Mastodon released a cover of Led Zeppelin’s iconic “Stairway To Heaven” for Record Store Day 2019 this past weekend, and the track is now streaming online.
Retitled "Stairway To Nick John," the Atlanta band’s version is a tribute to their late manager, who passed away last fall after a battle with pancreatic cancer.
“In early September 2018, we lost one of our closest friends and our biggest fan, our manager Nick John,” explains Mastodon. “He was essentially the band’s Dad. From our highest highs to our lowest lows, he was always there. Every single move we made went through him first as our trust in him was marrow deep. His favorite band besides us and Gojira, was Led Zeppelin.
“We were asked to perform ‘Stairway To Heaven’ at his funeral. Afterward, finding out that someone had recorded it, we figured we should record a studio version and release it on Record Store Day as a tribute to Nick with all the proceeds to be donated to pancreatic cancer research.”
“We would not be the band we are today without the help of Nick John,” adds the group. “We miss him dearly and think of him always. We love you buddy.”
The limited edition Record Store Day 10-inch vinyl features the studio version of “Stairway To Heaven” on Side A and a live version on Side B; all of the proceeds benefit the Hirshberg Foundation for Pancreatic Cancer Research.
Next month, Mastodon will head out on a US tour with Coheed and Cambria and Every Time I Die; billed as “The Unheavenly Skye Tour”, the series will see the band perform its 2009 album, "Crack The Skye", in its entirety to mark the project’s 10th anniversary.
See also:
Mastodon expand Emperor Of Sand tour video series
Mastodon stream Emperor Of Sand tour recap video
Mastodon announce UK and European tour
Mastodon manager dies following cancer battle
Search Mastodon at hennemusic
