buffaBLOG - The Buffalo music blog: covers

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Album review, covers, fellow travelers, indie-folk, ryan, ryan wolf, shearwater — 0 comments

Album Review: Shearwater - Fellow Travelers

Covers albums generally aren't considered the height of artistic achievement. While there certainly have been covers that gain more traction and popularity than their source songs (from Aretha Franklin's "Respect" to Hendrix's "All Along the Watchtower"), the idea of a "covers album" more often than not suggests a cop-out. Though the Beatles and the Stones might have started out playing mainly covers, the bands were still learning and honing their craft. More established musicians (take Rod Stewart for instance) might get away with reaching back into the past for entire records worth of inspiration, but there still lingers a sense that the artists have lost creative steam.

Austin, TX's Shearwater, fronted by Okkervil River alumni Jonathan Meiburg, seems to completely sidestep any of the preceding concerns. Reaching to frame their cover album as an organic-sounding, unified work, Shearwater genuinely claim the songs they steal as their own sonic property. All of the tracks performed are significantly re-shaped into fluid "Shearwater songs."

Though it might superficially seem that Shearwater's absorption of the music of others is semi-parasitic, Fellow Travelers is ultimately an innovative tribute to those who have shared the road with the band. Each of the chosen covers can be traced back to acts that Shearwater has either opened for (see Coldplay) or headlined with. The Austinites even throw in a fresh duet with Sharon Van Etten for good measure, again re-considering the idea of "fellow travelers."

Fellow Travelers might not rise above its "cover album" status, but it does wear the stigmatized badge with charming pride. It's a joy to revisit the songwriting of underrated musicians like Xiu Xiu and The Folk Implosion, to witness how solidly structured their work is regardless of who is singing. But perhaps more original gems from Shearwater would have been more welcome?

Grade: B

alicia, bluegrass, collection, cover, covers, pickin on series, spotlight — 0 comments

Pickin' On Series: A Collection of Bluegrass Covers

The banjo is one of the many instruments that I hold dear to my heart. Versatile in the inspiration it evokes, it either has me dancing wildly like in "Big Country" by Béla Fleck and the Flecktones or teary-eyed in Sufjan Stevens' "For the Widows in Paradise, For the Fatherless in Ypsilanti."

Thanks to the genius that created Spotify, and friends for convincing me to explore it, I recently discovered an amazing collection. After my insomniatic cure tune ("Dramamine" by Modest Mouse) came to an end, I was pleasantly surprised by the following song, a cover by Iron Horse. The album art: a house painted in two halves of periwinkle and green, a large pink bird and above the title read The Bluegrass Tribute to Modest Mouse - Something You've Never Heard Before. The title spoke for my thoughts.

Searching for any other covers this Pickin' On Series had to offer, I was shocked to find a lengthy collection of my favorite artists/songs that were "picked on." Led Zeppelin, The Shins, "Jessie's Girl" and other 80s singles that I consider my guilty pleasures, Neil Young, ZZ Top, Blue Oyster Cult, Pink Floyd, The Doors. My jaw dropped, and I continued to search. A cover of Peter Bjorn and John's "Young Folks," Bob Marley, a whole album dedicated to Bob Dylan cleverly but obviously titled Tangled Up In Bluegrass: A Tribute to Dylan. The Dave Matthews Band tribute is fantastic. Don't judge me, I still love them due to my incessant nostalgia. And in all honesty the band is amazing so if it's just Dave's vocals that irk you, you can still appreciate the instrumentals. For all of you Boss fans, there's Pickin' on Springsteen: A Tribute. There's the White Stripes, Phish, The Who, and even Pickin' on Wilco.

Hey and if you have really shitty taste in music, don't fret. They even have albums dedicated to Melissa Etheridge, Nickelback, and Creed.

covers, list, steve — 0 comments

The Ten Cover Commandments

Sometimes bands cover other bands' songs. It's a thing that happens. Sometimes it's cool, and other times it's not. If you're in a band, you may be asking yourself, “If we cover this one song, will it be cool? Or will it be not cool?” Well, I can't tell you how to live, but if you follow these general rules, you will have a better chance of your potential cover song being cool, and not not cool.

1) Don't Suck.

If your band sucks, you're probably not going to pull off a cool cover. Stop what you're doing now, and get back into the rehearsal space. Or: get a real job, Slacker.

2) Be Creative With Your Selection

So, you want to cover Pink Floyd? Then why did you pick “Wish You Were Here”? Don't go with a band's most famous song, because someone else has probably already done it, and they probably did it better than you. Be creative. It doesn't have to be an obscure B-side; go with a song that's well-known, but not so well-known that everyone is sick of it.

