so i just posted acoustaclaw record’s second cover throwdown and i’ve got to say i think we are really starting to get into “the swing of things”, as the a-ha song goes. we’ve got eleven submissions this time, some awesome cover art and an improved voting system…. things are looking up.
i’ve made no secret [...]

paper bag records are about to turn seven. they’re more generous than i was at that age… giving presents out rather than shoveling them in. check their new covers comp the seven year itch for free here.
quick update: i want to highlight rock plaza central’s cover of “i want you”. it’s a fleeting moment towards [...]

so here are the contenders in acoustaclaw records first cover throwdown. more of these to come i hope!
in late september, alex (the idles) challenged all of his music making friends to a cover song throwdown. a slate of three songs was suggested, votes were cast and frank sinatra’s “witchcraft” was selected as the subject of [...]

mp3: frank sinatra – witchcraft
i’ve seen a decent spike in traffic in response to the top 100 list, and while i’ve got your attention i thought i’d let you know that thebatandthebird / acoustaclaw records is sponsoring a “cover song throwdown” among some of our friends. somewhere in the neighborhood of ten amateur artists [...]

mp3: relation – here comes your man
relation’s cover of “here comes your man” sounds more inspired by the decade that produced doolittle than the song itself… but it’s still an interesting, if unexpected, approach.

[more relation]

mp3: leonard cohen – master song
i know this is all in good fun… more for the amusement of the participants than any imagined audience. but i’ve got to object to what the record club has done to “master song”. i can imagine the artists assembled in that room putting together an amazing cover of [...]

mp3: silver jews – self-ignition
video: chris stroffolino – self-ignition

may be hard to believe… but this dude really did play keys on american water

mp3: LØZNINGER – toxic (britney spears cover)
LØZNINGER emailed me the other day and suggested i might like his cover of britney spears’ “toxic”. he was right, i do. these kinds of covers too often end up being painfully ironic… yet this one feels natural. LØZNINGER finds emotion in those top 40 songwriters’ words where i [...]

i can’t embed this one… they want you to look at those giant bottles of soco. you can head over to playboy.com to check it out though.

the studio version of this is one of my favorite covers. they play it acoustic here… which definitely is not dinosaur jr.’s strength, but the song still comes out [...]

i was kind of confused by the lights that last.fm suggests is opening for bill callahan tonight. and as it turns out, it is not the canadian synth-poptress lights, but the self-described “psychedelicmetalmojopop” drag city label mates lights that will be playing tonight. makes a little more sense.
these guys:

should be an interesting pairing… a few [...]