Cover News is a weekly feature keeping you up to date on the goings-on in the world of cover tunes, tribute albums, etc. Plus, at the bottom we post our array of cover tunes we’ve been sent in the past week. Have you recorded a cool cover? Send an mp3 to the email address on the right!
This Week’s News
Couple new features here in the righthand column. First there’s a spanking new search bar. Type in an artist, a word, a theme and see everything we’ve posted on it. Catch up on any downloading you missed.
Right below that I’ve divided the blog into sections by Feature. Want to see all the Cover Commissions we’ve done? There’s a link for that. Interested to see what’s hit the iTunes in past Shuffle Sundays? That’s there too. Check it out (Crayola would describe the links as “marigold”-colored.)
Our Twitter followers know that I frequently tweet cover downloads just for them. Get in on the action here, and suggest a theme for me to tweet about next week. Use that little @covermesongs function, whatever you call it, to toss in your idea.
Bruce Springsteen turned sixty last week. Philly’s WXPN station put together a tribute concert of brand-new Boss covers you can listen to here. While you’re at it, check out all the Bruce covers (22!) we’ve posted here in the past.
The always cover-friendly Bruce (check out my review of his Elvis Costello taping last week) joined Phish this past Bonnaroo for a take on “Mustang Sally” as well as some originals. Well Phish Phans know they have a Halloween show coming up this year, which means a full-album cover set. What album you ask? Well Phish are letting you guess, giving the hatchet to one album a day. Literally. The last one standing on 10/31 wins! Pretty fun to watch.
There can be a bit of an in-crowd feel with Phish, but Warren Haynes’ Gov’t Mule is a jam band everyone can get behind. When they’re doing an Alice Cooper cover? Even better.
Warp Records is celebrating its twentieth year with a cover orgy. Check out the 21-song track list at Stereogum along with downloads of Grizzly Bear and Boards of Canada covers.
Here’s a funny idea: What if Neil Diamond covered Adam Sandler? That would be so ridiculous that…wait, he has? Ew.
Though he’s been around forever, Andrew Bird’s profile has risen enormously this year. Everyone calling him the next Harry Nilsson (no one has called him that) won’t be shocked to hear him covering Nilsson. This download is from a new disc of Nilsson children’s covers.
Lou Barlow I have heard of, Franklin Bruno I have not. What matters though is that Lou Barlow has heard of Franklin Bruno, enough to cover “Sit Back and Watch.”
Karl Blau covers WHY? I don’t know. Third base!
This Week’s Submissions
The City Streets – Nikki (The Dream)
Port O’Brien – Halo (Beyoncé)
Rifle Recoil – Prototype (Outkast)
