Back in October Trampled By Turtles released a bluegrass cover of the Pixies “Where is My Mind” for the WhyHunger charity cause. Yesterday the band released a crowd-sourced video of the song, recruiting fans via Facebook. They asked fans to take a photo of themselves creatively holding a sign with one word from the song on it and submit it via email. A great use of social media and music. Continue reading »
Minnesota acoustic 5-piece Trampled by Turtles are a hybrid of classic American songwriting, bluegrass and folk. Since the release of last year’s Palomino, they have been tearing up the festival scene with their infectious high-energy live sets. Yesterday, they released their first new recording in a year with the Pixies‘ “Where is My Mind.” Having all come from or currently playing in rock, punk and metal bands, covering the 1988 alt-rock track was natural. Continue reading »
It’s always fun to find out why artists decide to cover the particular songs they do. In the case of the spontaneous teamup of The Vaccines and Noah and the Whale, the reason was simple: “I don’t know the lyrics to very many songs,” said Noah frontman Charlie Fink on Britain’s Triple J radio before performing the Pixies’ “Where is My Mind?” As always, we get the typical radio banter with the DJ talking endlessly and the band just ready to get the show on the road already, but, when they finally do, it’s a treat. Continue reading »
Last year, Surfer Blood’s John Paul Pitts told Prefix that their band name came from teasing a friend who brought a surf bag on a road trip (it started as “surfer bro”). The point being, there is no connection whatsoever to Pixies’ acclaimed 1988 album Surfer Rosa. Still, we can’t help wondering if the name similarity influenced their choice of Surfer Rosa song “Gigantic” for their A.V. Undercover set. Continue reading »
Since releasing their debut album in 2006, ambient rockers The Coral Sea have kept busy: crafting the follow-up Firelight, appearing not once but twice on Grey’s Anatomy, and heading on tour with The Walkmen and Silversun Pickups. They have also found the time to offer a pair of covers as free downloads, drawing inspiration from two very different places. Continue reading »
In the Spotlight showcases a cross-section of an artist’s cover work. View past installments, then post suggestions for future picks in the comments!
Everyone has a different favorite Pixies song. “Debaser.” “Here Comes Your Man.” “Where Is My Mind.” “Smells Like Teen Spirit.” Wait – what? Sure, technically the single listed Nirvana as the artist, but Kurt Cobain himself admitted the homage bordered on imitation. “I was basically trying to rip off the Pixies,” he told Rolling Stone. “When I heard the Pixies for the first time, I connected with that band so heavily I should have been in that band – or at least in a Pixies cover band. We used their sense of dynamics, being soft and quiet and then loud and hard.” Continue reading »