Sometimes there are bands that I’ve heard of, and read things about, but never actually heard much of. This is the case with The Pop Group, a late 70s, early 80s post punk band that falls in the same wheelhouse as bands I already love like Joy Division, Gang of Four and Talking Heads. I [...]

Earlier today, my friend and co-worker Lars tweeted:
“Accidentally typed “Punk Moon” instead of “Pink Moon.” Oh, Nick Drake, the world would have been so different.”
Which got me to reply:
How hasn’t there been a punk tribute to Nick Drake yet? We got the title right there! How do we make this happen?
Thanks to another friend, and [...]

Recently Washed Out performed for Sirius XMU Sessions, during which they performed a short but well-realized cover of Chris Isaak’s lovely 1989 slow jam ballad “Wicked Game,” from his record Heart Shaped World. It’s a great reminder to how amazing the original is.

Check out Isaak’s performance on Late Night with David Letterman (back when he [...]

Whoa, how did I manage to miss this one for at least a few years? Awhile back you might recall that Radiohead released “stems” for their song “Reckoner” from In Rainbows. These stems basically are individual tracks from the song, not quite the raw multi-track recordings, but rather they were grouped into different pieces like [...]

(parts 988 and 989 in a 1001 part series)
Really loving this video for “Tiny Head” by The Luyas:

I just really dig how simple and clean it is, but still manages to be artful. Based around the singer Jessie Stein, The Luyas are another Montreal-based band with ties to Arcade Fire — former multi-instrumentalist, Pietro Amato, [...]

(part 956 in a 1001 part series)
I sure love a well executed cover song. Case in point: Holly Miranda’s haunting rendition of Sparklehorse’s “Hundreds Of Sparrows.” Miranda, a member of the Detroit band Jealous Girlfriends, has been playing the song recently in her solo set. But on New Year’s Day, the singer-songwriter gave away a [...]

For the past year I kept an ongoing list of nearly every cover song I came across — from live performances, YouTube clips, web series, compilations and charity albums and more. From that list I whittled it down to two 5-song lists during the year: a mid-year list Five Great Cover Songs From 2010 (So [...]

I was fortunate to play on a track that was contributed to this album a few months back.. Someone saw a youtube video we put online from a show and asked that we record a studio version of the track for this Oxfam fundraiser. Donate and download here:
http://www.versionsofjoanna.com
Track list / Artist list [...]

(parts 792 in a 1001 part series)
Lately I feel like this has become some sappy Flaming Lips fan blog, but this one was too good to pass up, and what can I say? I am fan.
Anyone who knows me even a little knows that I love a great cover song. One that’s not only a [...]

Wrote another piece for the NPR jazz blog, A Blog Supreme today (well I wrote a few weeks back, but finally published for the fans).
This week, a look at Fiona Apple’s glorious cover the Cy Coleman-by way of- Frank Sinatra standard “Why Try To Change Me Now.” Read that piece here.