Nancy Sinatra’s classic number These Boots Are Made for Walkin’ is a staple in retro soundtracks and karaoke joints around the world…but Los Angeles Dark Rock and Roll chanteuse Kate Clover’s searing duet cover with Warren Thomas breathes new life in their eerie version of the familiar track. Produced by Gregg Foreman (Cat Power, Delta 72, The Gossip) and Brandon Welchez (Crocodiles), the song is taken on a motorcycle ride to the Twin Peaks Roadhouse with its echoing vocals, rockabilly bass licks, and sultry guitar. It has the menacing snarl of The Cramps mixed with the melancholy of a Chris Isaak moment.
“The cover was heavily influenced by Suicide, Primal Scream, and The Gun Club,” says Clover. “I wanted to create a song that sounded as if Suicide produced a Nancy Sinatra and Lee Hazlewood song, but make it my own. The song is a duet with Warren Thomas, lead singer and founder of The Abigails who specialize in their own unique brand of Outlaw Country.”
Filmed at The Monty Bar, the video clip, directed by Ryan Rosewall, showcases the pair’s vocal talents by placing them quite literally on the stage in a dive bar populated by all sorts of characters, human, and crooning footwear. It’s a nice homage to Sinatra and Hazlewood themselves, as they step into the roles of their predecessors and lurch through the song in a dreamy, LA-Gothic interpretation.
Watch the video for “These Boots Are Made For Walkin’,” below:
Kate Clover is inspired by the City of Angels that raised her, exploring the intricacies of self-discovery, self-creation, and self-preservation in the impermanence of Tinseltown. With “live-wire energy and defiant fists raised in the air”, Clover’s music is the “rallying cry of a natural-born killer”.
Clover has always been attracted to the fringe, but her brother’s copy of photographer Glen E. Friedman’s book Fuck You Heroes gave Clover inspiration in the energy and intensity of his punk images. “I didn’t know what any of it meant yet,” she explains. “I was attracted to the rebellion I felt I shared with the subjects of his work. I connected to the bravery.” Determined to enter the fraternity of the artist, she submerged herself in the salvation of rock ‘n’ roll. With Patti Smith and Iggy Pop as her artistic North Stars, Clover mastered three chords and defected to art school. She cut her teeth playing in various projects but was determined to go solo, seeking independence and total control.
In need of self-discovery and an escape from her life in America, she parted ways with her musical projects and headed to Mexico City to write. Upon her return to the US she assembled a band and quickly carved out a space for herself in the LA scene. Earning a rep for explosive live shows, Clover spent 2019 hitting the road with Death Valley Girls, Crocodiles, King Dude, and SadGirl.
Kate Clover’s debut LP is due Spring 2022.
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