3) Make It “Yours”

There's no reason to go note-for-note on a cover. There are bands that do that for a living: you used to ignore them while they pounded out soulless disco hits at your hometown's Fourth of July celebration. Or maybe you got drunk and thought it was cool that the band at your sister's wedding played John Cougar Mellencamp perfectly. How would you have felt about it if you weren't drunk? Right? If your band is just replicating a song, then you need to step off, go buy Guitar Hero, and leave everyone alone. Otherwise, if you're in a metal band, maybe leave the acoustic guitars at home and go balls-out on your “Dust in the Wind” cover. If that's your thing.

4) Remember: It's Not Your Repertoire

If your band pulls off a decent cover, there's a good chance some of your fans will want to hear it again some time. Then, at a future show, if the audience is being a good audience, treat them to it. Don't let a particular cover become a mainstay that's so embedded in your setlists, you forget that you didn't write it.

5) Make Sure Original Songwriter is Dead

The original writer or performer of the song you cover should be dead. Or the band should have broken up. Or the band SHOULD have broken up (you know what I'm talking about). Whatever the case, if you got your friends to throw down ten bucks to see you butcher a Death Cab song at Mohawk Place, when they could have paid a little more to see the actual Cuties butcher it around the corner, then you're just fucking with their heads. And their wallets.

6) Learn “Free Bird”

You know That Guy: the one who shouts “Play Free Bird!” at a band that's visibly not in the mood for That Guy. What you need to do is flip it on him. When he shouts “Play Free Bird!” at you, actually do it! Actually play all 74 minutes of this all-too-often "requested" classic. See if he ever does it again.

7) Don't Cover Queen. Don't Do It.

Freddy Mercury is probably the best rock frontman ever. Brian May is untouchable on guitar. And John Deacon and Roger Taylor are about as solid as a rhythm section can get. Just stating the facts here. Chances are, you are not Queen, and wont be able to do them justice. This rule applies to karaoke, perhaps even more so. Don't embarrass yourself, Buddy. Queen is off-limits.

8) If It's Halloween, Get In Character

A while back, I saw The Disaster at an all-ages Halloween show. They came dressed up in jeans, leather, and black wigs. The singer got on the mic at the beginning of the show and announced, “We're the Ramones, we're from New York City,” and then they hammered out a handful of Ramones songs. It was pretty cool. So, yeah. Do that.

9) Respect Yourself

I'm tired and I ran out of ideas. So this is just a rule for life in general. Respect yourself. And be nice to others. Okay?

10) Drunk?? Go For It!

So the venue is packed, and everyone at the place is, like, super wasted. Now you can get away with whatever you want! If the mood is just right, a band can ignore all of these commandments, and even bust out a note-for-note rendition of “We Are The Champions.” Imagine it! The people will go nuts!

OK, that's it, that's the end. OK, now let's watch some Queen together.

christmas, covers, holidays, steve — 3 comments

Worst Covers of Holiday Classics

If you're in a band and you think it's a good idea to record a Christmas song, you're probably in a terrible band. Or are high. There are already some great renditions of our holiday favorites out there, and they're going to be ubiquitous for the next few weeks, playing out of every car radio and muzak loudspeaker you come across. And you were just going to add some distorted guitar, and lush up on the vocal delivery, weren't you? Here are a couple of the worst molestations of Christmas songs, in no particular order, because if we fail to remember the past, we are doomed to repeat it.

The Donnas - “Christmas Wrapping”

The Waitresses' 1981 version of this song was a new wave gem. The white rap verses are, to be sure, atrocious, but there's something charming about Patty Donahue that redeems not only the song, but also sort of excuses similar early era mistakes like “Wordy Rappinghood” and “Rapture.” However, The Donnas' cover strips this song of its charm, and the only thing I can empirically say about it is that, well, they added distorted guitars.

Opt instead for: The Waitresses' original

My Chemical Romance - “All I Want For Christmas Is You”

Talk about lushing up the delivery: this My Chemical Romance cover is so over the top, you're going to want to start cutting. Or, if you were already into MCR, you're going to want to stop. Also present: distorted guitars.

Opt instead for: Mariah Carey's version, but make sure your bros aren't around

Collective Soul - “Blue Christmas”

I don't really have anything against Collective Soul, and I'm probably going to rage to “Shine” as soon as I finish writing this, but I can't wrap my head around their cover of “Blue Christmas.” It's like they're going for a kinda Bow Wow Wow sound, but why? And again: distorted guitars.

Opt instead for: Elvis, hands down, or maybe even the Bright Eyes version

Cap'n Jazz - “Winter Wonderland”

When something is bad, it's not always bad, and when it comes to doing things shoddily and impetuously, the rambunctious 90s indie outfit Cap'n Jazz were kings. The cover of “Winter Wonderland” they contributed to a punk Christmas 2x7” in 1993 is sloppy and unrehearsed, and I mean that in the best way possible.

Opt instead for: No, this version is actually pretty good

Ernest P. Worrell - “Oh Christmas Tree”

Again, this cover isn't necessarily bad in the bad way. And as always, Ernest is just trying to do his best, and has such a big heart, you know? He doesn't know the actual words, so he just sings the first line over and over, but it's kinda better that way.