The covers EP of my dreams.
Today, Stephen Wilson Jr. released his Blankets EP, which features four songs that heavily impacted his childhood including Nirvana’s “Something In The Way,” Temple of the Dog’s “Hunger Strike,” The Postal Service’s “Clark Gable” and The Smashing Pumpkins’ “Tonight, Tonight.”
Wilson Jr. has been known to define his sound as “Death Cab for Country,” since he draws inspiration from indie rock, grunge and obviously country music. Which you’ve probably already figured out by reading the line above and the four songs on the tracklist.
Originally from Southern Indiana, Wilson Jr. says these songs always take him back to his younger years and feel like “warm blankets,” which he hopes translates to the listener and makes them feel the same way:
“These songs are songs I grew up listening to. Warm blankets that I can always rely on to take me back. Blankets make people warmer than they were. That is the goal. These productions are intentionally lush and denser than the originals. Four covers to perhaps sort through in the hall closet to help get us through the night. Pull the string on the light.”
It’s certainly no easy task to take four such iconic songs in American music and make them not only somewhat country, but to even attempt to cover them at all is something most artists stay away from.
But Wilson Jr. is so talented and unique that he finds a way to make them his own, which some might not be into and that’s okay… but I would almost prefer that in some ways to someone simply trying to recreate the original.
That’s impossible, and as is evidenced by his rendition of Nirvana’s “Something in the Way,” Wilson Jr.’s goal was not to try and outdo Kurt Cobain or anyone else on the list of songs, but rather wanted to tip his hat to the music that first made him fall in love with music, and I respect it, because I love a lot of that stuff too and I think it’s something many of us music lovers relate to.
If you haven’t heard of Wilson Jr.’s music yet, you should definitely change that now, and why not start with some songs you probably already know and love…
“Tonight, Tonight”
“Clark Gable”
“Hunger Strike”
The aforementioned Nirvana cover… it’s a far cry from the original, just a fair warning:
Blankets tracklist:
1) Something In The Way
2) Hunger Strike
3) Clark Gable
4) Tonight, Tonight
I have yet to see Wilson Jr. in concert yet, but he’s been on my list for a while, and he still has a TON of tour dates left for 2025 so hopefully I’ll make it to one before the year is over:
Stephen Wilson Jr. 2025 Tour Dates:
8/29: Bangor, ME – Maine Savings Amphitheater ^
8/30: Hartford, CT – Xfinity Theatre ^
9/4: Syracuse, NY – Empower FCU Amphitheater at Lakeview ^
9/5: Burgettstown, PA – The Pavilion At Star Lake ^
9/6: Hershey, PA – Hersheypark Stadium ^
9/10: Nashville, TN – Skydeck on Broadway – Big Loud AmericanaFest Showcase
9/11: Brandon, MS – Brandon Amphitheater ^
9/12: Birmingham, AL – Coca-Cola Amphitheater ^
9/13: Simpsonsville, SC – CCNB Amphitheatre ^
9/18: Atlanta, GA – Lakewood Amphitheatre ^
9/19: Tampa, FL – MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheatre ^
9/20: West Palm Beach, FL – iTHINK Financial Amphitheatre ^
9/24: New York, NY – Madison Square Garden ^
9/26: Providence, RI -The Strand #
9/27: Sayreville, NJ – Starland Ballroom #
10/2: Richmond, VA – Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden #
10/4: Clarksburg, WV – Clarksburg Amphitheater #
10/5: Ocean City, MD – Country Calling Festival *
10/10: Fort Smith, AR – Peacemaker Festival *
10/12: Wilmington, NC – Live Oak Bank Pavilion %
10/22: Seattle, WA – The Showbox #
10/23: Seattle, WA – Showbox SoDo #
10/25: Kennewick, WA – Toyota Center #
10/26: Portland, OR – McMenamins Crystal Ballroom #
10/28: San Francisco, CA – The Warfield #
10/29: Sacramento, CA – Channel 24 #
11/1: Los Angeles, CA – The Wiltern #
11/2: Del Mar, CA – The Sound #
11/8: Jacksonville, FL – Florida Theatre #
11/9: Miramar Beach, FL – Whiskey Moon *
11/14: Memphis, TN – Graceland Soundstage #
11/15: Louisville, KY – The Louisville Palace #
11/20: Columbia, SC – Township Auditorium #
11/23: Nashville, TN – Ryman Auditorium #
11/24: Nashville, TN – Ryman Auditorium #
12/3: Zallaq, Bahrain – BEYON Al Dana Amphitheatre
12/11: Las Vegas, NV – The Chelsea at The Cosmopolitan #
2026 Tour Dates:
1/27-31: Key West, FL – Mile 0 Music Festival *
2/17: Houston, TX – White Oak Music Hall #
4/18: Denver, CO – Mission Ballroom #
^ – Supporting HARDY
% – Supporting Lukas Nelson
* – Festival
# – Headline
