The Witzard

Well, it sounds like Lana del Rey wasn't the only artist to debut new music during a Grammy commercial break last night; Yeah Yeah Yeahs frontwoman Karen O has once again teamed up with N.A.S.A. aka Sam Spiegel ( Spike Jonze 's brother) for a twinkling Reggae -infused cover of Eric Clapton by way of Bob Marley 's "I Shot The Sheriff." Initially appearing within a brief 30-second SONOS PLAYBAR spot, "I Shot The Sheriff" was soon re-uploaded to Soundcloud in full-length form, as well as select digital retailers. Speaking as both a music writer and a fan of both Marley and Clapton's original versions , I'd quite honestly say that N.A.S.A. & Karen O 's updated take is a fresh, new, slightly club-ready version of a decades old classic about love, loss, and remorse. Without any apparent further pans for a follow-up to N.A.S.A. 's 2009 debut, The Spirit of Apollo and Indie Rock darlings Yeah Yeah Yeahs' most recent album...

(1) What's up, Kassa & TECLA!? First off, it's a pretty bold statement releasing your first mini-collection on the last day of the world! Was that intentional or just completely random? Nothing is unintentional. 2) How would you guys describe the overall sound of CABIN IN THE WOODS EP? What sorta music influenced it's creation, cause it's pretty unique sounding! Both of us come from musical backgrounds with extremely wide varieties. TECLA went from Classically trained pianist to Punk Rock front-girl, and Kassa went from Jazz drum virtuoso to mosh-pitting rapper so... When stuck in a cabin in the woods together, I guess this is what came out. (3) Let's just say today is the end of the world, for arguments sake... What are your plans for the day/night, all things considered? Same thing we do every day, pinky... (4) Is the apocalypse a running theme on CABIN IN THE WOODS EP and if not, what were you going for? We didn't actually have a theme. ...

I think it'd be legitimately "safe" to say that a [Third Wave] Ska-Punk Fusion band like Rancid would not even exist without vets, Bob Marley and Jimmy Cliff . Fuhgeddaboud Bob Marley & The Wailers for a minute, Jimmy Cliff was the true originator of the 2 Jamaican -bred Reggae musicians; Cliff is widely known for his beautiful, honey-drenched Soulful harmonies... and was recently recognized as one of the few Reggae -tinged Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees (March 2010). Past mainstream hits have included "The Harder They Come," "I Can See Clearly Now," and "Many Rivers to Cross." Dr. Cliff is currently putting the finishing touches on a 2012 full-length, Existence . Jimmy Cliff effectively teamed up with Rancid-Transplants frontman, Tim Armstrong to record what would become his first proper studio release in nearly 8 years, Sacred Fire EP . The by-product of 6 arduous months is a set of 5 songs... produced by Armstron...