Friday Feature: Casey Jones as covered by Michael Richardson

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!

The Grateful Dead: Casey Jones

Number.... thirteen?


The Grateful Dead: Casey Jones

Current Knowledge: I've covered two Dead songs in my life. Shakedown Street with an old band, and Friend of the Devil. I was under the impression that The Grateful Dead was a band for hippies and crazy stoners before I heard Friend of the Devil, which is twangy and literally the opposite of Shakedown Street. This has left me very confused about the identity of this band, but two songs isn't an ideal sample size. So I figured I'd add a third.


First Thoughts: This is way more like Friend of the Devil than Shakedown Street. If I didn't know better I'd have guessed that The Eagles wrote this or something, save for the weird little key shift in the middle of the verse. That's not to say I don't like it. I actually do, but I'm pretty surprised that this is the sound of one of their greatest hits. And it's super long, but from what I remember that's a thing with this band. They did include the word cocaine in the hook, so maybe there's something to be said for that.


Verdict: What did I just listen to? Because I'm not really sure it was a Grateful Dead song. Knowing Friend of the Devil has kind of prepared me for something out of the range of what I expected, but that's pretty darn far from it. I guess I categorized them closer to Pink Floyd than The Eagles. Wikipedia to the rescue: "The band was known for its unique and eclectic style, which fused elements of rock, folk, bluegrass, blues, reggae, country, improvisational jazz, psychedelia, and space rock." I am floored by this. They have so many styles that it's like they don't have a style at all. The verdict here is that I don't know anything about The Grateful Dead, I guess. On the matter of the aforementioned tune, though: it's good. I think I like Friend of the Devil better, but that's almost certainly my folk preference shining through here.