Feb 192009
 

Hello cover lovers! It’s an exciting day here at Cover Me, for we are debuting a new series. For over a year now I’ve been bringing you covers from all over the interwebs, passing along the best and the strange, the gorgeous and the goofy. However, I’ve been thinking, why be content as a middleman? Why not offer some original content? Since I have no musical talent myself (you know, the old critic as failed musician thing), it’s time to start recruiting people with actual talent. So let me present…Cover Commissions, Volume 1.

Here’s the gist. Every month we will present to you an artist, one who’s probably showed up on the blog before, one whom I feel has a lot to offer cover-wise. Said artist has signed on to produce a special, never-before-heard cover for Cover Me. A commissioned work minus the money. What song will be covered? Well that depends on the artist, but as often as possible, the song choice is up to you! Read on (and if you’re an artist interested in hopping aboard, email me!)


So without further ado allow me present this month’s artist, the man to kick off Cover Commissions: James Eric. You’ve seen James here before, covering Sigur Rós and Justin Timberlake. However, those just scratch the proverbial surface of the covers machine that is James Eric. He’s got dozens on his website, and now he’s signed on to produce a special cover for us!

What song, you ask? Well, this is where you come in. To the right you’ll see a poll of ten songs that James and I came up that he could cover for us. Cast your vote and within a week or two a brand-new cover of the winning tune will be up for your enjoyment! Without further ado…drum roll…here are your options!

Lily Allen – Everybody’s At It
Devo – Beautiful World

The Hold Steady – Slapped Actress
Justice v. Simian – We Are Your Friends
Gladys Knight & the Pips – Midnight Train to Georgia
MGMT – Time To Pretend

Patti Smith – Land

Vampire Weekend – M79
Tom Waits – Misery Is the River of the World

Stevie Wonder – Signed, Sealed, Delivered

There you have it. Ten songs, both indie and classic, but there can only be one winner. Before you vote though, do your research! For starters, head on over to James’ site and listen to some of his other covers (I’ve linked a few below). Then track down any of the original songs you may not know. They should mostly be available at the Hype Machine (do a search, then click the “Read full post” link if there isn’t a play button) or, barring that, Free Napster (search by track). Which would work best with James’ style? Which would be fun to have a cover of? Cast your vote and if you’re so inclined, post a comment explaining your choice. Also, if you have a better name for this feature that Cover Commissions, I’m open to suggestions.

You have one week to vote, so hop to it! To help you along, here’s a few samples.

James Eric – Mrs. Officer (Lil Wayne)

James Eric – Dreaming (Blondie)

James Eric – Reservations (Wilco)

Cover Me is now on Patreon! If you love cover songs, we hope you will consider supporting us there with a small monthly subscription. There are a bunch of exclusive perks only for patrons: playlists, newsletters, downloads, discussions, polls - hell, tell us what song you would like to hear covered and we will make it happen. Learn more at Patreon.

  One Response to “Cover Commissions: James Eric”

Comments (1)
  1. As a sidenote, that old link to my covers collection should be changed to here, in case old readers check this post :) That was from the old version of CLLCT. Here's the new one:

    http://cllct.com/release/takecoversvolume1

    But I've got tons more all over the web, I'm sure. Thanks again for your support, Ray!

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