A comment about cover versions

I recently got drawn into a discussion on what makes a good cover version. It's a pet peeve of mine, especially in this day of Pop Idol and a succession of manufactured popstars basically doing karaoke versions of classic songs. What's the point in that?

If someone is going to do a cover version, I hope they will put a bit of passion into it at the very least, or preferably try and reinterpret it. Very often it seems that stripping down the sound, to reveal the bare bones of the song, appears to be the most successful method. Expanding on the original sound or dramatically altering the original structure can also work, because at least then the artist has attempted to take ownership of this version, rather than simply copy it. Which is why i guess these pop idol versions annoy me such much, in that they are so anodyne. The biggest crime it seems is to do nothing.

It would be easy to make a list of how people have done it wrong, but instead I can think of a few instances recently of people getting it so right.

The most obvious would be Jeff Buckley doing his version of the Leonard Cohen track, "Hallelujah". I love this version, and was amazed at what a beautiful and haunting song he made from an original which i didn't really care for.




The other track that immediately springs to mind, is Johnny Cash's heartbreaking version of the Trent Reznor song, "Hurt". Originally written about drug addiction, Cash chose the song as a reflection on his life, the recent loss of his wife, and his own deteriorating health. In combination with a stunningly simple video the song portrayed such strong emotions that it became an instant classic. But possibly even more impressive is to hear the reaction from Trent Reznor himself






Of course people do cover versions for all sorts of reason, but there have been a number of covers albums done in recent years to raise money for charity, so at least the odd crime against music is for a good cause. One of the first collections that stood out in my mind, contained an amazing re-interpretation of Bryan Adams' saccharine love song "(Everything I do) I do it for You" by Fatima Mansions. Now it's not the easiest listen, but it is some achievement to turn that mush into something that sounds quite menacing (take a bow Cathal Coughlan).

Fatima Mansions - (Everything I do) I do it for You

Another cover which stands out in my mind, comes from an album called "Sweet Relief : A benefit for Victoria Williams". In 1993, Victoria Williams found out she had Multiple Sclerosis, and in support an impressive collection of artist came together to record an album of her songs to raise money for her future medical needs. This led to the creation of the Sweet Relief Fund, a charity that aids professional musicians (of any stature) in need of health care. Now I first heard her song "Crazy Mary" performed by Pearl Jam at their amazing gig with Neil Young at Slane Castle in 1993, and it stayed in my mind for months afterwards.

Pearl Jam - Crazy Mary

In Ireland of course we've had a number of releases from the Ray D'Arcy show on TodayFM called "Even Better Than the Real Thing". It came from a good premise of artists coming into the studio and having to perform an acoustic cover version of a well know chart hit. There were some ah.. UNIQUE versions done, but I remember being impressed by Glen Hansard & Colm MacConIomaire of the Frames doing a lovely version of "Everytime", a Britney Spears number apparently? Who woulda thought it?

Glen Hansard & Colm MacConIomaire - Everytime

But, a couple of days ago I came across a mention of a kiwi band contributing to a Cure tribute album, and it made me think of that discussion again. So I'm going to leave you with "The Brunettes" excellent version of "Lovesong". Now that's a cover done right.

The Brunettes - Lovesong (Cure - Cover Version)


Are there any cover versions which stand out for you? If you can think of any good ones, leave a comment so we can all see. I may do a post on the good ones in the future.

Cheers.

G.

Celebrating Waitangi Day in New Zealand, thinking of home

Waitangi Day is a significant day in the history of New Zealand.
To quote that illustrious source Wikipedia,

It is a public holiday held each year on 6th February to celebrate the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi, New Zealand's founding document, on that date in 1840.

Having seen the following video few years ago, I thought it the perfect symbol of modern kiwi music. The song is called "Tangaroa" and it is by a famous kiwi drum and bass artist (or dub and bass which is probably more accurate) called Tiki Taane. It features a fusion of Taane’s trademark bass-heavy production with traditional Maori instrumentation, a style which Taane describes as “punk dub meets tangatawhenua”

I'll let Tiki himself explain the songs meanings and origin.

