Squirrel Flower has shared a cover of Neil Young & Crazy Horse’s ‘Cortez the Killer’. Ella Williams recorded her version of the song, which originally appeared on Young’s 1975 album Zuma, live at Cheer Up Charlies in Austin, TX on March 15 as part of her set at the Stereogum & Topshelf Records Unofficial Showcase. She’s joined by alexalone’s Alex Peterson, Greg Freeman, Horse Jumper of Love’s Dimitri Giannopolous, and Truth Club’s Travis Harrington on guitar, Michael Cantella on bass, and Teethe’s Kai Wilde on drums. Listen below.
“I decided to cover ‘Cortez’ with my friends as a way to feel the power of community amidst the fascism surrounding us that week in Texas,” Williams explained in a statement. “I love Neil Young and his uncompromising convictions, so I thought this song would be the perfect expression against everything going on. I had the idea the day before the show. Alex offered up their practice space, we ran through it a few times, and then Dimitri and Greg joined the crew day-of. We put it all out there with this one. In the words of Neil, it was ‘one of the pleasures of my life to be able to be on this stage with these people.’”
Last year, Squirrel Flower released her latest album Tomorrow’s Fire, which she broke down track-by-track with us.
