I know a bluegrass version of “Run to Paradise” sounds pretty far out, but open your ears and your minds to this cover from Melbourne’s Mustered Courage. Featuring none other than Mark Gable, it’s the cover you never knew you needed to hear.
It all came about after Mark had a chance meeting with the band during the 2012 Country Music Festival in Tamworth. He praised their work, and a fast friendship was formed.
“Being a young band and our first ever trip to the Festival, it really meant a lot to us,” explained guitarist Julian Abrahams. Their paths crossed paths for several years until the band “mustered the courage” to ask Mark to sit in on one of their sets in 2014. The crowd went wild, and they knew they were onto something special.
“The chord progression lends itself very well to the traditional bluegrass sound so it made a lot of sense and Aussies love this bloody song and we loved delivering a version that the country and bluegrass people could get into as well. That audience absolutely brought the house down after we played it with Mark.”
“Mustered Courage fans are no strangers to us doing left of centre cover versions, so we think this should be a nice addition to our repertoire. Maybe even a new country anthem that opens the doors of Aussie rock fans to a genre they don’t yet know they love. Time will tell … bluegrass paradise.”
It’s very different, but I think this cover is genius. How about you?
Image used with permission from AAA Entertainment