Tangaroa means ‘God of the Sea’. This was the first song I wrote for my album, I started it a good four years ago. Since then I have come to realise it was the catalyst for all the changes I have been through the last few years. I wanted to make something that was challenging and progressive, yet at the same time united the past and the future as one. I clocked a Haka recording and discovered the speed was about 110 bpm, which is a great tempo for writing dancehall at. I threw in some tribal elements and came up with a rhythm that was very powerful even without the haka on top, so when my father laid one down, it just took it to a whole other level.
In my heart I believe this song embodies the power and Mana of Tangaroa and Haka.

Taken from an interview in Biggie.co.nz



Anyway, I really love this track and think the video is especially powerful when i think of the Maori (and other island nations) trying to maintain their traditions in the face of the "Modern" world. As an Irishman in New Zealand, I can somewhat equate this to our own Irish language and traditions which have been eroding with each subsequent generation. I was delighted to meet an Irish scholar here last year (Dr. Muiris O'Laoire) as he was giving a series of lectures about the past and future of the Irish language, and what we can learn from how Maori has survived as a language in New Zealand. Sadly, without a lot of effort, the future for our native tongue isn't as bright as it should be. However the recent phenomenon of Irish language events as part of popular culture (such as the Irish language pub nights in Cork) is heartening.



But, to end on a happier note, I thought if fitting to leave you with the footage of the 2008 meeting between Munster and the All Blacks, where the four kiwi's in the Munster Squad, step forward and issue their challenge, via a haka.




Hope you have a good Waitangi Day, wherever you may be.

Mini Review - KETCH HARBOUR WOLVES

Ketch Harbour Wolves

I've been meaning to write something about Ketch Harbour Wolves for a few weeks now, as I've recently become a huge fan. Yet another of the apparent production line of great acts coming out of Canada at the moment.

Ketch Harbour Wolves (named after the town Ketch Harbour on the east coast of Canada), are a five piece from across the state of Ontario, currently based in the Toronto scene. They have been building up a following both in the Toronto area, and across Canada on the back of 2 excellent EP's and touring whenever possible.

In May 2008, they released their 2nd EP "Dead Calm Horizon" to critical acclaim, at least from those who got to hear it. You could describe it a mini-album if you like as it contains 7 tracks. There is a wonderful full sound to the record, reminding me at times of The National (which is never a bad thing) and front man Jonathan Tyrell's great voice only serves to highlight some of the brilliant turns of phrase. I love the imagery in the songs and even musically there is a real feeling of the influence of their time spent living on the east coast (which of course appeals to me as a marine scientist).

So why am I bringing this up now, you may ask? Well, I will hopefully be having an interview with the guys from Ketch Harbour Wolves in the next few weeks. And to give you an idea of what good guys they are, they have chosen to give their entire ep/album away for free on their website (both as MP3's or as uncompressed FLAC files). I strongly urge you to check it out. You won't be disappointed.
http://www.ketchharbourwolves.com/
Also you can find out all the latest news about Ketch Harbour Wolves on their MySpace page.

In the meantime, here is the video for "Words", the opening track off "Dead Calm Horizon"

A Quick Review - The Very Most - "Spring"

A quick note to bring your attention to the latest release from Irish record label, Indiecater Records. It's the first stage in a 4 part project, called "A Year with The Very Most", which will see a different EP available for download to represent each season (with artwork done by local Irish artists/photographers). The Very Most are an Indie-Pop band from Idaho that write catchy, hummable tunes usually with quite a playful feel to them. You may be familiar with their excellent track on the Indiecater Christmas release, or their brilliant "Theme Tune" for the MP3Hugger website (see here). They have been compared to the likes of Teenage Fanclub (much more obvious on their previous release Congraulations Forever), while I found they also reminded me of the Cork band FRED at times, and maybe even The Magic Numbers debut album.

The first season, "Spring" has just come out and is available to download for only €2.50!!! I have a sample track for you to download, called "April is the Kindest Month", and you can head over the Indiecater site and listen to the other tracks (in particular check out "Today Is Even Better", a two minute burst of sunshine).

Free Download
The Very Most - April Is The Kindest Month

You can also find more info on The Very Most on their MySpace page.

MY PHOTOGRAPHY - Rodrigo Y Gabriela - A 1000 thank you's

Well, I've managed to hit over 1000 views which I'm delighted about. Thanks to all who've bothered to come over and check out my part of the interweb.


So, to celebrate this monumental, nay earth-shattering occurrence, I've decided to make this post all about me (kind of). As anyone who knows me can testify, I'm a bit of a music nerd, and this has managed to spill over into one of my favourite hobbies, photography. I've been playing around with photography for about 8 years now, though i mainly stick to what i know best, wildlife and sport.

Common Tern feeding a chick - Rockabill Island, Ireland

But when i was still living in Ireland, I also decided to try and expand my photography skills to include Live Music Performance. All that basically meant was i would take my camera with me to any gigs I went to, and snap away. Now, I hoping to get back into shooting gigs, after a 3 year absence, since very little of interest bothers to come all the way down to Dunedin. The difference this time is that I will hopefully be shooting for my College Magazine, which means I have to be slightly more selfish than I'm used to, to make sure i get a good image.
Unfortunately I'm a bit too polite when doing it for myself, and I've missed out on plenty of good shots in the past by not just pushing my way through and making sure I got "the shot".

Gabriela (From Rodrigo Y Gabriela) - @ An Cruiscín Lán

A good example of that would be the first time I saw Rodrigo Y Gabriela in Cork. That gig at An Cruiscín Lán was awesome and i got a few nice pics despite the really poor lighting, my own stupidity, a packed crowd and the ridiculous heat (You know it's hot when the two Mexicans present are complaining about it!). I gradually amassed some decent pics of my favourite acts, and passed some of these on to the artists/bands themselves as a courtesy. That tactic paid fruit later when I was given permission to go along and shoot the sound check of a Rodrigo Y Gabriela gig, having shown them pics of that gig in Cork at An Cruiscín Lán several months beforehand.

Gabriela (strumming) - @ An Cruiscín Lán, Cork

Rodrigo - @ An Cruiscín Lán, Cork

Of course, as is typical of my luck, the soundcheck I got to see was the one time they had a major problem. There was a persistent (albeit intermittent) fault, which resulted in the sound blowing out seemingly at random. Despite serious pressure to have the gig go ahead, Rodrigo made the call to cancel that nights show, rather than have the sound compromised and put on a sub-par performance. A tough call, but probably the right one in the end.

Rodrigo Y Gabriela (The Ill-Fated Soundcheck) - @ Everyman Palace, Cork
You could tell they weren't happy about it!

Fortunately, after another day of troubleshooting, the 2nd gig went ahead the next night, and what a performance it was. If you haven't had the chance to see Rodrigo Y Gabriela live, then I'd advise you to rectify that as soon as possible. They put on a spectacular show, particularly in smaller venues where you can actually see their virtuoso guitar playing up close.

Gabriela - @ Everyman Palace, Cork

Plus, having spoken to them a few times now, I can honestly say they are lovely people, and that grounded nature and sense of humour comes across in their banter with the crowd. It also quite amusing to hear the hybrid Mexican/Irish accents and Gabriela saying Fookin' every other sentence.

Rodrigo Y Gabriela - @ Everyman Palace, Cork

Check out their MySpace page for sample tracks and news, or their main Website

And as a sample MP3, here is the track which made them famous in Ireland initially.
Rodrigo Y Gabriela - One/Take 5

And of course I'll leave you with some video footage from one of their earlier tours, and you should recognise the stage arrangements from my earlier photo. The clip is of course their interpretation of Led Zeppelin's "Stairway To Heaven".




And as an example of one of their own compositions, here is a performance of TAMACUN, from Later With Jools Holland.




Enjoy.

REVIEW - Folklore - The Ghost of HW Beaverman

FOLKLORE
The Ghost of H.W. Beaverman

Despite being something of a fan of the extended Elephant 6 Collective, and their various alumni, I had only peripherally heard of Folklore. Jimmy Hughes, the founder of Folklore, is a guitarist in ELF POWER, one of the aforementioned Elephant6 offshoots.
(for those unfamiliar with Elephant6, artists included Neutral Milk hotel, Of Montreal and Apples in Stereo to name a few).

FOLKLORE's "The Ghost of HW Beaverman" is a concept album (no, don't run away, they can actually be good), about a real historical figure called HW Beaverman, that Hughes had researched and was planning to write a novel about. Hughes himself explains,

The original idea was to create a history around the central character, H.W. Beaverman, based only on the hearsay, rumors, and gossip of the people in the town(s) around him. H.W. Beaverman is an older man, a hermit of sorts, and though few really know him, many speak of his legend and of his (theoretical) demise. As the album progresses, each character tells something new about Beaverman but also contradicts the previous account, thus deconstructing the rumor tree in reverse up to the end of the album when the listener hears H.W.Beaverman’s first hand account. As an album, rather than a novel, it leaves a lot up to the imagination of the audience, but I kind of like that aspect of how it turned out. Keeps them guessing. I think H.W. Beaverman would want it that way.

"The Ghost of ...." is a fascinating album, filled with a genuine air of mystery. There is a real variety to the songs on the album, with different vocalists used for most of the tracks, reinforcing the feeling of multiple persons giving their own biased accounts of HW Beaverman. And yet, despite 9 separate vocalists and assorted musical guest appearances, Hughes has managed to weave a wonderfully coherent whole. The occasional instrumental sections also work brilliantly as a means to subtly shift the mood between several of the protagonists. This is a writer that really understands his craft (or should that be art?).

I have listened to the album countless time now, and it still retains a sense of wonder, which is not something i can say often. Check out the freebie track and see what you think. You won't be disappointed.
FOLKLORE - The Pharmacist

If you are interested in hearing more, then head over to INDIECATER RECORDS and check out the whole album. The great news that this album is only €3.50 as a digital download, so you really have no excuse.

Folklore Website
Folklore MySpace

.

INTERVIEW - THE LAMPSHADES

I recently came across a small band from Pennsylvania, called THE LAMPSHADES who are doing a pretty good homage to some of my favourite bands from the 90's. There is no pretense here, just a straight up desire to produce a power-pop record like so many of their heroes. Their third album "..Are Alright" is available now, and absolutely rattles along while seeming to channel the spirit of bands like Teenage Fanclub and Pavement. For me there was a certain amount of nostalgia listening to it, and the uptempo nature of the album is a welcome antidote to the more downbeat music i also enjoy.

I was curious to see what is like for a young band from outside the usual musical hotspots, and whether there were any particular challenges. So their front man, Jaren was kind enough to talk to me about all things Lampshades. At the end of the interview, there are few sample mp3's, and I recommend you head over to their website and download the whole thing for free.

G: So, for those not in the know, who are The Lampshades?

Jaren: The Lampshades, at this very moment, are a three-piece power pop indie rock band born and raised in central Pennsylvania but spread out with 2/3 of the band in Pittsburgh and 1/3 in College Park, MD (near DC). We just finished our third record “Are Alright” and it’s definitely the best thing we’ve ever done.

G: Now, i see that ye're from rural PA, hardly known as musical hotbed. Is there much going on there musically? I know Josh Ritter has written a song called Harrisburg, but apart from that I'm drawing a blank?

Jaren: You’re correct in your assumption that it is not exactly a musical hotbed but there’s good people trying. We do shows back here a few times a year and it’s mostly our friends back from school or still living around here that come out. It’s not really what you’d call a scene. As far as Altoona, it is somewhat of a hotbed for touring pop punk bands because there is this one promoter who really has his act together and has created something good for that scene, but we’re not really in it.

I guess you could say that an hour away from Altoona, in Johnstown they have a pretty good thing going with an art space collective called 709 Railroad Street where we play quite frequently. They also have a “scene” message board community called Vocal Youth and an artist collective site called My Idea of Fun which has produced some pretty cool works.

G: The band is pretty spread out geographically at the moment. I know you're at university at the moment, what are you studying BTW? Is the band effectively on hiatus until your holidays?

Jaren: I am studying government and politics with a minor in rhetoric at the University of Maryland. We are not on a hiatus. We do a lot of weekend shows while I am still in school and have several booked in the next coming weeks. It works out well that all of our parents live at a middle point between DC and Pittsburgh.

G: You've been described as a power pop band? Are you happy with that? I'd say i hear elements of teenage fanclub, maybe a hint of pavement. how would you describe your sound? What would you consider to be your influences?

Jaren: I mean, I personally am a huge Teenage Fanclub fan. I got Bandwagonesque when I was 15 and I was floored and Songs From Northern Britain is an incredible and very influential record for me too. I also love Pavement and they are probably the more unanimously admired band in our band out of the provided examples. Chris and Dane dig their earlier stuff and I am actually a huge fan of their last album but I’d say the Slanted and Enchanted and Crooked Rain stuff shows up in our music and live show a lot more.

Pavement and Teenage Fanclub are indeed big influences as well as the Beach Boys, Beatles (obviously), Superdrag, Wilco, Sloan, Big Star, and many others.

G: I notice that a good proportion of the songs are about the fairer sex. Did you basically form a band to meet girls?? But seriously, what are your inspirations? I'm surprised you haven't tried to incorporate more of your background study?

Jaren: If I had started a band solely to meet girls, I’d have quit years ago along with the other high school Nirvana cover bands. I won’t spew off some bull shit that I am so artistic that I don’t try to use being in a band to my advantage to maybe impress the opposing sex when possible, but it definitely was not nearly a sole purpose in starting the band. As far as writing so many songs about girls, despite studying politics and enjoying social commentary and all of that, for me, music is not my outlet for my thoughts in those subjects. Political music done wrong has always been a turn off to me and I feel like I’d be one of those who did it wrong. I’d like to try to expand to maybe writing more “story songs” or something like that but I guess girls are always something easy to write about and it’s a good outlet.

G: How have you found the commercial side of things? I see that you gave away your album online for a limited time. What was the reasoning behind that? Did you get good feedback from that?

Jaren: The music industry is not exactly a lucrative field anymore. The United States is obviously in the middle of a big recession and people definitely don’t want to buy music. Bigger bands can easily be pirated on torrent sites but I think sometimes people feel wrong about pirating smaller bands even though they never get around to actually buying their record. So instead of making people live this moral dilemma and missing out we just decided, hey, we’ll just give you the record. I still never deleted the link for people to download it. At this point, we just want people to hear what we think is our best record and what we think is a really solid record. We didn’t get the level of applause that Radiohead did when they gave away In Rainbows, but I’m sure some people happily downloaded it.

G: What's it like for a relatively unknown act like yourselves in Pennsylvania? Have you been getting any help? Are there good venues for live music?

Jaren: We’ve had some support. We’ve played some good shows in Pittsburgh including opening for Deerhunter over the summer which was a super fun show. Pittsburgh and Philadelphia are great cities for live music and we’re also close to DC and Baltimore. But there really are some good small town Pennsylvania music scenes (and in surrounding states) that we tap into as well and have fun playing. Also, blogs like this one (and the internet in general) have been a great help in getting the word about our music out.

G: Have you gotten to do much touring? Any good tour stories. No-one trashed a hotel room or anything?

