"Hey Man, Nice Shot" by Lunacy Box

Lunacy Box covered Cleveland, Ohio alternative rock band Filter's 1995 hit "Hey Man, Nice Shot," and it is, without a doubt, my favorite song performed by a female-fronted Italian metal band that deals with the widely televised suicide of a Pennsylvania state treasurer.

"Feed the Tree" by Javier Barrera

 

My thanks to all of you for the birthday wishes!

Not only is it my birthday, but it's also... ARBOR DAY!

So, here's Javier Barrera covering Belly's song "Feed the Tree."

Hopefully, everyone gets a chance to feed the tree today.  And by that, I mean go to Home Depot and pick up some Holly-tone.... not, you know..... die and be buried in a shallow grave beside a sapling, so that its roots can extract nutrients from your corpse like an evergreen vampire.

"Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm" by Papik

 

Italian producer Papik provides the muzak version of Crash Test Dummies 1993 ditty about outcast children.

At around the 2:03 mark, there's a sound produced by a harmonica that makes the song sound similar to the theme from "Perfect Strangers," and I hope that Balki gets invited onstage at Papik's live performances to make jazz hands.

"Portions for Foxes" by Caught a Ghost

 

According to their Spotify biography, Los Angeles R&B/Soul outfit Caught a Ghost derived their name from an old expression meaning to "feel the spirit."

"Possession" isn't the right word, I'm sure.... but, it's pretty hard to keep from dancing while their ultra-funky reworking of Rilo Kiley's "Portions for Foxes" is playing.

The song was featured on the tenth season finale of the ABC hit drama "Grey's Anatomy."

I haven't seen the episode, but if there's one surefire way of bringing some levity into an operating room, it's to crank this one up and blast it over the hospital's PA system.

"The Luckiest" by Sara Gazarek

 

A few months before our wedding, Jess told me that I should think about the message that I wanted to have inscribed in her ring.

This tradition was news to me, but I knew exactly what I wanted etched in hers.

"I am the luckiest."

Turns out, she had the exact four words engraved in mine.

Sara Gazarek has a beautiful voice, no doubt.

Perhaps it's a bit TOO beautiful, as she finds the need to sing a bunch of gibberish garbage at the beginning, which sounds kind of like "Bums ate toothpaaaaaaste!  Balloons, they float in my Cheerios..."

Like, what?

Maybe you don't feel that Sara scatting jazz style vocals ruins a perfectly fine Ben Folds song, and you're entitled to your completely wrong opinion.

To me, singing nonsense just to hear your own voice is similar to putting anchovies on a pizza.  Nobody wants your saline strips of awful sabotaging their Papa Johns delivery, Ken.

All in all, though, it's still a beautiful song.

And, after 14 years, if I were to get my wife's ring inscribed again, it would say 

"I am still the luckiest."

Unless they charge by the word.  Then, "I am the luckiest" is fine.  We have a car payment.  Jeez.

Happy anniversary, Jessi.  I love you more than I have ever found a way to say to you.

"Poker Face" by The Leftover Cuties

 

Los Angeles quartet The Leftover Cuties add a ukulele and sultry vocals to Lady Gaga's crowd pleaser dealing with fantasizing about ladies while bluffin' with the fellas.

The band got their name from Cuties that end up in our refrigerator after getting placed in Tupperware, only to land behind a veritable wall of yogurt, until they're discovered weeks later.

"When did we have the Cuties?," I'll yell from the kitchen, removing the lid from the container and examining it for unwanted bacterial colonies.

"You're not examining the Cuties for unwanted bacterial colonies, are you?" comes the reply from the living room.  "Just throw them out!  You might want to throw the container out, too!"

"Rehab" by Ministry

 

I was excited to hear that Chicago industrial pioneers Ministry redid Amy Winehouse's song about resistance to seeking professional help in overcoming alcoholism.

I was expecting one of their slower, heavier, wah-wah and distortion laden tracks.

Instead, I was met with a sonic assault of rockabilly guitar and drums played at whiplash inducing speeds.

As a fan of Ministry, I'd love to say that it worked.  

But, not really.  It's kind of a mess.

In fact, I'd have trouble leaving a better review than the belch at the end of the recording.

"Homeward Bound" by Vandaveer

 

Louisville, Kentucky five piece alt-folk band Vandaveer pay homage to Simon and Garfunkel with this remake of their 1966 hit about returning home after a long, exhausting, whirlwind tour through hundreds of similar looking towns. 

Our personal tour of Pinellas County lasted only a week, but that doesn't mean that we can't have an equally strong pining for the comforts of our home, and the pillow top mattress contained within.

