29 March 2013 - The Chickeneers - Ho Hey

There are bands that come along and change the face of music. The Chickeneers are not that band, but Blake Shelton is clucking hilarious in this clip from last night's Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.

28 March 2013 - Fishbone - Date Rape

I have misgivings about this song.  Even in its original version, by Sublime, it seems to make light of both date rape and prison rape.  I think the intention was to be a cautionary tale, but I still have my misgivings.  Frankly, Sublime had misgivings about it themselves - it was originally written as a jokey reference to a drunken comment made at a party.

Having said that, I clearly posted it anyway.  Sublime was an iconic ska band, and this was an iconic ska song.  They listed Fishbone as a huge influence, so for them to cover this song is a tremendous honor.  They do a really good job on the cover, too!

27 March 2013 - Telekinesis - The Concept

Here's Seattle indie rocker Michael Benjamin Lerner (AKA Telekinesis) playing a chill version of one of my favorite Teenage Fanclub songs on a street in Switzerland.

26 March 2013 - I Think We're Alone Now special edition

Admit it.  You love this song.

ADMIT IT!

And even if you don't think you do yet, you need to do yourself a favor and read this all the way to the end.  You'll be a fan by the time you hit bottom.

This 1986 single was Tiffany's biggest hit, but not her only one.  What many people don't realize - this wasn't her first single.  Which means that there might have been a few people who knew who she was when she went on that mall tour to record this amazingly low-budget but truly memorable video.

But we're here to talk about the song.  Tommy James and The Shondells were the original artists on this song, and they did a pretty bland version.  Still, it was a hit - it reached #4 on the Billboard charts.  Tiffany (who initially hated the song) added a young feel and more bounce to the song, and it reached #1 on the Billboard charts and was a monster hit worldwide.



Tiffany made the song, which wasn't all that memorable, into an iconic hit that she made her own.  That hasn't stopped other people from covering it.  Here's a cover by British girl group Girls Aloud, featuring the great Cheryl Tweedy Cole.  I have to be honest - I didn't think I'd like this version. At all.  But it grows on me.  Those ladies harmonize extremely well, and also give a light, fluffy song a much harder edge and slightly darker feel.

Plus, they're robbing a casino in the video.  What's cooler than that?



As hard as those ladies made the song, no one has done it quite like Snuff.  Favorites of Thrasher magazine fans, Snuff made a truly viable punk song out of this.  It's fun, and I feel like I could get in the pit and dance to this.



It's important to note that Tiffany really took ownership of this song. Weezer think they're covering Tiffany here.  They might be basing their cover off her version, but they didn't give proper credit.


By the way, Tiffany has come back to this song.  And it isn't the light pop song that it once was.  She turns it into a country-twinged ballad.  And I have to tell you, it's really good.  I hope you read down this far and are listening to it right now.  It's worth it.

25 March 2013 - Darius Rucker - Wagon Wheel

Let's start the week off with with the second single off Darius "Don't Call Me Hootie" Rucker's fourth solo album True Believers (to be released on May 21st). Wagon Wheel was "co-written" by Bob Dylan and Old Crow Medicine Show (you can go here to get the whole story). And yes, that is indeed Lady Antebellum singing backing vocals (Darius supported Lady A on their Own the Night tour).

22 March 2013 - Muse - Sign O' The Times

Well this is just a bit awkward. I'm not really a fan of Muse or Prince for that matter, but I have to say that this cover is pretty damn cool. See, I can keep an open mind to "new to me" music.

21 March 2013 - Andrea Corr - The Needle and the Damage Done

Andrea Corr - of The Corrs - doing Neil Young? And beautifully? Yes, please.