Luke Poling

Luke Poling is a documentary filmmaker and podcaster. His film Plimpton! Starring George Plimpton as Himself played nationwide theatrically and aired on PBS’ American Masters. He co- directed the short film Spearhunter (SXSW, 2015). He co-hosts and produces the podcasts, “Rock n’ Roll Grad School,” “Why?” and “Famous Last Words.” He is currently in production on his next film, a feature documentary about legendary New York DJ Nicky Siano. He is also prepping a website analyzing all of Bob Dylan’s onstage banter.

Dec 022024
 
franz ferdinand good luck babe

Franz Ferdinand’s Alex Kapranos described Chappell Roan’s “Good Luck, Babe!” as “an amazing song by an amazing artist.” The group recently performed “Good Luck” at a Sofa Session on BBC Radio 2, hosted by Jo Whiley. “It’s funny,” Kapranos told Whiley, “you get some artists that have a moment, often it’s kind of divisive. Some people absolutely love them and some people hate them. But I’ve not come across anybody I know, none of my friends, nobody I know, who doesn’t like this artist. They’re just so good.” Continue reading »

Nov 292024
 
Gina Birch

Gina Birch from The Raincoats is back with a new song and it’s perfect for your holiday mix. Birch just released on Bandcamp a cover of Yoko Ono’s “Listen the Snow is Falling.”

“In 2023, I played a gig at Tate Britain when the brilliant Yoko Ono show was on at Tate Modern,” said Birch. “I thought it would be great to play one of Yoko’s songs at our performance… we chose the song because it is haunting and beautiful and it was released as a b-side. Who doesn’t love a b-side?”

The song originally appeared in 1971 as a b-side to “Happy Xmas (War is Over.)” Ono has said that she wrote the song in 1968 before she met John Lennon and she considers it her first pop song. Birch’s cover features a hypnotic drone to bring you in to the song and certainly evokes Ono’s original version, but also creates its own path.

Nov 272024
 
al green everybody hurts

The Reverend Al Green is offering up a new cover of R.E.M.’s modern classic, “Everybody Hurts.”

“Recording “Everybody Hurts,” said Green, “I could really feel the heaviness of the song and I wanted to inject a little touch of hope and light into it.” And, because he’s Al Green, he did just that. The song still has the melancholy that seeps through the original, but the final chorus reaches another level of redemption, courtesy Green.

Playing on the track includes some heavy hitters, including Reverend Charles Hodge on keyboards, Texas guitar legend Will Sexton, and Steve Potts from Booker T and the MG’s on drums.

Speaking on behalf of his former bandmates, Michael Stipe said, “We could not be more honored, more flattered and more humbled. This is an epic moment for us.”

Green’s last release was in 2023 and was a cover of Lou Reed’s “Perfect Day.”

Nov 252024
 
smash mouth love me do

Perennial “All-Star” band Smash Mouth is taking on The Beatles in their latest single. The group (who are celebrating the 30th anniversary of their debut album this year), have released their take on the Fab Four’s first top-20 hit, “Love Me Do.” The Southern California band’s version adds some ska guitar, and the traditional Smash Mouth vibe, which was also exhibited on their 2001 cover of Neil Diamond’s “I’m a Believer.” Continue reading »