On the ‘Tube: Everlea

Posted by Ray Padgett at 5:00 pm No Responses »
Jan 062012

YouTube is filled with amateur cover artists. Most stink. On The ‘Tube extracts the exceptions.

Guitarist Casey Shea first tipped us to his band Everlea’s YouTube page more than a year ago. From the first video we played, it was immediately apparent that these acoustic covers needed to be categorized somewhat differently than the more amateur performances we normally dig up. Each video was beautifully filmed in a different location, swapping the usual bedroom-webcam aesthetic for barns and harbors. The cinematic backdrops frame Everlea singer Justin Dubé’s lovely acoustic takes on the Killers, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and over a dozen others. Continue reading »

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On The 'Tube: Pezzettino

Posted by Dave Cowan at 5:00 pm 1 Response »
Oct 172011

YouTube is filled with amateur cover “artists.” Most stink. On The ‘Tube extracts  the exceptions.

Milwaukee’s Margaret Stutt was well known in Brewtown’s art circles. Deftly dragging her accordion behind her like a frequent flyer through airport security, Stutt seemed to pop up at every artistic benefit in the city. Margaret, better known as Pezzettino, was also just as likely to spontaneously appear around town, shooting a video using some iconic Milwaukee location as a backdrop. Now relocated to Brooklyn, Pezzettino has three albums of original material including last year’s Lub Dub, a collaboration with producer/engineer LMNtlyst. Continue reading »

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On The 'Tube: Dia Frampton

Posted by Brent Rydin at 5:00 pm 2 Responses »
Jun 072011

YouTube is filled with amateur cover “artists.” Most stink. On the ‘Tube extracts the exceptions.

On NBC’s The Voice, Blake Shelton picked Dia Frampton after she had been singing for four seconds. Four seconds. It’s no wonder. The 23 year old singer songwriter from Utah has a talent and versatility that somehow manages to coexist with her quietly powerful style.

The Voice may end up being Frampton’s big break, but she’s been a star of the internet music scene for years in the acoustic-duo-turned-full-band she started with her sister, Meg. Fittingly, they go by Meg & Dia. Recently, though, Dia has been blowing up the band’s YouTube channel with her own solo covers and we’re all lucky for it. Continue reading »

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On The 'Tube: Brett Domino

Posted by Kelli Conklin at 5:00 pm No Responses »
Apr 252011

YouTube is filled with amateur cover “artists.” Most stink. On the ‘Tube extracts the exceptions.

YouTube musician Brett Domino is a superstar. Yes, that guy up there with the glasses. Oh, you didn’t know? Well, let him be the first to tell you. “We do get a lot of attention now that we are hugely famous,” he tells Cover Me. “We’ve had poems written about us, pictures drawn of us, marriage proposals. I signed a lady’s bosom once after a gig in Bangor.” Brett’s collaborator, Steven Peavis, gets his fair share of groupies too. “Quite a lot of people seem to comment on the YouTube videos confessing that they have a crush on Steven,” says Domino. “I think it must be his strong nose.” Continue reading »

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On The 'Tube: Vika Yermolyeva

Posted by Greg Duncan at 5:00 pm 4 Responses »
Apr 142011

YouTube is filled with amateur cover “artists.” Most stink. On the ‘Tube extracts the exceptions.

YouTube often tests the faith of even the most loyal champion. Why do so many teenage girls think webcam a cappella versions of Rihanna hits make them worthy of our time? Millions do, apparently. Just when you feel ready to give up on the whole endeavor, you come across a wild looking Ukrainian piano maestro playing Slayer’s “Raining Blood” and you breathe a sigh of relief.

Vika Yermolyeva, who goes by the moniker vkgoeswild on YouTube, trained classically and has received numerous awards for her playing. Now based in Iceland, she also harbors a not-so-secret love of metal, which she expresses by showcasing her solo piano arrangements of songs by bands such as Metallica,  Nine Inch Nails and System of a Down. Her stunning results illustrate the beauty of the piano as a musical instrument in the right hands: an instrument that combines percussion and melody better than all others, allowing for an incredible range of expression. Continue reading »

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On the 'Tube: Maxence Cyrin

Posted by Kelli Conklin at 5:00 pm No Responses »
Mar 242011

YouTube is filled with amateur cover “artists.” Most stink. On the ‘Tube extracts the exceptions.

Classical music cover songs have a bad reputation. Relegated to elevator music and background noise while watching the local weather forecast, no one is really paying attention. However, classically trained French pianist Maxence Cyrin wants to change all that.

Cyrin grew up studying classical music in eastern France, but after moving to Paris at the age of 25, he was introduced to the sounds of American legends such as Elvis Presley and The Beach Boys. Cyrin soon realized that he could take his love for popular and classical music and fuse the two to form a hybrid. The result is surprisingly beautiful and highly listenable. Continue reading »

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On the 'Tube: Tristan Clopet

Posted by Eric Garneau at 3:00 pm No Responses »
Jan 272011

YouTube is filled with amateur cover “artists.” Most stink. On the ‘Tube extracts the exceptions.


Although he hasn’t been making music too long, Miami alternative rocker/singer-songwriter Tristan Clopet has stacked up a lot of assets.  His voice percolates with soul, and his wailing guitar should make many in the indie world jealous. Clopet has to this point released two EPs of original material: 2009′s Duende and 2010′s Purple, discs which skillfully blend potentially irreconcilable influences into a fresh, exciting creation.

Clopet has also not shied away from paying homage to his influences. To do so, he’s masterminded a semi-regular YouTube covers feature entitled “The Living Room Series.” “I record [the covers] in my studio at home,” Clopet told us, “and [I] want the fans to see me as I am at home.” Indeed, often Clopet’s performances achieve a “fireside chat” level of intimacy that’d make FDR jealous. That doesn’t stop him, though, from occasionally layering on multiple instruments and bringing in his buddy Dan Hammler to smack some drums. Continue reading »

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On the Tube: Kiersten Holine

Posted by Adele Hazan at 1:00 pm 1 Response »
Dec 212010

YouTube is filled with amateur cover “artists.” Most stink. On the ‘Tube extracts the exceptions.

Our series continues today with college student Kiersten Holine, who has an addictive set of covers on her YouTube channel. You come for her impressive repertoire of songs, but you stay for her poignant and impassioned vocals. Holine decided to post her first video in 2007 and was overwhelmed by the great feedback she received from her online fans. 600,000 viewers can’t be wrong, can they? [Editor's note: Ke$ha's newest video has 1,500,000 views. 'Nuff said.] Holine will let you in to the privacy of her room to get caught up in the emotion of her covers.

Holine bares her heart and soul on covers of folks like The Beatles, Bon Iver, and Wilco. “If a song hits me hard emotionally and melodically, I have to try to play it,” she tells Cover Me. “Every song I’ve chosen has meant quite a bit to me.” Her favorite cover to play is Feist’s “The Park,” and while watching her play it you can’t help but notice her connection to it. Continue reading »

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