Rescuing Katy Perry: The Rescues Cover “Teenage Dream”

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Oct 282010
 

The music press (or at least the band’s publicists) tout the Rescues as an “indie supergroup.” Bands with major label contracts and five songs featured on Grey’s Anatomy are considered indie? And bands that don’t have any particularly famous members are now “supergroups”? What is the world coming to?

Regardless of the labels foisted on them, the Rescues are a talented group of musicians. The band’s four-part harmonies remind the listener of Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young. The Rescues use these harmonies to great effect on their cover of Katy Perry‘s “Teenage Dream,” recorded live in studio, though it appears it took four and a half takes to do it. The Rescues’ version ebbs and flows with a near-a cappella bridge and symphonic drum fills. It’s fun watching Rob Giles switch from drums to guitar and back again, without screwing up the vocals. Continue reading »

Song of the Day: The Hippogriffs, “All Along the Watchtower” (Bob Dylan cover)

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Oct 282010
 

Song of the Day posts one cool cover every morning. Catch up on past installments here.

The Hippogriffs bill themselves as “acoustic rock at its finest” and that seems about right. There’s nothing fancy here, just three Colorado buddies touring the state jamming out some classics. So if you find yourself in the 3-0-3 or the 7-2-0 (Denver), look ‘em up.

Their recent live cover of “All Along the Watchtower” bridges the Dylan–Hendrix divide: electric energy on acoustic instruments. Guitarist Russ Griffin lays heavy on the wah-wah for thirteen minutes of acousti-funk soloing. It doesn’t reinvent the wheel, but when the wheel works this well, why bother? Continue reading »

Under the Radar: Sheezer

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Oct 272010
 

Under the Radar shines a light on lesser-known cover artists. If you’re not listening to these folks, you should. Catch up on past installments here.

Sheezer (Blue Album)

What do you call an all-female Weezer tribute band? Sheezer, obviously. They already knew they had the perfect name, but when Rivers Cuomo tweeted their existence to his followers before the band had even played their first show last New Year’s Eve, that’s when they knew that maybe it was time to put in some practice. Classically trained pianist and kalimba extraordinaire Laura Barrett (check out her kalimba cover of Weird Al’s “Smells Like Nirvana”) found herself having to suddenly learn how to play the bass. Not that the girls were not already accomplished in their own right, being made up of members from Toronto’s indie rock scene. The group consists of Barrett (The Hidden Cameras), Dana Snell (The Bicycles), Magali Meagher (The Phonemes), Robin Hatch (Sports: The Band), and “shreddingest awesome lead guitarist” Alysha Haugen. Continue reading »

Pearl Jam Dances Barefoot on Patti Smith Cover

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Oct 272010
 

This past weekend Neil Young’s 24th annual Bridge School Benefit went down in Mountain View, California. The big story was of course Buffalo Springfield reuniting at last. Though some members looked a little the worse for wear, hearing “Mr. Soul” and “For What It’s Worth” performed by the original members (the ones still alive, at least) must have been a treat.

Pearl Jam performed both nights, as they have six times before. Counting his solo appearances, this marks Eddie Vedder’s ninth appearance at the Benefit. Though both nights saw Neil Young join the band for Le Noise track “Walk with Me,” Night 1 fans got a special treat: a cover of Patti Smith’s “Dancing Barefoot.” A relatively straightforward rendition turns into a full-band acoustic before Vedder lets loose his grumbly scream. Continue reading »

Glee Covers Roundup 10/26/10: The Rocky Horror Glee Show

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Oct 272010
 

Every Wednesday, our resident Gleek Eric Garneau gives his take on last night’s Glee covers.


Glee‘s been busy this season. When they’re not angering parents with talk of scissoring or risqué photos, they’re shining the spotlight on individual artists and productions in themed episodes. The entirety of last season only had two, one of which featured Madonna and another all about Lady Gaga. Yet only five episodes deep in the second season we’ve already had as many served to us, and we know there’s more to come. This season’s second episode, “Britney/Brittany” (featuring the music of Britney Spears) received the highest ratings of the season and second-highest for the show’s entire run. Although we won’t know right away, I suspect last night’s episode, which brought us the music of The Rocky Horror Picture Show, will do just as well. Continue reading »

Song of the Day: Brave Saint Saturn, “Here Is the News” (ELO cover)

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Oct 272010
 

Song of the Day posts one cool cover every morning. Catch up on past installments here.

They shall have stars at elbow and foot;
Though they go mad they shall be sane;
Though they sink through the sea they shall rise again;
Though lovers be lost love shall not;
And death shall have no dominion.

That snippet of Dylan Thomas’ “And Death Shall Have No Dominion” opens today’s tune. Spoken in a low James Earl Jones-meets-HAL 9000 baritone, it sounds like the opening credits to a film called, let’s say, Brave Saint Saturn. It isn’t. It is, however, the opening to an album by a band called Brave Saint Saturn. Close enough. Continue reading »

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