The Replacements

Deer Tick get compared to The Replacements a whole lot -- I've done it myself. They manage to evoke the gritty, New York-before-it-was-clean-and-safe feel that The Replacements evoke so well. It's not quite punk, it's not quite post punk; it's definitely rock 'n' roll.So their cover of The Replacements jam, "Waitress In the Sky," sounds natural without sounding like clever mimicry. John McCauley growls and slurs his way like a pro, and, like The Replacements, the band manages to bring the song's tongue-in-cheek insouciance to the fore. I guess someone had a bad run-in with a flight attendant?Deer Tick's version sounds a little more honky-tonk than the original but it works -- definitely a good pick-me-up tune.