Though we’re admittedly lagging one episode behind here at Cover Me, we’re still properly chuffed to finally bring the affable Ted Lasso into our coverage fold. For the occasion of the ninth episode of its second season on Apple TV+, Jeff Tweedy has shared a melancholic cover of the Ted Lasso theme song usually performed by the show’s co-composer Marcus Mumford. Continue reading »
Rock music has always idolized and iconicized those seen to be casualties. If you sing and/or play, premature death and/or mental illness always seems to add to the luster of flickering creative flames. Conversely, good health and a productive work ethic is sometimes demonized, until old age brings about a respectability to earlier derided middle-aged output. Roky Erickson fell firmly into the former category, a wide-eyed and vibrant presence in the 1960s, knocked down by the all too familiar cocktail of which came first, drugs or mental instability. The answer, as always, and as with Syd Barrett, Peter Green and Brian Wilson: probably a bit of both.
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“Sorry, we are closed,” reads the sign on the outside of iconic Chicago music venue The Hideout. Closed, but not entirely empty, as Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy and his band (including sons Spencer and Sammy) are on stage, covering Neil Young’s American Stars ‘n Bars classic “The Old Country Waltz” to a roomful of empty chairs. At one point, they cut to a recording from outside the venue so you can hear what this concert would sound like to people walking by: Muddy and muffled, but like you want to go inside. It’s a poignant reminder of what we’re missing, and what could be lost forever. Continue reading »
Every week the names doing these covers from home just get bigger. This past week got a boost from Global Citizen’s all-star charity event, from which several of today’s set come, as well as one major appearance in last night’s Jersey for Jersey fundraiser (Fountains of Wayne’s heartbreaking “Hackensack” from that is worth watching too, though, except for guest bassist Sharon Van Etten, it’s not a cover).
But, amidst the all-stars, musicians at every level continue to take to the internet to perform covers. We’ve got some of the best we’ve seen below. As always, we make no claims to being comprehensive, so share any other favorites in the comments. Continue reading »
It’s a strange circumstance: What has been awful for humanity at large has been pretty good for the world of cover songs. Even we would say that’s a terrible trade-off!
Nevertheless, we’ve been grateful that so many musicians have taken to Facebook, Instagram, etc to share their music and, in many cases, cover favorite songs that are helping get them through. So, for the fourth time and certainly not the last, we’re rounding up some of the best we’ve seen recently and encouraging you to add your own below.
One note: There are some obvious names you won’t see here. John Prine. Bill Withers. Adam Schlesinger. Kenny Rogers. So many wonderful covers are emerging to pay tribute to artists no longer with them that we’ll be rounding them up separately. We did the first set for Prine here. Continue reading »
For our third edition of Quarantine Covers, we pay tribute to the man every musician is paying tribute to: John Prine. Artists, including many he worked with and mentored, have covered his songs since his tragic passing. And not just the hits, but songs from throughout his deep catalog. Here are some we caught – let us know of others in the comments.
Rest in Peace, John. Here’s hoping you finally got that nine-mile-long cigarette. Continue reading »