On the ‘Tube: Ethan Gold

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Aug 282015
 

YouTube is filled with amateur cover artists. Most stink. On The ‘Tube extracts the exceptions.

Ethan-Gold

Ethan Gold’s got smarts – he graduated magna cum laude from Harvard. Ethan Gold’s got genes – his father Herbert is a novelist, and his twin brother Ari is a student-Oscar-winning director who plays ukulele in their band, the Gold Brothers. Ethan Gold’s got serious music credentials – aside from scoring his brother’s films, he’s released 2011’s Songs from a Toxic Apartment (Gold’s residence had enough mold and asbestos that when the Department of Public Health condemned it, he needed a gas mask to get his possessions), which won high praise from Pitchfork and others, and his new album Beings features fan favorite “Our Love is Beautiful.”

And Ethan Gold’s got a bedroom closet, where he sometimes goes to record some amazing covers.
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On the ‘Tube: Everlea

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Jan 062012
 

YouTube is filled with amateur cover artists. Most stink. On The ‘Tube extracts the exceptions.

Guitarist Casey Shea first tipped us to his band Everlea’s YouTube page more than a year ago. From the first video we played, it was immediately apparent that these acoustic covers needed to be categorized somewhat differently than the more amateur performances we normally dig up. Each video was beautifully filmed in a different location, swapping the usual bedroom-webcam aesthetic for barns and harbors. The cinematic backdrops frame Everlea singer Justin Dubé’s lovely acoustic takes on the Killers, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and over a dozen others. Continue reading »

On The ‘Tube: Pezzettino

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Oct 172011
 

YouTube is filled with amateur cover “artists.” Most stink. On The ‘Tube extracts  the exceptions.

Milwaukee’s Margaret Stutt was well known in Brewtown’s art circles. Deftly dragging her accordion behind her like a frequent flyer through airport security, Stutt seemed to pop up at every artistic benefit in the city. Margaret, better known as Pezzettino, was also just as likely to spontaneously appear around town, shooting a video using some iconic Milwaukee location as a backdrop. Now relocated to Brooklyn, Pezzettino has three albums of original material including last year’s Lub Dub, a collaboration with producer/engineer LMNtlyst. Continue reading »

On The ‘Tube: Dia Frampton

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Jun 072011
 

YouTube is filled with amateur cover “artists.” Most stink. On the ‘Tube extracts the exceptions.

On NBC’s The Voice, Blake Shelton picked Dia Frampton after she had been singing for four seconds. Four seconds. It’s no wonder. The 23 year old singer songwriter from Utah has a talent and versatility that somehow manages to coexist with her quietly powerful style.

The Voice may end up being Frampton’s big break, but she’s been a star of the internet music scene for years in the acoustic-duo-turned-full-band she started with her sister, Meg. Fittingly, they go by Meg & Dia. Recently, though, Dia has been blowing up the band’s YouTube channel with her own solo covers and we’re all lucky for it. Continue reading »

On The ‘Tube: Brett Domino

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Apr 252011
 

YouTube is filled with amateur cover “artists.” Most stink. On the ‘Tube extracts the exceptions.

YouTube musician Brett Domino is a superstar. Yes, that guy up there with the glasses. Oh, you didn’t know? Well, let him be the first to tell you. “We do get a lot of attention now that we are hugely famous,” he tells Cover Me. “We’ve had poems written about us, pictures drawn of us, marriage proposals. I signed a lady’s bosom once after a gig in Bangor.” Brett’s collaborator, Steven Peavis, gets his fair share of groupies too. “Quite a lot of people seem to comment on the YouTube videos confessing that they have a crush on Steven,” says Domino. “I think it must be his strong nose.” Continue reading »

On The ‘Tube: Vika Yermolyeva

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Apr 142011
 

YouTube is filled with amateur cover “artists.” Most stink. On the ‘Tube extracts the exceptions.

YouTube often tests the faith of even the most loyal champion. Why do so many teenage girls think webcam a cappella versions of Rihanna hits make them worthy of our time? Millions do, apparently. Just when you feel ready to give up on the whole endeavor, you come across a wild looking Ukrainian piano maestro playing Slayer’s “Raining Blood” and you breathe a sigh of relief.

Vika Yermolyeva, who goes by the moniker vkgoeswild on YouTube, trained classically and has received numerous awards for her playing. Now based in Iceland, she also harbors a not-so-secret love of metal, which she expresses by showcasing her solo piano arrangements of songs by bands such as Metallica,  Nine Inch Nails and System of a Down. Her stunning results illustrate the beauty of the piano as a musical instrument in the right hands: an instrument that combines percussion and melody better than all others, allowing for an incredible range of expression. Continue reading »

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