I'm also super jelly that Vandaveer had a train ticket to their destination.  I get to count over a thousand mile markers along Interstate 95 from the driver's seat.  

Yay?

"That's Not My Name" by Sunscreen

 

British Indie Pop duo The Ting Tings' 2008 single "That's Not My Name" slaps so, so hard. 

Here's a remake that also slaps so, so hard courtesy of Sydney, Australia musicians Sunscreen.  

And now, a fun fact about sunscreen: No matter how many gallons you douse yourself in, when you step outside during the early afternoon in Clearwater, your skin can still turn a deep crimson blistery mess, and you'll swear that you smell Boston Market, but, really, that's just your own forearm. Baking.

"Hot Hot Hot" by Buster Poindexter

 

In 1987, Buster Poindexter went rum-b-b-b, yeah, he rum-b-b-b Arrow's Caribbean calypso dance floor single "Hot Hot Hot."

Speaking of hot hot hot, it's 86 degrees outside, and I'm drinking glasses full of lava in an effort to cool down a bit.

"The Heat is On" by At The Movies

 

The story of Swedish music project At The Movies is a fascinating one.

Due to quarantine lockdowns, it was two full years after the band formed that all members got to meet in person.

A mutual love of movies and rock music brought performers from Scandinavian metal groups Hammerfall, King Diamond, Therion, Pretty Maids, and Night Flight Orchestra together for Zoom meetings and jam sessions,  which resulted in several albums' worth of cover songs culled from the soundtracks of 1980s blockbusters.

Here, they rip through Glenn Frey's contribution to "Beverly Hills Cop."

"The Heat is On" is, again, appropriate for Clearwater, where it's about 85 degrees and sunny again today, and I'm one step closer to understanding what a rotisserie chicken feels like on the regular. 

"Hot in Herre" by Jenny Owen Youngs

From the opening line of "I was like, good gracious, ass is bodacious," Montclair, New Jersey singer/songwriter Jenny Owen Youngs' coffee house acoustic version of Nelly's "Hot in Herre" is absolute genius.

I might be wrong, but I'm pretty sure that "Hot in Herre" was written about the interior of a 2016 Honda Odyssey in the Florida spring.

The sun was already set, and it was about 93 degrees in that jawn.

"Walk on the Ocean" by The Double Denim's

 

According to chapter 18 of World Seas: An Environmental Evaluation, the Gulf of Mexico can be considered a part of the Atlantic Ocean, since ocean's have no hard boundaries.  So, this cover of toad the wet sprocket's "Walk on the Ocean" by Aussie band The Double Denim's is fitting enough for vacation week.  

The song can be found on the album Steve Jobs: Music Inspired by the Biographical Films, which seems to have very little affiliation with the 2015 Aaron Sorkin film Steve Jobs.

It may also be found on their album, which is probably entitled "Superfluous Apostrophe."

"God Only Knows" by Natalie Maines

 

Happy Easter!

Former Dixie Chick Natalie Maines returned from a five year hiatus to record The Beach Boys' 1966 hit "God Only Knows" for the finale of HBO drama series "Big Love."

And, I'm sure in some small part, to rekindle the flame with George W Bush.

"Life is a Highway" by Annapantsu

 

Annapantsu, a YouTube famous chanteuse from Nova Scotia, covers fellow Canadian Tom Cochrane's song "Life is a Highway," declaring that she wants to ride it all night long.

Perhaps her opinion would change on the second 10 hour leg of a journey from the Mid Atlantic to the Gulf of Mexico.

I've had enough of this highway.  

What I'd like is a bed.  I want to sleep there all night long. 

Pretty straightforward cover, though, in her take, she delivers Lightning McQueen's catchphrase "Ka-Chow!" before giggling in an adorbs manner.

Would Tom Cochrane ever giggle?  No.  Absolutely not. 

"Holiday Road" by The Dahlmanns

 

Lindsay Buckingham's song "Holiday Road", originally written for the soundtrack to National Lampoon's Vacation, was a super-concentrated ball of power-pop bliss that packed catchy riffs and an irresistible singalong chorus into a two minute jam, sort of like suitcases crammed in the back of the Griswolds’  Ford Country Squire Wagon.

Norwegian husband and wife Andre and Line Dahlmann, under the super creative moniker The Dahlmanns, released a version that was even poppier and rockier than the Fleetwood Mac alum's.  Playing this one at full volume is a surefire way to start off any road trip on the right foot.

"I found out long ago, oooohhhh/ It's a long way down the Holiday Road, oooohhhh"

I found out yesterday, actually, just how far down the Holiday Road is.

It's 1,018.6 miles.(1639.3 kilometers, for the rest of the world).

Here we go on our East Coast kick!

