After we posted the 10 funniest tribute bands we could find last week, we were immediately barraged by suggestions. How could we have left out the hilarious Prince guy or the all-Latino Smiths act? And you know what? It’s true. There are too many funny tribute bands to be contained in one post. So, thanks to you and your dedicated scouting, dear readers, we present another enormous helping of tribute-related hilarity. There’s a nudist metal band and a reggae “Stairway to Heaven” cover; there’s a tiny Elvis and a couple gender-bending pop hits. Friends, Romans, countrymen: feast your eyes on yet another roundup of we-can’t-believe-this-exists tribute bands, dredged from the murky waters of MySpace and delivered to your doorstep.
1. Nudist Priest
(Fuzzed out in crucial spots, but still a little NSFW)
This one was thanks to a reader tip-off — and oh, man, are we ever grateful to whoever left this gem in the comments. Nudist Priest, though they sadly disbanded in 2007, performed Judas Priest covers while totally in the buff. Well, except for leather cuffs, spikes, and the occasional cowboy hat. They also happened to be enormously popular, particularly in the LA area.
2. Apocalyptica
A classically-trained quartet of Finnish Cellists, Apocalyptica have a massive following in the US and Canada. They’re known as a string tribute to Metallica, but the band also does other metal songs, covering the likes of Pantera and Black Sabbath. Apocalyptica just released their seventh studio album, featuring drumming from Dave Lombardo of Slayer.
3. Duckmandu
Possibly the world’s most punk-rock accordionist, Aaron Seeman (a.k.a. Duckmandu) specializes in note-for-note renditions of Dead Kennedys songs. But that’s far from the only band in his repertoire — on Duckmandu’s MySpace you can listen to covers of AC/DC, Jefferson Airplane, Journey, and the Powerpuff Girls theme.
4. Dread Zeppelin
Another reader suggestion, and a classic, Dread Zeppelin is the best (and only) reggae-inspired Led Zeppelin tribute band we know of. They also do songs by the Yardbirds, Bob Marley, and Elvis — one of their members is, after all, a 300-pound Elvis impersonator. Plus, they’ve been around for over 20 years, far longer than the actual Led Zeppelin was around.
5. Mini-Elvis
Speaking of Elvis impersonators, the King has some of the best tribute artists around. There are all stripes of Elvis tributes — including a fantastic Australian lady Elvis — but one of our favorites is Mighty Mike, a professional little-person Elvis tribute artist. His costumes are spangled, his sneer is authentic, and hey! He does weddings, too.
6. Mandonna
Oh, yes. An all-male tribute to the Material Girl, complete with fabulous outfits and choreographed music videos. Mandonna was inspired by all-female metal tributes like Lez Zeppelin and AC/DShe, staking a claim for the manlier Madonna fans. “Like a Virgin” is, dare we say, enhanced by the facial hair.
7. Tragedy
A heavy metal tribute the the Bee Gees, Tragedy called itself the best metal Bee Gees tribute band in most of the United States, excluding certain parts of Texas and the Northeast. We’re not sure who they were competing with, but their metal rendition of “Stayin’ Alive” is undoubtedly the best one in the running. Alas, Tragedy split earlier this year, leaving the metal disco tribute field wide open for another contender.
8. Fat Benatar
Another excellent reader tip, Fat Benatar is Richmond, Virginia’s premiere fat chick-helmed Pat Benatar tribute, perpetrated by the rocking China Oxendine and her pitch-perfect band mates. Next time you’re in the mood for some ’80s pop below the Mason-Dixon, you know who to call.
This tribute is a genius combination of The Jesus Lizard and John Coltrane. This Austin quartet takes David Yow to a whole new place — an even warblier, more unsteady place, this is. Apparently Yow himself has given them his blessing. Coltrane’s approval may be somewhat harder to obtain.
10. We Got the Meat
Portland, Oregon’s all-male Go-Gos tribute band — not to be confused with the Gay-Gays, who have the same idea but play further south — are a pretty great way to start a Go-Gos party. We’re pretty sure that Belinda Carlisle could get down with them, too. Thanks to Erica for the tip.
Who’d we leave out? Tip us off to more awesome tribute bands in the comments.