Speedy Ortiz Cover Liz Phair Rarity "Blood Keeper"

Speedy Ortiz are embarking on a national tour with their hero Liz Phair tomorrow. In honor of that, the Northampton, Massachusetts band has shared a cover of Phair rarity “Blood Keeper.” The song, made around the same time as 1998’s Whitechocolatespaceegg, has only ever existed as a bootleg and was never released. This is what Speedy Ortiz frontwoman Sadie Dupuis has to say about the cover:

“As far as our choice of song, here’s the first DM I ever sent to Liz Phair: ‘thanks much for saying hi, it means a lot!! scream tv series made me remember ‘blood keeper.’ vague plans to record it gary numan style haha.’ I have kept in touch with my hero since then, and three years later, I’m so thankful we finally get to join her on tour. ‘Blood Keeper’ is one of my favorites of hers, made all the more tantalizing because 1. it was never officially released 2. there’s, like, NO information available about it online 3. other than that it was apparently submitted for the Scream 2 soundtrack??? We tried our best to do homage to this gorgeous mystery rock song (although not so much on the Gary Numan style promise…)”

Proceeds from the single are directed towards the production and distribution of a “Make SpacesSsafer” pocket guide, created by Shawna Potter from the band War On Women. “If every venue’s staff had access to [“Making SpacesSsafer”], bands would have stronger allies in keeping their fans happy and safe,” says Dupuis in a statement. “We came up with the idea of doing a fundraiser for the pocket guide, with the hopes of getting a few copies in the hands of each venue along our tour.” Liz Phair and Speedy Ortiz will be in Seattle on Tuesday, Sept. 18 to play the Showbox.

Listen to “Blood Keeper” and watch Speedy Ortiz’s KEXP in-studio performance from June below.