Although the name Andy Rehfeldt might not be familiar to you, you’ve undoubtedly seen, listened to and laughed at his work. Over the last 2 1/2 years or so, the musician/composer has been the talk of the metal blogosphere with his video overdubs. By isolating vocal tracks, he’s been able to create entirely different versions of songs synced to videos of said musicians. While his easy listening version of Metallica’s “Enter Sandman” has been making the rounds for the past week, he’s not a one-trick pony, as he also does death metal versions of songs like The Bee Gees’ “How Deep Is Your Love” and has even taken on Lady Gaga with “Polka Face” (yes, it’s exactly what you’d expect). We caught up with Rehfeldt to talk about what inspired him, how he got into doing his parodies, and what to look forward to from him in the near future.
OK Andy, tell us a little bit about yourself.
I’m a Los Angeles musician and composer. I play gigs and write for film and television and Endless Noise Music and Sound design.
Were there any other viral videos that made you think ” I can do this.”
Yes, the “shred” videos on YouTube.
Was there anything in particular that led you to do overdubs of music videos?
Yes, it was the Lamb of God CD, Wrath, which had the tracks seperated. I thought to myself, ‘I can do my own music to the vocals.’ Of course I wanted to do something funny.
You’ve done easy listening versions of metal songs, but also death metal versions of standards like “What A Wonderful World.” Which do you enjoy doing more?
I enjoy doing the metal stuff more. But the easy listening versions make me laugh more.
It’s obvious you know how to compose and write music. Do you have a favorite genre?
Here are my favorites, depending on what kind of mood I’m in; hard rock, blues, metal, bebop jazz, reggae, funk, classical, fast instrumental bluegrass, pop, and fusion
Your videos are relatively well-known now. Did you have a plan to help them spread, or was it purely a viral thing? And how big did you think they would get when you started doing them?
I had no plan, it was viral, and YouTube was new to me. It’s been very exciting for me to watch my videos spread, knowing that I’m making thousands of people laugh.
What type of process do you go through when deciding what songs to parody and how you want it to sound?
I look around YouTube and other sites,and find acapella vocals and videos that interest me.
How long does it take to do a song?
I get a little done each day, but I would say 6 to 8 hours, if you added it up.
Have you ever heard back from any of the artists you’ve covered? if so, what kind of response did you get?
I have not heard back from any of them.
What was your musical upbringing? How about the first heavy music album you bought?
My father is a retired professor of music, and my mother is an organist and piano teacher. I was brought up playing piano, flute, and bassoon. But the Beatles made me want to become a rock musician, and I knew this when I was in second grade. So I learned the drums first and then guitar. I bought Black Sabbath Paranoid when I was in 5th grade.
Do you have a goal in doing this, or is it just something you find fun to do?
I’m hoping that something good will come out of this. I love to make people laugh. I don’t need to be rich, I just want to have enough dough to pay my bills and get my kids through college.
What’s your success ratio? Have you ever started a parody and wound up scrapping it because it didn’t work?
As far as I’m concerned, I’ve had success with all my videos. And when I start something, I finish it, even if I have doubts.
What’s next on your video overdub ‘to do’ list?
Behemoth “Demigod” (Radio Disney Version)
Abba “Dancing Queen” (Death Metal) featuring The Markness on vocals.
After the jump, some of his best work.
Here’s a few of our favorites.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N2F5Mi1eCE4[/youtube]
Here’s Andy’s reggae version of KISS’ “Detroit Rock City”
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ir719ILeQSI[/youtube]
Lamb of God’s jazzy “Set To Fail”
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g1Zmkevry5g[/youtube]
His “Radio Disney” version of Cannibal Corpse’s “Hammer Smashed Face”
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JLkOYHYQ2tc[/youtube]
And the aforementioned death metal Louis Armstrong cover.
