MARTHA and the MUFFINS For What It’s Worth, covered
Martha and the Muffins For What It’s Worth is available on Tidal, Apple Music, Bandcamp
by Walter Price
When Stephen Stills penned the seminal Buffalo Springfield song, “For What It’s Worth”, a song about the death of a nightclub and the upheaval of the late 60s, I wonder if he knew at the time the impact and various understanding the song would come to embody.
We’ve come a long way since 1966, or have we… Vancouver duo Martha and the Muffins have taken to the studio to record their version of “For What It’s Worth”, and their take is of a darker zeitgeist telling. Posted to Bandcamp, the band shares, “Not only is Buffalo Springfield’s 1966 classic ‘For What It’s Worth’ timeless in its own right, but Stephen Stills’ poignant lyrics are more relevant than ever. Over the ensuing decades, his words have lent themselves brilliantly to constant reinterpretation depending on who the artist is covering the song, their own sensibilities, and the times in which they find themselves.
“Gun violence is an ongoing societal blight, a perverse virus perpetuated by hypocrites mouthing their meaningless recitations of ‘thoughts and prayers’. With this in mind, our interpretation is slower, darker and considers the possibility that events that were once rare and unacceptable are now met with a shrug of indifference.”
This message is starkly symbolized in bold brilliance in the Jason Cipparrone black and white film that accompanies the single. Picture this, two human guns meander the streets, buy records, and just blend into society with almost no notice. It’s kind of like what actual weapons of mass human destruction do…Just become part of the daily fabric.
You can stream Martha and the Muffins’ haunting version of “For What It’s Worth” as well as witness the Jason Cipparrone film, here at the GTC.
MARTHA and the MUFFINS For What It’s Worth, covered
Artwork, band photo courtesy of Auteur Research // Quotes via Bandcamp and Marthsa and the Muffins
Written by Stephen Stills
Produced and recorded by Martha Johnson and Mark Gane at the Web, Toronto
Mixed by Tim Abraham
Mastered by Joao Carvalho, Joao Carvalho Mastering, Toronto
Vocals by Mark Gane and Martha Johnson
All instruments performed by Martha Johnson and Mark Gane
Video Conceived by Mark Gane
Directed and Photographed by Jason S. Cipparrone
Assisted by Michael Cooper
Gun Heads fabrication by Brad Harley
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“When I had the concept for this [message] and was looking around for a collaborator I had already seen some of Jason Cipparrone’s work both as a still photographer and filmmaker. I thought his approach to black and white photography in particular would really work with the concept of the video. The video was shot on location at The Only Café and Kops Records in Toronto, with the help of some friends and family members who volunteered to act.” – MatM