Hope you all had a good holiday! I certainly enjoyed the time off. But now we're back!
Number .... 18? I hope.
Smokey Robinson: Second That Emotion
Current Knowledge: I'm 99% sure I know this one. But the one percent here is bugging me. My Uncle brought this song up over Thanksgiving break, and I totally doubted myself on whether or not I knew it. So now it's here on the list and we're about to find out for sure.
First Thoughts: Oh.. yeah, I absolutely know this song. Haha, whoops. I covered this with a band one time forever ago. I feel pretty dumb for not being able to remember. This is actually a great song. I love his voice, and I love the brass section. Motown will always be one of my favorites. How could it not be?!
Verdict: There's not much to say, now that I remember the song; I formulated opinions on this one ages ago! Nevertheless it's a cool tune.
For those unfamiliar as to why this is a notable day: Thanksgiving's Eve is like THE biggest bar night of the whole year. And I'm not booked anywhere... which means I get to go out and catch some of my favorite local bands! If you're not busy (and you aren't, tomorrow's a holiday!) I highly suggest you do the same. All the local musicians out there will appreciate it greatly.
I will leave you with this, as it is - in my eyes- a holiday that I am off to celebrate.
This Friday Feature goes out to a cover of a cover.
Emily Seal covering Hurt, as covered by Johnny Cash!
I didn't really have any expectations when looking for a cover of this one; I knew that there would be a lot to choose from, though. Being associated with both Nine Inch Nails and Johnny Cash encompasses a wide group of people. I listened to a bunch and I wasn't blown away at any point, until I clicked on this link.
Meet Emily Seal!
I had already decided on a different cover, but clicked on this last one just as a whim, and I am SO glad I did. I am absolutely in love with this girl's voice. Holy cow. If you haven't heard of Ron Pope, listen to something by him; he's a favorite of mine and she sounds like the female version of him in the best way. In this cover, Emily didn't miss a single note, and she has the most impressive amount of vocal control. She might have the coolest voice I've ever heard from a Youtube video. I can't stress to you enough how talented she is. If you only listen to one thing today, make it this cover.
More about Emily Seal: I'm not sure why this video doesn't have ten thousand views. It's better than any other cover I looked at. But I dug a little deeper and discovered that Ms. Seal is doing very, very well. She's a Canadian recording artist with a slew of nominations and awards already received, along with a lengthy list of accolades and accomplishments. She has a CD out, titled If You Keep This Up (which I will be buying once I finish writing this post), a killer website, and a Facebook page you can check out if you like what you've heard above, and how could you not?!
Not that Emily Seal needs my accolades here, as she has already earned herself plenty, but I can't help but give them anyways. She's living my dream at the moment, and she's absolutely earned the right to be there!
Current Knowledge: I don't know much about Ted Nugent's music. I do know that the first time I was on the radio, I played my segment and then the host interviewed Ted Nugent over the phone afterwards, so I basically opened for him. Also, a friend of mine plays bass with Derek St. Holmes all the time (he gets theses all expenses paid trips to Vegas and LA and Denver.... I hate him). I have a sneaking suspicion I know this song.... But I'm not 100% sure, and I know I've never heard the original, so here goes.
First Thoughts: Yep. I know this song. Dylan, the bass player referenced above, does this song all the time at bars. I had no idea this was a Ted Nugent song! And though Dylan is one of the best bassists I've ever met EVER, Nugent sings this waaaay better. He's actually got a cool voice. And I don't know who's playing guitar here (Nugent maybe?) but it's really, REALLY good. This is basically straight up rock 'n roll. Not surprisingly, the original version is far better than anything that's been done in any bar I've ever been to. The solos are way longer, more drawn out, and all around better. Yeah, this is awesome.
Verdict: I was pretty sure I knew this song, and I'm not surprised I liked this better than the bar covers I've grown used to. It's a badass rock and roll song with a ripping guitar solo that I will forever appreciate and never duplicate. I'm really diggin' it.
(And by the way, these headphones are making ALL the difference; best $25 I ever spent.)
Current Knowledge: I know a few Johnny Cash songs; my grandpa is quite the fan (and, in fact, the only person in my extended family who plays guitar). Ring of Fire is probably his favorite, and I know that one like the back of my hand. However, I was at a party over the weekend, and on the TV/radio station that was playing, the Nine Inch Nails song Hurt came on. I genuinely didn't believe the person who told me that Johnny Cash had covered this, or how it possibly could have sounded. So, here I am, about to find out.
First Thoughts: Maybe it's my headphone upgrade, but the guitar in this sounds really awesome. It's really clear and bright and right on the top of the mix....yeah, this is probably thanks to the headphones, actually. In regards to the song itself: it's actually a really weird version of this, honestly. This song seems to be written with a really strong vocal melody, and Johnny Cash was by no means young when he recorded this; his voice is distinct but not particularly striking in this. I think it's actually the lack of emotion in his voice that is the issue for me. The lyrics say that the speaker is more or less dying, and Cash's vocal seems a bit apathetic. Though I think I can see why he chose to cover it, there's a good story and a nice acoustic guitar part, which are Johnny Cash staples.
Verdict: I'm not really sure what to make of this. It's a really weird convergence between two distinctly different types of music. I wouldn't say I'd put this on again, but I can certainly commend Johnny Cash for picking a song that is so far outside of his usual genre and making it his own. That's something I try to do a lot of the time, so I can definitely relate, at least.
