A bluesy, groovy, classic slice of rock n’ roll history, Hollis Brown’s Rolling Stones cover “Don’tcha Bother Me” is a sweet jam that seamlessly showcases the band’s talents, while honoring the song’s origins.
“Don’tcha Bother Me (The Rolling Stones cover)” – Hollis Brown
A bluesy, groovy, classic slice of rock n’ roll history, Hollis Brown’s latest release is a sweet jam that seamlessly showcases the band’s talents, while honoring the song’s origins. The Rolling Stones’ “Doncha Bother Me” is dynamic, unrepentant, and resentful: A denial of the band’s rising fame, fortune and acclaim, circa 1966. Fifty-six years later, Hollis Brown inject their own electric energy into “Don’tcha Bother Me,” getting their ya-ya’s out while paying homage through raw, bluesy rock charm.
I said, “Oh no, doncha follow me no more.”
I said, “Oh no, doncha follow me no more.”
Well I’m looking for my face
And I got no place to go
I said, “Oh no, doncha follow me no more.”
I said, “Oh no, doncha follow me no more.”
Well, pick your own mind
And don’t touch mine no more
Covers are always a tricky thing to pull off, but Hollis Brown have done this song justice. Atwood Magazine is proud to be premiering “Don’tcha Bother Me,” the second single off Hollis Brown’s forthcoming Rolling Stones covers album, In the Aftermath (out February 4, 2022 vi a Mascot Label Group / Cool Green Recordings). A
A full-length cover album recreating The Rolling Stones’ acclaimed first LP of all original songs (1966’s Aftermath), In the Aftermath is actually Hollis Brown’s second time bringing another act’s record to life: The rock band from Queens, NY released Gets Loaded, a tribute to The Velvet Underground’s fourth LP Loaded, in 2014 as a part of that year’s Record Store Day festivities.
“Making this record sent us back to the drawing board,” singer-guitarist Mike Montali shares while discussing In the Aftermath. “It was about going back to the essence of American roots music — blues and country — which is a tradition our band was founded upon.”
Still waiting here for a single idea
In your clothes and your hair, I wore it last year
Oh no, don’t you follow me no more
With three original albums of their own under their belt and over a decade of history playing together, Hollis Brown are no strangers to today’s rock and roots scenes; they’ve managed to find a way to look both toward the past and the future all at once. Consisting of Montali, Jonathan Bonilla, Andrew Zehnal, Adam Bock, and Chris Urriola, the group formed in 2009 and quickly found themselves touring aside big names in the indie scene, including Deer Tick and Lucero.
Fast-forward a decade, and Hollis Brown are staples themselves. With tracks like “Wait for Me Virginia” and “Rain Dance” off 2015’s 3 Shots and “Blood From a Stone” and “She Don’t Love Me Now” off 2019’s Ozone Park – all released via independent labels – they’ve become a part of this century’s rock canon and lexicon. Throughout this time, they’ve never forgotten their own roots (how could you, when you’re named after a classic Bob Dylan song?): The band have long attributed the sounds of the ’60s as their greatest influence and inspiration.
According to Montali, they recorded In the Aftermath in one 24-hour session up in the Poconos. “It was a whirlwind recording session – we were on no sleep, and getting liquored up. You can definitely hear the looseness on that final track, ‘Going Home,’” he laughs. “We weren’t focused on cleanliness — we were after a feeling.”
That organic, raw feeling can certainly be felt throughout “Don’tcha Bother Me,” which follows on the heels of last November’s “Under My Thumb.” The song is unrepentant and unrelenting: A roaring affair full of searing slide guitars, charged harmonica playing, and feverish, fiery vocals channeling the same spirit Mick Jagger did more than half a century ago.
I said, “Oh no, don’t you copy me no more”
I said, “Oh no, don’t you copy me no more
Well, the lines around my eyes are protected by a copyright law”
Well, all the clubs and the bars and the little red cars
Not knowing why, but trying to get high
Oh no, don’t you follow me no more
“’Don’tcha Bother Me’ is a raw, bluesy, jam that came together as a live take in the studio,” Montali tells Atwood Magazine. “The slide guitar and the groove is so fun to play. The lyrics comment on tastemaker culture, and influencers, which is as relevant today as ever. One of the reasons we wanted to do this Rolling Stones tribute record was to highlight some of the great back wall material from the early Stones period. This song is a great example of that.” – Mike Montali, Hollis Brown
Music history buffs and Rolling Stones fans will surely know there are plenty of Stones classics to look forward to on next month’s In the Aftermath release: In addition to the aforementioned songs, Aftermath includes “Paint It Black,” “Lady Jane,” “Stupid Girl,” and the fiesty “Goin’ Home.” It’s a definitive early Stones record that found the band continuing to set themselves apart from their peers. It wouldn’t be long before the band dove into psychedelia with Their Satanic Majesties Request, and soon after achieve rock n’ roll superstardom and through ’68’s Beggars Banquet, but this all-originals LP was the first true test of their might and a display of the Londoners’ collective creative energies. “Doncha Bother Me” is a prime example of that passion at play: A simple, yet important piece of music history that tracks one of rock’s greatest bands at the start of their evolution. Hollis Brown’s cover humbly acknowledges this song’s place, giving it the charge and gusto it deserves to thrive for two-and-a-half mean, lean minutes of fury.
Stream “Don’tcha Bother Me” exclusively on Atwood Magazine! Hollis Brown’s In the Aftermath is out February 4, 2022.
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“Don’tcha Bother Me (The Rolling Stones cover)” – Hollis Brown
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