Nico Hughey, Author at Cover Me

Nico Hughey

Nico Hughey lives in Portland, Oregon with her husband and is ruled by two tiny people and a Boston Terrier named Rocko. When not Mommin’ it, she’s in her photography studio taking fine art portraits of other people’s tiny people. A musician of 30 years with a piano degree, she has been in several bands, most recently The Summit, an alternative/indie cover band consisting of music nerds who love to pick apart songs and talk about diminished chords. “If I should ever die, God forbid, let this be my epitaph: The only proof he needed for the existence of God was music” Kurt Vonnegut

Kanye West’s “Sunday Service” Is Turning Into a Religious Cover Songs Project

Posted by Nico Hughey at 12:00 pm No Responses »

Aug 092019

Since January, Kanye West has been exploring the spiritual side of popular songs at invite-only concerts on the West Coast he’s dubbed “Sunday Service.”

The concept is elaborately simple: take a song that everyone knows, fly in an entire choir (known as The Samples) to a new location each week, and have the choir perform the song with new lyrics and a decidedly gospel feel. Bands such as Nirvana and No Doubt as well as artists Sia, Tracy Chapman, and Chance the Rapper among many others have all had their songs gospelized by West and his amazing choir. “Don’t Speak” becomes “Lord Speaks,” “Fast Car” becomes “Great God,” etc. West has gospelized a few of his own songs, and the entire project is rumored to be a preview of West’s upcoming album Yandhi (release date still unknown). Continue reading »

Sharon Van Etten’s “Suspicious Minds” Cover Sounds Nothing Like Elvis

Posted by Nico Hughey at 3:00 pm 4 Responses »

Aug 012019

Elvis Presley’s “Suspicious Minds” has had an impressive roster of covers over the years. Artists as varied as No Doubt, Dwight Yoakman, Martina Mcbride, Pete Yorn, and even U2 have added the song to their albums and live shows. The most popular approach to the song seems to be a country, rockabilly vibe that closely mirrors Presley’s toe-tapping original. Continue reading »

Vampire Weekend Cover Springsteen’s “I’m Goin Down” for Spotify

Posted by Nico Hughey at 9:29 am No Responses »

Jul 032019

Vampire Weekend is having one heck of a memorable tour in support of their May album release Father of the Bride. In a recent Spotify Singles session, they performed a Bruce Hornsby-esque stripped down version of “This Life” from the new album, and a song they have been covering for almost a decade by another Bruce: Springsteen’s “I’m Goin Down”. Continue reading »

Emily Mure Tackles The Shins and Coldplay on Covers EP

Posted by Nico Hughey at 2:00 pm No Responses »

Jun 262019

Emily Mure has a simple, pure quality to her music which translates well to the songs she has released so far for her upcoming six-track covers EP.

First to hit the headphones is her cover of The Shins’ “Gone for Good”. It’s a not too saccharine, perfectly melancholy rendition, with simple guitars and breathy harmonies on the chorus. Mure’s distinctive voice gives the cover its own life, despite the overall feel of the song being similar to the Shins original. Continue reading »

Vampire Weekend Covers ‘Parks and Rec’ Theme for Indiana

Posted by Nico Hughey at 1:21 pm No Responses »

Jun 132019

Vampire Weekend is currently on tour in support of their new album Father of the Bride. During a recent concert in Indianapolis, the band took a surprise turn in the middle of their song “M79,” playing the theme from Parks and Recreation. The vibe of the theme song is completely in harmony with that of Vampire Weekend so the transition was seamless, and the crowd loved the reference to the fictional town of Pawnee, Indiana. Continue reading »

Watch Jenny Lewis Cover Bob Dylan’s “Standing in the Doorway”

Posted by Nico Hughey at 9:00 am 1 Response »

May 242019

We’ve been celebrating Bob Dylan’s upcoming birthday in Cover Me style, by bringing you new and beautiful renditions of his not-so-often-covered classics. Earlier this week, we listened to Vampire Weekend cover “Jokerman” and today we have the pleasure of listening to Jenny Lewis deliver a pensive and simple rendition of his 1997 song “Standing in the Doorway” at a recent live performance for Minneapolis radio station The Current. Continue reading »