The Bird and the Bee Give Van Halen Classics an Indie Pop Spin

What would have happened if Eddie Van Halen's '80s keyboard fascination had manifested itself a decade earlier? Or what if David Lee Roth's machismo was swapped for the angelic vocals of a female singer? You might get an inkling of that with The Bird and the Bee's reimagining of Van Halen classics for their latest release.

The indie pop duo of Inara George and Greg Kurstin are offering a second volume of musical tributes, following their take on Hall and Oates, by giving the hard rocking heroes of Van Halen a musical makeover.

The band just released the second song, their cover of Van Halen's "Ain't Talking 'Bout Love," in advance of the Aug. 2 street date for Interpreting the Masters Vol. 2: A Tribute to Van Halen. While it may seem like a bit of a reach for the somewhat ethereal pair, keep in mind that Kurstin has worked frequently in the rock world as a producer, most famously lending his talents to Foo Fighters' 2017 album Concrete and Gold.

“When I want to listen to hard-rock music there’s still nothing that hits me like they do,” said Kurstin in a statement. “Every time I hear them it takes me back to when I first found them on the radio, and it felt so dangerous to me—like they were from a whole other world. It would be so great if people who would never usually listen to Van Halen heard this record, and then ended falling in love with them too.”

In addition to "Ain't Talking 'Bout Love," the pair previously released their bouncy take on the 1984 classic "Panama." Both songs can be heard below and you can download or stream the tracks here and here.

Meanwhile, The Bird and the Bee will be hitting the road in August. The first show on the tour will feature an assist from Dave Grohl on drums and Beck's Justin Meldal-Johnsen on bass for the Los Angeles crowd, before George fills out the lineup with a backing band for the rest of the run. Dates can be found below.

The Bird and the Bee, "Ain't Talking 'Bout Love"

The Bird and the Bee, "Panama"

The Bird and the Bee 2019 Tour Dates

Aug. 2 – Los Angeles, Calif. @ John Anson Ford Theater
Aug. 11 – St. Paul, Minn. @ Turf Club
Aug. 12 – Chicago, Ill. @ Sleeping Village
Aug. 14 – Pittsburgh, Pa. @ Mr. Smalls Theatre
Aug. 15 – Providence, R.I. @ Columbus Theatre
Aug. 16 – Philadelphia, Pa. @ World Cafe Live
Aug. 17 – Brooklyn, N.Y. @ Elsewhere
Aug. 20 – Carrboro, N.C. @ Cat’s Cradle
Aug. 21 – Atlanta, Ga. @ Aisle 5
Aug. 22 – Birmingham, Ala. @ The Saturn
Aug. 24 – Dallas, Texas @ Trees
Aug. 25 – Austin, Texas @ Parish
Aug. 28 – Phoenix, Ariz. @ Crescent Ballroom
Aug. 29 – San Diego, Calif. @ Casbah
Aug. 30 – San Francisco, Calif. @ Rickshaw Stop

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