Holiday Rooooo-OOOOOO-OOOOO-OOOOO-OOOO-woah-OOOO-OOOOO-OOOO-oad!

"Ninja Rap" by Jimmy NaNa

 

When New York City singer/songwriter Jimmy NaNa decides to throw a cover in with his eclectic mix of originals, he opts for something equal parts fun and nostalgic.

He touches both bases with this remake of the cornerstone of the "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II : The Secret of the Ooze" soundtrack, originally performed by Vanilla Ice.

For full nostalgic effect, try to score a Super Nintendo and listen to this while playing "Super Mario World" and eating Domino's.

I'd suggest washing it down with Crystal Pepsi, but that stuff's going for about a thousand dollars per 2 liter on Ebay.

"My Sharona" by Soraia

 

I'm not a fan of the words "hustle" and "grind."  If I were to use them, though, I'd probably be talking about Philly's own Soraia.

Since befriending founding members ZouZou and Travis at an open mic in Media nearly 20 years ago, I had a great seat while watching them climb from local heroes to cracking the Billboard charts.

And, though their breakthrough album may seem like it made them an overnight success, I know how hard they've fought to get to that point, and they deserve every inkling of success that comes their way.

Their latest single is a blistering Garage Rock version of The Knack's "My Sharona."

"Seventeener" by Kellan Miller

 

As his seventeenth birthday approached, West Virginia youngster Kellan Miller set out to record a studio version of Chicago based punk band The Lawrence Arms' ballad "Seventeener."

At least, that's the story I've heard.  I'm waiting on the copy of the school ID that proves that he's 17.  His voice says otherwise.  

Like the kids on my son's tee ball team who are over four feet tall.  They can't be six years old, can they?

Anyhow, Kellan belts this one out with an intonation that singers twice his age would envy.

Now, The Lawrence Arms.

I know so little about them, despite their releasing seven full length albums.

Here's what I do know, though.

Their lead singer has amassed over 29,000 Twitter followers... roughly the capacity crowd at a Cleveland Guardians home game.

When Kellan sent him his version of the song, he returned a well thought out response.

Whether I get the chance to visit their discography, and whatever my opinion of their music might be if I do, I have to give kudos for the individualized attention that he gave to, at the very least, one of his fans.

Good on you, Lawrence Arms.  Good on you.

"Crazy Train" by The Barefoot Movement

 

It's a bit early, but I'm calling it now.

Nashville, Tennessee foursome The Barefoot Movement's version of Ozzy Osbourne's "Crazy Train" is the best cover I'll hear this year.

Each time they break into three part harmony... sublime.

I'm also glad that they provided proof in the form of video that it's possible to absolutely shred on a mandolin.

"Paper Planes" by This Century

 

Post #100!

To celebrate, here's a cover of M.I.A. by Phoenix, Arizona pop rockers This Century.  Because, Century. 100.  You know.  

There's not a whole lot that changed from the original version.  What's that? Right... apart from the singer, Captain Obvious.

So, rather than talk about the cover, here's something about paper planes.

Residents of the town of Fitchburg, Massachusetts, with the help of volunteers from as far away as Nashua, New Hampshire and Boston constructed a 1,500 pound paper airplane sculpture.  It's thought to be the biggest in the world, at least as of 2018.

The largest functional paper airplane remains the one that was designed by a team of 14 students and faculty at  Braunschweig Institute of Technology back in 2013.

"Major Tom (Coming Home)" by Shiny Toy Guns

 

You know how "Tron" was super impressive back in 1982?  How the special effects were all sorts of crazy good for its time?

And then, in 2010, "Tron : Legacy" came out, and made Tron's optics look dated and weak, though they were the cream of the crop upon release?

There's no doubt that Peter Schilling's "Major Tom (Coming Home) was musically ahead of its time.

Along come Los Angeles natives Shiny Toy Guns, who have the modernized equipment capable of giving the song a technological upgrade, fulfilling what I'm sure Schilling had envisioned.

And, boy, do they deliver.

Carah Faye Charnow's voice doesn't hurt this remake, either.  Not even a little bit.

"Ace of Spades" by Schroeder

 

The internet can be super weird sometimes.

In a Reddit forum dedicated to the (mostly) Independent internet music company Bandcamp, I asked if any artists had cover songs that they would like to have written up here, in the hopes of boosting their YouTube viewership by, like, six.

The first response I received was from a member of the band Schroeder, who directed me toward their 2018 album with this Shoegaze revision of prolific UK hard rock group Motörhead's little ditty extolling the joys of high stakes poker, "Ace of Spades."

From a post in a community with nearly 17,000 members, my first response came from Schroeder.

