hear their insights on making a song that everyone knows sound fresh and unfamiliar\xa0\n\nSongs Discussed\nBee Gees - Staying Alive (Scary Pockets Cover)\nPaul McCartney and Wings - Arrow Through Me (Scary Pockets Cover)\nBeatles - Maxwell's Silver Hammer\nColdplay - Fix You (Scary Pockets Cover)\nParcels - Tieduprightnow\nBill Withers - Just the Two of Us (Scary Pockets Cover)\nJustin Bieber - Peaches (Lizzy McAlpine Cover)\n\nMore on Scary Pockets\nWatch the video of Scary Pockets and Lizzy McAlpine covering "Staying Alive"\nSee them LIVE with David Ryan Harris & John Scofield, November 16 at Echoplex in Los Angeles!\xa0Tickets\nSubscribe to their YouTube Channel:\xa0https://www.youtube.com/scarypockets\nMerch Store:\xa0https://www.scarypocketsfunk.com\nPatreon:\xa0https://www.patreon.com/scarypockets\nListen on Spotify:\xa0Scary Pockets\nInstagram: @scarypockets\xa0\n\nMusician Credits:\nVocals: Lizzy McAlpine\nBGVs: Sophia James, Arielle Kasnetz\nGuitar: Ryan Lerman, Will Graefe\nWurlitzer & Synth: Jack Conte\nBass: Travis Carlton\nDrums: RJ Kelly\nAudio: Engineered & mixed by Caleb Parker\nLearn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices