Steely Dan has an odd request for a cover band with political ties

One might think that if a cover band is getting paid to play music then the band should pay some cash to the groups whose tunes they are using to entertain. However, that doesn't happen often, as the cover band isn't producing albums just playing tracks for some mass of people. This can lead to some odd situations.

For this specific case, the issue is that a cover band called Sixwire - the group has been around since 2000 and is nowhere near the quality of other cover bands such as Me First and the Gimme Gimmes - decided to use a Steely Dan song in their setlist while they were playing the Republican National Convention this past week.

Sixwire also used some other tracks from bands that one can assume are not likely to vote for Donald Trump. (For instance, U2 likely did not give the green light to Sixwire for their cover of "Where the Streets Have No Name.") Still, Sixwire made their choices and many at the RNC likely did not think twice about it.

Steely Dan has a special request for a band who covered their song at the RNC

The bands whose tracks were played by Sixwire might have thought twice, though. Steely Dan, or Donald Fagen, certainly did. The cover band played "Reelin' in the Years" but did not think that the band who created that tune also created other more, well...liberal songs.

In 2017, Fagen wrote a track with Todd Rundgren called "Tin Foil Hat" which was clearly an anti-Donald Trump tune. The video for the song proves that even further. The song also recalls Steely Dan's "Chain Lightning" which is about attending a fascist rally (and very sarcastic).

After learning of Sixwire playing "Reelin' in the Years," Steely Dan posted on their social media accounts and their official website a request for the cover band which read, "Hey! Sixwire: If you want to play our music, how about playing The Man In The Tin Foil Hat?"

Seems like a fair ask. After all, Sixwire likely got paid for their RNC gig and since they are incapable of producing good original music of their own, they steal from others. One might think it's also fair to ask the band whose song you are stealing if they are OK with how it is being used.

More music news and analysis: