Opened up the feed reader today and I saw this video posted over on Switchblade Comb. I had to share it here because it reeks of the Musicgoat spirit: a folk (or Americana or Alt-Country) songwriter – and obvious Musicgoat – stripping down a metal song. Musicgoat heaven!
Anyway, cover songs are best when an artist takes the song and makes it their own. Good or bad, that it what Ryan Adams does with this Iron Maiden classic (He definitely makes it more melancholy).
This is about as indie as it gets. Here is a very cool cover of Princes “Purple Rain.”
The interesting thing here is, Prince HATES people covering his music. So much so that he wants to outlaw (yes outlaw) cover songs (wtf ?). I can’t even imagine a world without cover songs. Hell think of a artists that have benefited from their songs being covered and I know there are songs out there that were actually better when they were covered. Read the rest of this entry
Take a few minutes to enjoy this original take on Billy Idol’s “Dancing with Myself”.
New York based Tribrix (rhymes with try-bricks) manages to keep most of the classic Punk sound intact, but takes the song in a whole new direction. And as an added bonus, you get a great video with some really striking visuals.
You might even wonder how one DIY musician was able to pull off so much. But only if you watch.
C.G.’s Tips of the Week – Advice From The Certified Genius
How’s everyone doing? Good I hope. Happy new year everyone, here’s some new advice for the new year from your favorite producer.
Tips for life: Be thankful. The only thing guaranteed to us in life is death so I’ve come to realize that a lot of things that we take for granted like food, shelter, health and clothing really are blessings. If you look at any third world countries there are people starving to death and dying of malnutrition. Be grateful for what you do have and try not to focus on what you do not have.
Tips for producing/beat making: Diversify. Try new things musically. Don’t be afraid to go out of your element and make a pop or hip-hop beat. Even try some R&B or cross genre tracks. I used to strictly do more rugged and grimey east coast hip-hop. Over the past two years though I really worked on creating my own style and just doing my own thing musically and I have been getting a lot of great feedback. For an example, check out my new remix/cover song to G-Unit’s “Stunt 101″ here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lFF1CsN4ZQU or here C.G. Productionz \”Stunt 101\” Remix/Cover Song (same link)
Tips for song writers/artists: Promote. However you want to do it is up to you but you need to promote yourself. Whether you want to use Twitter, Facebook, Youtube, etc. is your choice but you need to get your music out there. People need to know and hear what you’re doing. In most cases a label doesn’t sign artists that don’t already have somewhat of a fan base (not in all cases but generally speaking). Even if you don’t want to end up with a major label you still need to promote because independent artists need a fan base to. Once you have the music or the movement that catches people’s attention you’re halfway there; now you just need to keep their attention.
Tips for finance: Buy assets, not liabilities. Keep this in mind especially when you start making excess money or get a raise or nice bonus. Even if you’re an artist, producer or song writer. Don’t blow your big check on a brand new Benz or big mansion (liabilities: items that depreciate in value and don’t make you any money). Instead, buy some real estate or talk to a stock broker and invest in some stock (assets: items that can make you money, if done correctly). Before investing in anything or buying any real estate it’s very important to educate yourself and make sure you’re working reliable and professional people on your investments. There’s no sense in blowing a few thousand dollars on new designer clothing and then struggling when the money dries up. The truth is, you never know when you might be out of a job or when your music won’t be the center of attention anymore. For these reasons, I believe it’s very important to purchase assets rather than liabilities. Suggested reading: Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki, A Random Walk Down Wall Street by Burton Malkiel.
I hope this advice helps to bring in the new year on a positive note for everyone and I wish everyone much love and success for 2011. Ending on that note, I’ll talk to you guys in another two weeks. Don’t forget to leave some comments and feedback too!
Thanks,
Posted by Christopher “C.G.” Gallucci of C.G. Productionz
P.S. My second mixtape Payback: Certified Genius Volume 2 will be released on Monday, February 28th. Stay tuned for that, especially if you like the remix that I posted!
Hello everybody and welcome to the new weekly segment here on MusicGoat.com. Covering a wide variety of music stylings by the modern cover artist.
But first let me introduce myself. My name is Oliver Barker and like any other driven teenager lounging around and doing nothing i am passionate for music. I grew up loving band’s like My Chemical Romance, 30 Second’s To Mars and now as my music tastes have expanded i find myself loving band’s such as Placebo and Muse.
A particular kind of music has been a developing interest for me for the last few years and that is the “Cover Artist”. The beginning of this interest came from the first time that i heard Muse’s “Feeling Good” a completely different take of an old classic.
From that moment on, the way that i listened and felt about that song had changed. The same lyrics played and sang differently can change the meaning of a song from that of Joy and illation to angst and misery.
Over the coming week’s i will talk about various topics of the cover artist from popular hit’s you didn’t know weren’t the bands own song, to rising star’s to check out before they make the big time.
This week’s topic is the: BBC Radio 1 Live Lounge.
The Live Lounge is a mid morning program that in the past was presented by the lovable Jo Wiley, unfortunately now a days it is hosted by Verne Cotten. As irritating as she is the music that is aired is alway’s something of interest. The show is based around big artists that are currently in the charts coming and and playing one of their own songs acoustically with is always followed by a cover of another artist.
As i am sure that you can guess this alway’s makes for a interesting result’s. The mix of acoustic vocal’s and live music is always phenomenal and artist’s always put out a great performance. However the song’s that a covered make for mixed result’s.
The Big Hit:
Haley William’s cover of “Use Somebody” was a massive hit and took the internet by storm:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tCMjJqVBm2g
The Flop:
Cheryl Tweedy’s cover of “Fire Flies” by Owl City was somewhat to be desired as her live vocals were lack luster and unimpressive:
I hope that i have given you a brief insight into the world of cover artistry and have opened your mind to the endless possibilities. Why not go and check out some of the live lounge covers and let me know witch one is your favorite?
What do you get when you throw classic rock, salsa music and artists like Jack Johnson, The Killers, John Mayer, Amy Winehouse, The Stones and Fall Out Boy – to name a few – into a giant blender? You get Rhythm Del Mundo’s “Classics” of course.
The compilation is a charity release with all of the proceeds going to a charity by the name of Artists Project Earth (APE). Overall it is pretty interesting listen. Here are my thoughts as I go track to track – skipping a few here and there. Read the rest of this entry
If you are a sucker for good (or at least interesting) cover songs, then check these out. Here are a few of the good – and not so good – that I’ve come across lately.
First, you’ll want to check out Prince doing “Crimson and Clover”. Even though I am a Prince fan and fellow resident of the great state of Minnesota, I still like Joan Jetts cover better.
