Since 2023, new tracks have been released as part of a four LP tribute to Drivin N Cryin lead singer/songwriter Kevn Kinney. The project, eventually being released under the title of Let’s Go Dancing: A Celebration of Kevn Kinney just released its newest song, a cover by Mike Mills, formerly of R.E.M.. Continue reading »
Darius Rucker has been a busy guy. He just recently announced his new supergroup, Howl Owl Howl, featuring R.E.M.‘s Mike Mills and the Black Crowes‘ Steve Gorman.
And now, Rucker has announced a new series that he’ll be doing on TikTok. “Songs I Wish I’d Written” is a series where Rucker will play… well, you know. Episode one kicks off with a great choice: R.E.M.’s “Everybody Hurts.” In his post, Rucker said simply, “In honor of announcing my new band… here’s episode 1.” Continue reading »
When Michael Shannon and Jason Narducy hit Athens, Georgia last year with their tour playing REM‘s debut album, Murmur in full, the four members of REM appeared on stage and sat in on various songs, but never performing all together. Continue reading »
Under the Radar shines a light on lesser-known cover artists. If you’re not listening to these folks, you should. Catch up on past installments here.
Writing an “Under the Radar” piece inevitably forces the writer to address the elephant in the room: Why is an artist you like enough to spend time researching and crafting a piece about considered to be “Under the Radar” by the vast majority of people? Hem, a band that formed in 2002 and sporadically released music until last year, would seem to have had so many advantages – intelligent songwriting, fine musicianship, a distinctive sound and, maybe most importantly, a lead vocalist with a scarily gorgeous voice. Seven of their songs were used in national commercials for Liberty Mutual Insurance, a classic Christmas cover was used in an ad for Tiffany’s, and other songs have appeared in television shows. They created music, which was well received by The New York Times, for a production of Twelfth Night for New York’s legendary Shakespeare In The Park program, featuring Anne Hathaway, Audra McDonald and Hamish Linklater. They were touted by outlets as diverse as NPR and Entertainment Weekly. Yet it appears that radar just doesn’t pick them up.
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Cover Classics takes a closer look at all-cover albums of the past, their genesis, and their legacy.
Considering The Beatles’ impact on music, pop culture and beyond, surprisingly few filmmakers have taken on the challenge of telling the legendary band’s story on the big screen. Director Iain Softley stands apart as one of the few who wasn’t daunted; his very first film, Backbeat, tells the story of the Beatles’ raucous early years as a cover band, performing in the seedy red-light district of Hamburg, Germany. The film concentrates on the love triangle amongst John Lennon, then-bassist Stuart Sutcliffe, and German photographer Astrid Kirchherr.
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