David Sugarman

Once upon a time, David pressed play on Black Sabbath’s “Black Sabbath” and from then on knew that having short hair was no longer an option. Later, when he got into The Clash and found out that they had not, in fact, written “I Fought The Law,” he started to investigate this whole covers business. Two leather jackets later, he now finds himself singing in an up-and-coming (read: relegated to his bassist’s basement) punkish mostly-cover band, writing for Cover Me, and staying in New York City next year to study mechanical engineering.

Jun 072011
 

Those of you who don’t follow Lady Gaga on Twitter (you should be ashamed of yourselves) may not know the impetus behind this post. Though the song came out a month ago, “Edge of Glory” covers just hit the big time yesterday, when Gaga tweeted a cover of the song. We really don’t think it’s anything special, but a Gaga tweet means you’ll be hearing about it for days. The equally over-emotive piano cover of “Born This Way” she tweeted a while back earned the performer 34 million views, a spot on Ellen, and a duet on Gaga’s tour. While we have nothing but congratulations for the performer given the Gaga bump, here are five that beat the snot out of it. Continue reading »

May 262011
 

In a time when the Middle East is even less stable than usual, Victoria Faiella brings us an Arabian-themed cover of Black Sabbath’s classic anti-war song. Replacing the guitar and bass with sitar and violin changes the tone from angry to haunting, and Faiella’s vocals contribute to this effect, especially when she wails “oh yeah” at the end of the second verse. Continue reading »

May 252011
 

You can tell a lot about a band from their Facebook or Myspace page. For example, this band Pris, which has just tried its hand at covering The Clash, refers to itself as “hormonal gutter power pop band” and has put, among others, the following endorsements in their info section:

“Chlamydia catchy”
“Blondie with an attitude problem and cockney accents”
“I have now come to the conclusion that your music is utter garbage”
“The musical equivalent of being punched in the face repeatedly” Continue reading »

May 182011
 

For the two minutes and fifty-seven seconds this Danish cover lasts – and for the rest of the night in fact – I was unable to stop smiling. This is a good one. The Asteroids Galaxy Tour nails the pop sweet spot with this version of Men Without Hats’ 1980 cornball masterpiece. It’s upbeat and full of ever-so-slightly-computer-tweaked female vocals, but never overshoots to saccharine or annoying. Possibly the best part of the song, which you should notice once your initial glee subsides a little bit (let’s say a minute in) is the bassline, especially evident on the “We can dance if we want to”s. I would never have expected to use the word “funky” when talking about an alt-pop band unless I was talking about ill-conceived fashion choices, but there’s simply no other word to describe that “bowp bowp.” Continue reading »

May 052011
 
Joan Jett And The Blackhearts

For any ex-punks who find Joan Jett’s abrasive attitude and hard-hitting drive too much for tired ears, this is just the cover for you. Indie band Babbling April (named after Graham Greene’s 1925 poetry book) released their eponymous debut album last month, and one track on it is an acoustic “cover/adaptation” of Joan Jett’s classic rocker “Bad Reputation,” renamed simply “Reputation.”
Continue reading »

May 052011
 

“What Is Love?” has had a special place in my heart ever since a friend and I requested it at a sweet sixteen party and turned the dance floor into the most Night At The Roxbury-esque mosh pit ever. So, when I read that Old Amica’s cover was slowed down and acoustic, I was concerned – what would become of my beloved synthpop ridiculousness? Continue reading »