Josiah and the Bonnevilles have been teasing the release of their Kings of Leon cover for weeks, and let me tell you… it was worth the wait.
Josiah Leming, the brains behind Josiah and Bonnevilles, knows how to orchestrate some anticipation. The band he leads is also very familiar with taking hit songs and giving them a country, Appalachian spin. Josiah and the Bonnevilles have been known to lay down some great pop covers in the past, like the 1975’s “Wintering” or Taylor Swift’s “Anti-Hero.”
They even compiled a collection of pop songs on his 2023 album Country Covers.
But their best work might be their latest work. The group originally hailing from eastern Tennessee took one of the great rock songs from the past two decades – Kings of Leon’s “Pyro” – and made it their own. I think the band knew they had really nailed it from the very beginning, considering they teased it for weeks on end.
At one point, Leming even described the cover as “imagine hearing one of your favorite songs for the first time again,” and this Appalachia spin on “Pyro” truly feels that way.
The alternative rock anthem was originally released by Kings of Leon in 2010 as a part of their Come Around Sundown album. It failed to crack the top 10 on Alternative and Rock charts when it came out, but it’s had tremendous staying power. “Pyro” is actually a lot of Kings of Leon fans’ favorite song by the group (they’ve got plenty of hits to choose from though).
You’ve likely heard the building, pulls-you-in first verse:
“Single book of matches, gonna burn what’s standing in the wayRoaring down the mountain, now they’re calling on the fire brigadeBury all the pictures, and tell the kids that I’m okayIf and I’m forgotten, you’ll remember me for today”
The lyrics – and the repeated chorus – work great as a rock song. And Josiah and the Bonnevilles proved that it also works wonderfully when a banjo is leading the way.
From the moment the riff is plucked, the cover pulls you in. Josiah then manages to handle the vocals originally handled by Kings of Leon frontman Caleb Followill quite well. The tricky thing about doing a cover the right way is that you want to tip your cap to the original, while also delivering a different take on the song. It’s a very difficult line to balance on.
But I’d argue that Josiah and the Bonnevilles walked that tightrope perfectly with their cover of “Pyro.”
“Pyro (Kings of Leon Cover)” by Josiah and the Bonnevilles
Here’s an acoustic version too, in case you wanted to give it another spin. And I’d love to know what Kings of Leon thinks of the cover. Both Josiah and the Bonnevilles and Kings of Leon are based out of Nashville… so there’s a chance they’ve crossed paths.
Something tells me the alternative band would be more than happy to have someone give their song new life (not that it needed it):