On May 31st, 2019 prolific psychedelic rock trailblazer, Roky Erickson, passed away at age 71. One of the many artists he inspired with his extraordinary work is Chelsea Wolfe, who came up with a very intimate, acoustic rendition of Erickson's classic, Night of the Vampire. The song and video also give an idea of the upcoming acoustic record Wolfe has been working on for the past few months.
She writes on Instagram: "I've been stuck in a bit of a personal cage lately, feeling like I couldn't share things that didn't feel highly polished. It was starting to become a source of anxiety for me, as I have a new album I'm announcing soon, and wanted to be able to share intimate moments from the creation of the record in my home, as well as stripped down versions of the songs, but haven't felt like any of it was "good enough." Today I got home from a long drive after hanging out with good friends until 4 in the morning, and learned that Roky had passed. He's always been one of my favorites, and this song has been on my mind to cover for a while now, so it just seemed right: record it, share it. don't overthink it, don't worry about it being perfect. Yea, I could do a more polished version, but this is the way it came out naturally, and I was shaking afterward, always a sign that I've opened up to something beyond myself. Thank you Roky, for setting me free."
Photo by John Crawford
Chelsea Wolfe Bandcamp | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
ZR