A band from Newark, Delaware.

That I played a show with about 25 years ago.

What are the chances?

(actual chances = .0059%)

With that kind of luck, or serendipitous whatever, maybe I should hit the tables!  The only card I need is the Ace of Spades!  Ace of Spades!

"Hit 'Em Up Style" by Carolina Chocolate Drops

Durham, North Carolina trio Carolina Chocolate Drops cover Soul/R&B power diva Blu Cantrell's song about punching a cheating boyfriend repeatedly in his wallet.

On a fiddle.

And washboard.

Their record featuring this release won the Grammy for Best Traditional Folk Album of the Year back in 2011.

Based on this song, it's not hard to see why.

"Little Maggie" by Pelican Rex

The German folk/outlaw country band Pelican Rex's version of "Little Maggie" may sound exactly like the original.

Nobody can be sure, as the initial rendering was never recorded.  

It's believed that the song was conceived in Southern Appalachia during the late 1800's.

Secondhandsongs.com gives credit to Grayson and Whitter for the first recording, in December of 1929.

For a remake that was recorded on a whim and without rehearsal, does it sound halfway decent?

You're darn tootin'.

  

"Lithium" by The Polyphonic Spree

 

28 years ago, I received a phone call from a friend informing me of the passing of Nirvana front man Kurt Cobain.

The information superhighway at the time was more of a two lane road in Kentucky with a single traffic light.  So, had she not relayed Kurt Loder's announcement, I'd have been oblivious.

It's one of the few celebrity deaths that hit like a ton of bricks.  Maybe it was due to its taking place during my formative years, where I was a moth drawn to the apathetic flame of the Grunge movement. 

By all accounts, including this one from British magazine Far Out, Kurt was uncomfortable with fame, to the point of despising it.

Maybe he'd hate the fact that his music had grown so popular that it would spawn so many cover versions (according to Secondhand Songs, there have been 193 different versions of "Smells Like Teen Spirit" alone).

But maybe, just maybe, he'd have given The Polyphonic Spree, a massive congregation of weirdos in Marshall Applewhite robes singing 30 part harmonies, his blessing to remake "Lithium."

Oh, well.  Whatever.  Nevermind.

"Believe" by Dollar Store

 

Milwaukee Americana group Dollar Store put their roots rock spin on Cher's 1998 hit "Believe."

I hope that the band didn't mass produce t-shirts, since they probably have to change their name to $1.25 Store now.

"Losing My Religion" by Black Needle Noise

The Bandcamp page for Los Angeles by way of London musical project Black Needle Noise describes their sound as "Musical Soundscapes, Audio Alchemy, Ambient Black Magic with Grindtronica Overtones." 

I have absolutely no idea what any of that means.  Not gonna lie.  

This take on R.E.M. is fire, though.  You know, for Grindtronica.

 

"Pop Goes the World" by Barcelona

 

If the discography of Men Without Hats were a Popeye's menu, "The Safety Dance" would be the 4 piece chicken, and "Pop Goes the World" would be the mashed potatoes with Cajun gravy.  Definitely delicious, but not the star of the show.

Which is a shame, because I've always liked this song better.  The simple but INCREDIBLY catchy keyboard hook propels this toward the top of my personal favorite songs of the '80s.

Barcelona stayed pretty true to the original.  Meaning, that keyboard riff was kept intact.  

The drums sound pre-programmed, so they weren't played by a big Bonhomme (I admit, I had to look this up.  It's a French Canadian thing.  Then, I watched the original video of the song, with the big Bonhomme on drums. Which would have been great, if I were someone who likes a good dose of nightmare fuel with their synth pop).

The only change I'd have made here is with the vocals.  If Jason Korzen and Jennifer Carr had harmonized à la Lowland Hum or traded off verses, it would have been an improvement over both of them singing in unison.

Regardless, this retelling of the story of Johnny and Jenny and The Human Race is all sorts of fun. 

"A-Punk" by The Crystal Casino Band

 

I thought that a funny April Fool's prank would be to rave about this cover song by The Crystal Casino Band and have everyone click on the link and listen to it.

But, there's a fine line between a joke and cruelty.

So, I'll be honest.  This is just ass.

I don't get a tremendous amount of joy from hating on musicians (with the exception of Gavin Magnus), and I'm sure that The Crystal Casino Band are great guys and a lot of fun at parties and probably have a ton of great cover songs in their arsenal.

But, this ain't one, Chief.

Vampire Weekend's singer is decent, but compared to this mess, he sounds like a straight up Seraph.

And, the cool flute sounds produced by the mellotron in the original "A-Punk" have been replaced by a guitar that's accidently been tuned to "stinky garbage."