In 1970, Jerry Garcia co-wrote “Friend Of The Devil” with John Dawson and Robert Hunter. The Grateful Dead included the song on their album American Beauty, and it became a staple for the band. In the past five decades, lots of people have covered “Friend Of The Devil”: Bob Dylan, Tom Petty, Loggins & Messina, Counting Crows, Ministry John Darnielle and Justin Vernon and Megafaun. Now, the LA-based art-pop musician Andrew Rineheart has made his own version of “Friend Of The Devil,” and he’s brought fellow Louisville native Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy in on it.

Rinehart made his name in DIY spaces and making gloopy, synthy psychedelia. This Friday, he’ll release the new EP Have Fun Idiot. Rinehart’s version of “Friend Of The Devil” is an acoustic campfire type of thing, and it’s got vocals from Will Oldham, someone who is extremely good at the acoustic campfire type of thing. (Oldham and Matt Sweeney’s long-awaited collaborative album Superwolves is one of 2021’s best.) Here’s how Rinehart explains the cover’s genesis:

When Covid hit in March of 2020, I was living in Los Angeles, so I moved up to San Luis Obispo to hide out for a bit. While I was up there, I met some friends who were living an absolute dream life — all they did was find incredible beaches & surf spots. They invited me to Big Sur, and on the ride up played only Grateful Dead. At some idyllic moment, it clicked with me that GD music is the perfect soundtrack for laid back, happy people’s lives. Listening to it and being with all these happy people hit me like a natural anti-anxiety med. It felt gloriously fun and cool and relaxing as hell (not normal experiences for me at all).

So I listened to them on the whole ride home, and decided I had to cover “Friend Of The Devil.” It’s an obvious one but it’s also the happiest song ever. A couple weeks later, I realized Will (Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy) would absolutely slay on it, so I asked him if he wanted to do it, and he said, “Sure.” He came by and laid down his vocals, and that was it. I’ve known him for a long time (cuz Louisville’s small), but it still felt surreal cuz I grew up listening to his stuff. It was a very generous thing for him to do. Louisville’s cool like that. It’s not all big and stupid and Hollywood-y.

Check out the Rinehart/Oldham “Friend Of The Devil” cover and the Dead’s original below.

The Have Fun Idiot EP is out 8/6 on sonaBLAST!