A Whole New Blog

There's a new face in the Covers neighbourhood this week: Covering the Mouse. That would be reason enough to celebrate, but even moreso due to the fact that this new music blog devoted to Disney cover songs. I repeat, DISNEY COVER SONGS. The music of Disney films and television shows has been ingrained in our collective childhoods across the globe, which makes it a prime source for cover songs. I've been known on more than one occasion to post Disney covers myself since it is one of my favourite sub-categories of cover songs, so naturally it's my new favourite blog. And the blogger's a fellow Canuck to boot, which is totally irrelevant but makes me happy nonetheless.


Now to celebrate, this would be brilliant time to pull out my non-existent cover of The Unbirthday Song. Instead here's a couple gems from my Disney covers collection:

The Bedroom Orchestra - You've Got a Friend in Me (live) [originally by Randy Newman from Toy Story]
Here's a great acoustic cover from BBC Radio 1's Live Lounge, a show known for getting its guest to perform unlikely covers. It also has a grating host in Jo Whiley who gushes over her guests to a degree that makes me cringe, or at least that's the impression I get from the snippets of dialogue that often surround the live lounge recordings. Luckily, you won't hear any of her in this cover of the beloved Toy Story song performed by The Bedroom Orchestra, who by all accounts is a one-man band. Is this disconnect between band names and number of band members a recent trend?

Watkins Family Hour - Not in Nottingham (live) [originally from Robin Hood]
This song is wonderfully bittersweet song from Robin Hood, one of my fav's of the Disney catalogue. I can just picture the slow pan across the sad animal residents of Nottingham shackled up in the town jail. Ooh, that rascally Sheriff! To find a cover of this at all is exciting, let alone a live cover by the Watkins Family Hour. At the core, the Watkins Family Hour is Sean and Sara Watkins, two-thirds of Nickel Creek, playing host to a variety of musical guests (predominantly at The Largo in LA) that have included the likes of Grant-Lee Phillips, Jon Brion, Fiona Apple, Glen Phillips, and many more. The fact that The Ditty Bops accompanied them on that particular night at The Largo is just icing on the cake.

So add Covering the Mouse to your bookmarks immediately! And there's even an accompanying Facebook group you can join, if you're so inclined (and I am). Welcome, welcome!