As we all know, Milwaukee is home to the world’s only lap steel metal band, Velocihamster. We’ve covered the unlikely group in these digital pages many times before, telling you that a.) Velocihamster is the project of local lap steel guitarist Sean Williamson, and b.) Velocihamster totally rules. Last year, the progressive-rock “slidecore” outfit released a nine-track covers album called Uncaged. (Lap steel takes on Motörhead’s “Ace Of Spaces” and Sneaker Pimps’ “6 Underground” are included.)
Now, roughly three months after paying tribute to his father with a rendition “Money” by Pink Floyd, Williamson is back with another unexpected and altogether awesome cover. This time around, it’s Mr. Mister’s soft-rock banger “Broken Wings” that gets the lap steel treatment.
“I’m hell-bent on extending steel guitar to musical eras, styles, and genres you probably wouldn’t expect to hear the instrument,” Williamson says in a press release. “I’m proud to add this ’80s classic to an already diverse catalog of metal-inspired lap steel mania. With this track, I’ve also earned my first credit as a drummer.”
Actually, beyond some fretless bass accompaniment from longtime collaborator Matt Turner (whose work you might also know from projects like Static Chicken and Greg Koch), Williamson played everything on the track. If you ask us, Velocihamster’s version of “Broken Wings” is a uniquely wonderful take on a song you probably know and love from decades of play on the radio, countless karaoke performances, and all of the sex scenes from MacGruber.
Don’t just take our word for it, though! Learn to fly again, learn to live so free, and listen to the best (and likely only) lap steel cover of Mr. Mister’s “Broken Wings” now.
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