When a band hasn’t released a studio album of new music in four years, and then puts out an album made up entirely of cover songs, you might expect their fans to get restless. For Counting Crows fans, though, Underwater Sunshine (Or What We Did On Our Summer Vacation) is no less sweet because the band didn’t write the songs. Lead singer Adam Duritz and the gang have been doing covers, in full or sneakily added as bridges in live shows, since their inception. And, as Duritz says in the liner notes, “I’ve never stopped being a fan” of other people’s music. Continue reading »
In the most recent edition of The Voice Project, an ongoing project employing covers from indie artists to raise money and awareness for the plight of women in Uganda and Central Africa, Cillie Barnes invited cameras into her home to record her singing an interpretation of the song “Million Dollar Bill” by fellow LA folkies Dawes. Barnes, the musical moniker of Vanessa Jeanne Long, teamed up with Joe Keefe on acoustic guitar for the cover, which mostly follows Taylor Goldsmith’s original composition, except for a few glaring changes. Continue reading »
Adam Duritz of the Counting Crows has long worn his influences on his sleeve, and the band often does live covers of their favorite artists. If you are an aspiring artist, head over to Indabamusic where you have until March 1st to submit your own Counting Crows cover for the chance at a signed Squier guitar, $600 to Guitar Center, and inclusion of your song on an EP. If you’re not into making music, you can head over and start listening to the submissions. Cover Me veteran Allison Crowe has already submitted a stunning version of “Raining in Baltimore.“ Continue reading »
Last we checked in to the A.V. Club’s Holiday Undercover series, Electric Six was going Grinch. In the past week, though, three more Christmas covers have cropped up in the series. Dawes, Peter Wolf Crier, and Mannequin Man selected three Christmas songs just a little off the beaten path – at least, compared to the stuff you hear in Macy’s. Continue reading »
“The Man in Me” was originally recorded and released by Bob Dylan on his 1970 album New Mornin. The track has earned a place in our cultural lexicon as the theme from the 1998 comedy The Big Lebowski. The star of the cult classic, Jeff Bridges has recently been performing the song as part of his post-Crazy Heart music career. Continue reading »
Los Angeles-based folk-rockers Dawes are touring the nation in support of their sophomore LP Nothing is Wrong and when they stopped recently at Royale in Boston, the folks at Visible Voice were on hand to review the show. Along with their review, the Voice posted a new live recording of the last time Dawes hit Boston, opening for Middle Brother at the Paradise in March. Along with some passionate recordings of their early material and an always-appreciated cameo from the legendary Jonny Corndawg, this set featured a cover of the ’70s rocker “Out In The Woods” by Rock Hall of Famer Leon Russell, known for his extensive session work with some of the biggest bands of the classic rock era. Continue reading »
Adopting the credo “Bluegrass for people that hate bluegrass,” a few mainstays of the Boston-area folk music scene have joined forces under the moniker “Barnstar!,” self-releasing their first album earlier this month and starting to play live, mostly around Boston and Cambridge, MA. The group features singer-songwriter Mark Erelli, Zack Hickman (best known as the mustachioed bassist from Josh Ritter’s Royal City Band), banjo expert Charlie Rose, and father-and-son pairing Taylor and Jake Armerding. Their LP includes covers of Neil Young’s “Cowboy In The Sand,” the classic oldie “I Think We’re Alone Now” and the contemporary indie-folk gem “When My Time Comes” by Dawes, which they’re offering as a free download. Continue reading »
