Under the Covers

I went through a phase in middle school where I listened to the Lemonheads a bit more than I care to admit. It’s A Shame About Ray was one of those catchy albums that started fueling my search and discovery of indie music. It also featured a cover of Paul Simon’s “Mrs. Robinson.”

Over the past two or three years, I’ve been in a serious Townes Van Zandt phase, listening to his albums, watching documentaries and just getting lost in his lyrics. “Waiting Around To Die” is the track that stands out among all others.

I was a little nervous seeing the Lemonheads releasing a cover of the song, but they did a phenomenal job maintaining its spirit without any adverse changes. The song is featured on their freshly released album, Varshons. You can buy at Amazon.

The Lemonheads – Waiting Around To Die

I recently posted a bunch of great covers and then Bay Area blog, The Bay Bridged, snuck up and posted this gem shortly after. Whitesnake powered lots of BMX rides in my younger days (I still miss my Mongoose) and now San Fransisco band, The Botticellis, deliver a toned down version of “Here I Go Again.”

It’s sure to touch you.

The Botticellis – Here I Go Again (Whitesnake Cover)

Back when Pearl Jam and Nirvana were taking the world by storm and fueling angst in suburban teens everywhere, The Screaming Trees became my favorite Grunge band. I’ve followed lead singer, Mark Lanegan, throughout his solo career and my favorite of his albums is I’ll Take Care of You, a collection of under appreciated folk, country and blues tunes.

After hearing this album, I began to respect Lanegan much more as an artist.  He dug deep in the folk and blues graveyard to find incredible songs and his smokey voice haunts each one. One of the songs he resurrected was “Shiloh Town” by Tim Hardin. Hardin was a folk/blues singer in the late 60’s best known for his songs “If I Were a Carpenter” and “Reason to Believe,” the latter made most famous by Rod Stewart.

Although he played Woodstock, most of Hardin’s career was plagued by heroin addiction and stage fright and he eventually died of a heroin and morphine overdose. If you like Lanegan’s version of “Shiloh Town,” you should really check out all of I’ll Take Care of You. It carries the same tone and mood as “Shiloh Town.”

Tim Hardin – Shiloh Town

Mark Lanegan – Shiloh Town