Jaren: We’ve done some short tours like 4 day tours in the Midwest and some weekend stuff in the surrounding states. Nothing too glamorous or amazing, I’m sure there are little tidbits but I can't think of anything amazing off the top of my head. It’s a lot of floor spent nights and diner meals.

G: Well, it sounds like ye're having a lot of fun on the record, and I'd say that would translate well to a live setting. How do you find playing live? Which do you prefer, studio or live?

Jaren: The record was fun, in some ways (like doing group vocals on “I’m So Different”), but recording in general can be frustrating. It’s a lot of hard work and Are Alright was produced by our drummer, Dane Adelman, in the basement of his parent’s house (for the most part) in the dead of summer where it sometimes felt like it was over 100 degrees. Central Pennsylvania is also very sticky and humid in the summer. I’d say playing live is more enjoyable but recording is definitely more rewarding and worthwhile for sure despite how frustrating it can get.

G: What's been your best gig so far?

Jaren: Our best gig as far as prestige so far was opening for Deerhunter over the summer in Pittsburgh. We had one of our best gigs as far as crowd response and merchandise sales in suburban New Jersey in some church basement a few weeks ago. It all depends what “best” means, but those are two I can think of from the top of my head.

G: Is there anyone you'd really like to play a gig with? Any heroes?

Jaren: This is a tough question. I’ve never been an over the top star struck kind of guy because I always feel like once you meet the people you admire it becomes sort of a let down. An exception of to this is the band Sloan, from going to their DC shows I’ve been able to talk to their bassist and he’s a really nice guy. I suppose opening for Sloan would be awesome because I’ve been such a big fan of all of their records for such a long time.

G: Any chance of getting on the summer festival circuit or get to a showcase event like SXSW?

Jaren: We applied for SXSW, I guess we find out at the end of the month. I applied for this year’s CMJ festival in the fall and also I’m working on applying for MacROCK.

G: Good Luck with the applications. Those look like some great opportunities if you can get on.

G: What has been the biggest thrill from 2008.

Jaren: The biggest thrill has probably been finishing our record and getting almost unanimous positive feedback on it for a change.

G: Any particular plans for 2009?

Jaren: Well, we’re putting out a 7” in the Spring on Fan Death Records and I imagine we’ll do a run of shows in the Midwest and mid-Atlantic United States. We’ll probably start work on a fourth album that will probably out sometime in 2010.

G: What would you consider a successful 2009?

Jaren: I’d say accomplishing the things in the previous answer and getting more people to hear our music and gain more exposure.

G: If it's a Steelers - Eagles Superbowl, who'd you got??

Jaren: Man, Steelers by far, dude! We live in Steelers territory all the way, pretty much anything west of Harrisburg bleeds black and gold.

G: What are you currently listening to?

Jaren: I’ve been basically listening to the Byrds for the most part…two of their later records The Notorious Byrd Brothers and Sweetheart of the Rodeo. I’ve also been getting back into the Beach Boys’ SMiLE bootlegs and actually listening to a lot of top 40 radio because my sister’s car doesn’t have anything but a radio tuner. That “Single Ladies” song by Beyonce rules…doesn’t annoy me at all yet.

G: So why should people buy The Lampshades..Are Alright?

Jaren: We think it’s a great record. I am not going to do some pseudo modesty act, we put a lot of work into it and a lot of folks dig it and we’re pretty sure anyone else into pop and rock music will too. Plus, right now you can still get it for free! At shows, we only sell it for $5 so it’s hardly a risk.

G: Thanks for that Jaren. I'll definitely be keeping a lookout for future LAMPSHADES releases.

Here are a few sample mp3's from the album, and if you like these head over to the band's Website where it is still possible to download the whole album for free (from THIS page). Alternatively you can check out their MySpace page for up to date tour information amongst other things.

The Lampshades - Yenlo
The Lampshades - I'm So Different
The Lampshades - Scotland

Enjoy

.