Conan is working out to the oldies with his new band The Vigodas.
It's a fitting name since the band's moniker is a tribute to Abe Vigoda, the lovable character actor of the '70s and '80s who didn't make it big until he was in his mid-50s.
O'Brien, 63, has been famous most of his life but now it seems that like Abe, he wants to do something in the back half of his life that he's been noodling with all along.
He and the Vigodas have performed three shows in California this month, their first concerts ever.
The first gig was last Monday (8/10) and relatively unannounced.
It took place at Permanent Records a small independent record store near an enormous Fedex warehouse across the LA River from Dodger Stadium.
At that first show O’Brien (vocals and guitar), Jason Roberts (guitar), Erik Kertes (bass), Ben Alleman (keyboards), and Josh Adams (drums) knocked out just four cover songs that would be the foundation of what they'd play a few nights later at the iconic Troubadour in West Hollywood.
The Troubadour gig (8/13) was well-publicized, even by the frontman himself. There they doubled their setlist to eight covers for the 500 fans who forked over $25.
Conan, as you would imagine was funny, self-deprecating, surprisingly capable, albeit it a tad stiff.
The rest of the Vigodas backed him beautifully, and throughout the night demonstrated why they belonged up there.
The covers were not ones you typically hear.
So let's dive into three of them, because if you're lucky, Coco will take this show on the road.
“Seven Nights to Rock” was written by three people you shouldn't be embarrassed if you've never heard of: Buck Trail, Henry Glover and Louis Innis.
Likewise the name Moon Mullican isn't much of a household name either, but he first cut the record in early 1956 on King Records.
Moon was a boogie-woogie pianists and country star who never put the tune on an LP, but people like Bruce Springsteen, Bryan Adams and Brian Setzer have covered it several times.
And now Conan joins that list.
In 1956 Abe Vigoda was 35 and working in New York City as a stage actor. It would be decades until he'd get noticed nationally.
But when he did, it turned out, he too could sing.
"Radio Radio" written by Elvis Costello, is probably the most recognizable tune the Vigodas play next to the Bob Dylan cover.
The song will be forever infamous as the anti-FM radio banger that Costello got banned from SNL for performing when the network specifically told him not to.
The aggressive single dropped in 1978 off Elvis' incredible second album, This Year’s Model.
Conan sings it with all the spite and disgust as was intended, which is a pleasure to watch and hear because Lord knows Coco is pulling that anger from somewhere in his past... but where?
The late '70s was when Abe was at the peak of his career on Barney Miller which would give him a spin-off show as the star of Fish whose second season was in '78.
Speaking of Elvis, “Baby Let’s Play House” was written by Nashville's Arthur Gunter in 1954 for Excello Records where it peaked at #12 on Billboard’s R&B airplay chart in early 1955.
Elvis heard it and recorded it later at Sun Records in Memphis with Scotty Moore on electric guitar and Bill Black on bass.
Elvis' version went to #5 in the country charts despite this dark lyric:
Now listen to me, baby / Try to understand
I'd rather see you dead, little girl / Than to be with another man
Dark as it was, the Beatles lifted it on "Run For Your Life" off Rubber Soul (1965).
Was Abe ever in any scary movies?
He played Salvatore Tessio in both the original Godfather and its sequel.
When will The Vigodas play again? Follow Conan's Twitter as that seems to be the place he enjoys posting their business.
