hard rock cover of Madonna's "La Isla Bonita"

Here is my hard rock cover of Madonna's "La Isla Bonita", arranged and recorded in February 2016:

Recording

Arrangement Notes

I kept the Latin drums (a loop) and the samba bass line, but scrapped everything else. Getting the Latin style right while recording the bass line was challenging at first because that is not how I usually syncopate my rhythms. I added some distortion to the bass to assert my intent of a heavier version of the song.

The lead guitar part I wrote reminds me of Carlos Santana, which is most likely simply due to the samba background rather than the composition of the lead part itself. The rest of the guitar parts were inspired by an attempt to make lots of noise; something like a Sonic Youth song or Radiohead's "Creep".

Live Performances

• 27 February 2016 at the Gopher Hole north of Escondido, CA
• 4 March 2016 at Lush Lounge in Vista, CA
• 5 March 2016 at La Costa Coffee Roasting in Carlsbad, CA
• 9 March 2016 at O'Sullivan's Irish Pub in Escondido, CA
• 11 March 2016 at Lush Lounge in Vista, CA
• 7 April 2016 at Aztec Brewing Company in Vista, CA
• 10 April 2016 at the Saddle Bar in Solana Beach, CA
• 24 April 2016 at the Saddle Bar in Solana Beach, CA