For these bands, cover songs are the sincerest form of flattery

Every band has a musician or group that has profoundly impacted its sound. Where would The Beatles be without Buddy Holly? Or Nirvana sans Led Zeppelin?

One regional and three local bands pay tribute to musicians they admire at the Archer Avenue Studio Showcase on Friday, March 18 at New Brookland Tavern.

Ben Walker, Ghosts Of The Kodiak, Dempsey and Muscle Memory will perform. Each band has recorded one cover song by a musician or group who influenced them. They’ll release a four-song EP on the night of the show, and everyone who attends will get a free download of it.

The “point of doing these showcases is to bring bands together who have recorded at our studio,” said Archer Avenue Studio manager Kenny McWilliams. “There really is a huge community of people and bands who have worked with us, and it’s fun to bring a few of them together and help them promote a show that is exciting and different than a ‘normal show.’ ”

The covers the bands picked are a secret until the night of the performance, but Go Columbia asked them to explain why they picked what they did, and to give a little hint as to who they chose.

Muscle Memory

From: Columbia

Guitarist/singer David Adedokun said: “I chose my artist because he shows you can take a place where differing styles converge and build a castle of a song there – something so grand and inviting that it transcends the times and styles it was born out of.”

Hint: Any cover of this mega pop star and pop culture icon is sure to give you a thrill.

Dempsey

From: Columbia

Singer Zach Santiago said: “The artist we chose to cover is one we all grew up listening to. Although we all have different musical backgrounds, this artist in particular was one we all connected with at one point in our lives. We may not mirror them musically, but the ethereal, atmospheric instrumentation and cathartic lyricism of this song has always been inspirational.”

Hint: This band from Washington has a cherished backlog of emotional tunes rooted in the mid-2000s.

Ghosts of the Kodiak

From: Sumter (now Charlotte)

Guitarist/singer Caleb Smith said: “I feel like I kind of learned how to write songs by listening to this artist’s songs. Above all, he taught me that you can be smart lyrically without diluting any of the emotional intensity that’s there in that initial moment, when the song first comes to you. The magnitude of his influence on our generation of alt. rock artists is hard to beat, which is evidenced even in the very local context of this EP.”

Hint: This indie rock singer channels sadness into amazing songs. He’s the lead singer in his own band, as well as the other half of an electronica duo.

Ben Walker

From: Columbia

Singer Ben Walker said: “When we talked about doing a cover song, we really didn’t know what direction to go. We all love bands like Jimmy Eat World and Weezer, but wanted to find a song that fit our style. We like to be loud and aggressive, but most of our songs started with a simple songwriter approach that would work well in a solo performance, as well as a three-piece band. Kenny (McWilliams) suggested one of his favorite bands, and I didn’t think we’d be able to find a song that worked, but I threw out one of my favorite songs by that band as a joke, and everyone loved the idea. I was honestly scared of it until I sat down with my guitar and learned it. It just made sense. I’ve always loved this song, and now it takes everything I’ve got to keep from playing it for everyone. We’re really excited about the 18th so we can stop keeping this secret.”

Hint: The British rock legends in this band first became popular with grungy American college kids in the ’90s, but soon the country – and the world – woke up to their talent.

This story was originally published March 16, 2016 at 4:01 AM.