Long Beach ska/reggae band Sublime made the perfect single back in 1996. “What I Got” had the right mix of punk attitude, lazy day lyrics, major chords (all two of them) and the grab bag audio weirdness expected in the mid-’90s. It is a song so well written that you can listen to the original and immediately listen to the reprise version without getting sick of it. It’s so good that it appears on Rolling Stone‘s 100 Greatest Guitar songs even though it’s an easy play for even a novice guitarist. Continue reading »
This past weekend, thousands of festival-goers flocked to America's live music capital to catch up with an eclectic group of bands for three days at the Austin City Limits festival. The crowd was equal parts hipster and country, uniting to enjoy shows from headliners like M.I.A. and The Eagles. The weather was flawless, the food was delectable, and the covers were ample.
The full-out dance parties of the weekend were on Saturday at Deadmau5 and Muse. Thousands rocking out under the laser lights until we were all kicked out for the night. It was a rare moment in which everyone was committed to staying for every minute of the sets instead of trekking off to catch a good spot for a later show. And while it was impressive to hear The Eagles (and no shortage of Big Lebowski references), their slow jam sing-a-longs ran a bit long.
Below we collect some of the weekend's great covers. Broken Bells If this is not done, the drive will spin but it will never initialise fully and the area will not be accessible. (aka. the Shins guy Danger Mouse) cover the Black Keys. Band of Horses returns Cee-Lo Green's cover love with “Georgia.” Muse plays one famous cover, one newer one. Continue reading »
At Cover Me, we love festivals. Often a chance for artists to reach out to a new audience, fests offer fertile ground for a genre-bridging cover. As volunteers clean up the last of the trash from Grant Park and fans begin the long drive home, we round up the covers from this past weekend, just like we did with Bonnaroo and Glastonbury.
It’s an eclectic mix. Green Day goes soul, Blues Traveler goes reggae, and Switchfoot goes brat-rap. Check them all out below. What did I miss? Do you have any better videos (particularly of the Switchfoot)? Let me know in the comments! Continue reading »