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.

Sabrina Carpenter and Chappell Roan Duet on “Last Christmas”

 Posted by at 10:48 am  No Responses »
Dec 122024
 
Sabrina Carpenter and Chappell Roan

One of the joys of TV specials by musicians is the duets that occur. One only need look to Bing Crosby and David Bowie’s version of “Little Drummer Boy to see how successful these duets might be. In Sabrina Carpenter’s new Netflix Christmas special, she is joined by fellow pop star Chappell Roan for a cover of Wham!’s “Last Christmas.” Keeping true to the aesthetic of both the special and Carpenter’s stage show, the two team up in a scene set late at night/early morning, while they sing the song karaoke style from a TV. The new version of the song plays up the sadness of the lyrics, with the more upbeat rhythm only coming in during the second verse. Continue reading »

Garbage Experiences “Love” The Psychedelic Furs Way

 Posted by at 10:01 am  No Responses »
Dec 102024
 
garbage love my way

Garbage has released a new cover of the Psychedelic Furs’ ’80 classic “Love My Way.” The cover appears on a new compilation Copy/Paste, which was released as part of Record Store Day’s Black Friday event. The album collects 10 covers by the Shirley Manson-led band, but the Furs cover is the only unreleased track on the album. (Other songs & artists covered on the record include U2, Big Star, David Bowie and Patti Smith.) Continue reading »

Franz Ferdinand Wish Chappell Roan “Good Luck, Babe!”

 Posted by at 1:33 pm  No Responses »
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 »

The Raincoats’ Gina Birch Honors the Season with Cover of Yoko Ono’s “Listen the Snow is Falling”

 Posted by at 9:00 am  No Responses »
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.

Reverend Al Green Knows “Everybody Hurts”

 Posted by at 9:00 am  No Responses »
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.”

 Older Entries  Newer Entries