cover songs

Damien Jurado tweets that this version of “Ohio” is better than his own.

by oz on April 8, 2011

I spoke with Tim (aka Strand of Oaks) after his set at The Earl in Atlanta the other night, and he was on top of the world. Damien Jurado recently took notice of our Strand of Oaks session and tweeted to his followers that the Strand Of Oaks cover of  “Ohio” was better than his own. “Ohio” is a song obsession for both Tim and I, (for me, dating back to my college days in Oxford, OH) so it’s only natural that we shared a mutual chubby over this tweet by Jurado.

Our  conversation went something like this (in the tone of two 14 year old girls with Bieber fever):

Tim: Can you believe Jurado tweeted that?! That was amazing!
Me: Yeah. That was awesome! I’m pumped that he was listening to music on our site!

We resisted the urge to hold hands and jump up and down screaming, but that feeling was palpable.

Shirk randomly texted a few minutes later saying he was cutting a video for “Ohio.” Here it is, along with the mp3.

Exclusive: Strand of Oaks – Ohio (Damien Jurado Cover)

In our first session with Strand of Oaks, Tim also covered Springsteen’s “Used Cars.”

Exclusive: Strand of Oaks – Used Cars (Bruce Springsteen Cover)

 

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Joe Pug covers The Low Anthem, Tom Waits [Backstage and Bootleg]

by oz on November 12, 2010

Joe Pug ended his $10 tour in Austin, TX at The Cactus Cafe on November 6th. Luckily, Aaron Wevodau was in attendance and recorded the show because it’s fantastic. Here are a few song selections, but head over here to hear/download the entire set. “Not So Sure” has become one of my favorite tracks of the year.

Joe Pug – Unsophisticated Heart

Joe Pug – Not So Sure

Joe Pug – Hymn 101

Joe Pug – T0 Ohio (Low Anthem cover)

Joe also posted a video of a backstage rehearsal of Tom Waits’ “Old Shoes” with Vandaveer.

Not the first time he’s covered Tom Waits. Here’s another video of Joe Pug doing “Ol’ 55.”

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Under The Covers: The Black Keys – Work Me

by oz on September 9, 2008

The Black Keys are no stranger to the covers. They’ve covered legendary bluesman, Junior Kimbrough on their debut album The Big Come Up with the song “Do The Rump” and on their follow up album, Thickfreakness with “Everywhere I Go.”

Junior Kimbrough’s Mississippi blues sound is an obvious influence on The Black Keys. Auerbach’s howling vocals seem to channel blues ghosts long since gone from the banks of the Delta. On their final album on the Fat Possum record label before joining Nonesuch, the Keys released a Junior Kimbrough tribute album entitled Chulahoma. It was named after Junior’s Place, the legendary juke joint owned by Kimbrough in Chulahoma, Mississippi.

The place has since burned down, but the album serves as an artifact of Kimbrough’s place in today’s music world and his steadfast influence in new artists that are busy keeping the blues sound alive. “Work Me” is the song included below, but the full work of Chulahoma (and Kimbrough’s full discography) is something to truly enjoy.

The Black Keys – Work Me

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