If there are any Billy Joel fans out there among our Music Man readers, we have no doubt that you have heard his music classified as ‘Dad rock’ at one time or another. Recently, meanwhile, the splendidly named Middle Aged Dad Jam Band – an American collective of friends and amazing musicians – confirmed this categorization by covering one of Joel’s most popular and recognizable album tracks: ‘Scenes from an Italian Restaurant’.
At seven minutes long, Scenes From An Italian Restaurant was always going to need a sizeable band to do a cover of any quality, and the Middle Aged Dad Jam Band certainly provided both of these things. The vocalist, drummer, and pianist in particular have attracted a lot of attention for their insane musicianship, while a special guest of the group – none other than ‘Weird Al’ Yankovic – made waves with his appearance on the accordion.
With the cover racking up over a million views on YouTube alone, unsurprisingly Billy Joel fans from all over the world have been flocking to leave their praise for the group’s cover. “Sometimes the algorithm will throw something in your feed that you wouldn’t have searched for but would definitely appreciate,” reads one of the most notable and popular comments, “this is one of those times.”
The core members of the Middle Aged Dad Jam Band are clearly more than casual fans of Joel themselves, too, as they have uploaded several covers of his songs over the years. A notable recent cover is their take on Joel’s track ‘Sometimes A Fantasy,’ which again sees them lending the song a clear sense of energy and enjoyment.
By far the most popular Billy Joel cover on the Middle Aged Dad Jam Band’s YouTube channel, however, is their cover of ‘Scenes from an Italian Restaurant’ featuring the inimitable ‘Weird Al’ Yankovic on accordion! Not only does the band produce a perfect cover of the tune, but you can tell they do it with a huge amount of love and affection for the song too.
Middle Aged Dad Jam Band have turned ‘Dad rock’ into something joyous — their cover of “Scenes from an Italian Restaurant,” featuring ‘Weird Al’ on accordion, is a viral must-listen. If you want to explore the full performance and more from the band, check the useful links below to discover videos, credits and streaming options.