For those of you that may not know, I'm in the process of putting together a bit of a home studio! I have this weird control-freak tendency with my music; basically I want to be in charge of everything that happens, from the songwriting to the mixing, and I've spent enough time in real studios and in recording classes to do it on my own, at least, well enough to get a good quality demo put together. The thing is, music equipment is SO expensive, if you want good quality stuff. I don't want to cheap out too much, but I don't have thousands upon thousands of dollars to spend. Luckily, I have a lot of the necessary components already, and a lot of the things I still need I can get at a huge student discount (ie, Pro Tools). That still leaves me with a few things to find, however.
On a total whim, I turned to craigslist last night to see if anyone was selling something I could use. And lo and behold, a "retired" musician who once made electronic (read: dub step) music, was liquefying his studio. Among his listed possessions were a $400 microphone and $60 headphones. He was selling them both for a total of $300... and I talked him down to $250. And then he threw in some other stuff too!
If sold at their retail price (with tax, not even considering possible shipping charges), the total for all of that gear would be: $543.75.
I saved almost $300! And all I had to do was go to this guy's apartment in the middle of the ghetto and pick it up... heh. (at one point the thought of possibly getting murdered crossed my mind, but who stalks their prey using audio equipment sales?!) Fortunately I emerged unscathed, and I saved more money than I spent. You can't beat that! (and these headphones, by the way, are DYNAMITE. I can't wait to test out everything else!)
This week's Friday Feature goes to a cover of Casey Jones!
When I looked at Casey Jones initially, the only thing I could think about in terms of covering was that it would make a great acoustic song for a male singer with a country vibe. So, this week I set out to find someone who not only fit that mold, but did it justice.
Meet Michael Richardson. :)
There aren't a ton of covers of this song on YouTube, believe it or not. And of the handful of covers that do exist, most of them leave a lot to be desired. This one is an exception! Michael has covered this really really well. His voice is great, very well suited to the song. And he plays a Takamine (which I may be biased towards because I learned to play on one) that has a really nice sound, even though it's being played without any amplification, as far as I can tell. Not to mention he's a great guitarist to begin with! He has all the components necessary to do this song well, and it shows. I'm super thrilled to have stumbled upon this one.
More about Michael Richardson: All I could really find on this talented guy was his YouTube channel. But there's a lot on there to look at! He's got a bunch of instructional videos that have accrued thousands of views, and a really successful cover of Lime in the Coconut that I really liked. You can check out his channel here.
Thank you, Michael Richardson, for sharing this with the world!
So, this is a little backwards. A friend of mine and an incredible musician used to cover this one song every time I saw him play, and I loved it. But I never got around to asking him what it was, and he's moved away recently. It's long past time for me to look up what the heck this song is. The internet is so cool.
After a tedious Google search, and about an hour of trying to remember any of the lyrics in the right order, I found it! It's Stay With Me, by Rod Stewart.
First Thoughts: I mean, I've known this song for years without knowing ever hearing the original, so that in itself is satisfying. It's sung so high! My friend always sang it an octave down, apparently. And he always did it just with an acoustic guitar, so to hear it with a full band, and all the harmony and everything is so awesome. And the slide guitar! That's awesome too. I've always wanted to learn to play like that. And this breakdown at the end with the guitar and bass solos is just so good.
Verdict: The original is great. I finally know who sings this awesome piece of music. I have about seven hundred memories associated with this song, so I'm excited to have a name for it. Maybe I'm a little biased, but I love it!
A revisit to All Along The Watchtower- this time, the Jimi Hendrix version.
Current Knowledge: It was suggested that I revisit this one and take a look at the Hendrix version. It's supposedly superior to Dylan's, which wouldn't surprise me, because Jimi Hendrix is kind of the man. I like the song and I know it quite well at this point, so I'm pretty excited to hear this from a totally different artist.
First Thoughts: Oh, there's no contest here. This is WAY better. I can't emphasize that enough though text on the internet. This is the version I've heard covered in bars so many times, but like a thousand times better, cause, ya know, it's Jimi Hendrix. And not that it even needs to be said, because it's totally a given, but the guitar solo is just so damn good. It's like the kind of good that makes you want to stop playing guitar because that kind of skill is practically unachievable.
Verdict: I am so glad I listened to this. I liked the song before, but after hearing this version, I love it. This is one of the best songs that I've written about in quite some time on here. And I'd write more, but I have to go put this on in my car, crank the volume, and drive down the highway at 80 miles an hour.
This week's Friday Feature goes to Rachel Ann Cauilan,with her guitar cover of The Chain, by Fleetwood Mac!
The first Friday Feature ever was an a cappella group, so this week I decided I'd go in the opposite direction and do an instrumental. This is a tough song to play!
Meet the lady who has done it justice, Rachel Ann Cauilan. :)
I listened to the song an extra handful of times before browsing Youtube, and there's a lot of intricate stuff going on in the guitar parts for sure. I wasn't totally sure I was going to find a decent cover anywhere. But it didn't take me too long to come across this really awesome rendition. Not only did Rachel play the entire song pretty much perfectly, her guitar tone is absolutely stellar, which isn't something you find a ton of on the internet, unfortunately. And she says she only learned it the night before recording it! I've been playing guitar for seven years and never would I be confident enough to post something I had only learned that recently, which makes this all the more impressive. Rachel, you are a hell of a player.
If you're interested in hearing more from Rachel, you can check out her Youtube channel here, which includes covers Blackbird and California Dreamin', both favorites of mine. You can also visit her wordpress blog, tumblr, and twitter pages.
Thanks for sharing your guitar skills with the world, Rachel!
