Canadian Cover Content #2

Time for another round of Canadian cover content.

Sarah McLachlan - Dear God [originally by XTC]
DMC feat. Sarah McLachlan - Just Like Me (will.i.am of Black Eyed Peas Mix)
[a variation on Cat's in the Cradle by Harry Chapin]
Originally I was just going to post the Dear God cover (which I love, by the way), then I read this remarkable story of how Sarah McLachlan saved the life of Darryl "DMC" McDaniels (yes, THE DMC of Run DMC), which led to this unique collaboration. In DMC's own words, read this IGN interview from last year. The unlikely end result is. . . curious.

Styx - Summer in the City [originally by The Lovin' Spoonful]
Styx themselves are an American band, that is until Canadian Lawrence Gowan took over vocal duties from Dennis DeYoung a few years back. In 2005, they recorded an album of covers called Big Bang Theory, which is not as horrible as one might imagine. In fact, I quite dig this Summer in the City cover.

Shirley Bassey - Spinning Wheel (DJ Spinna remix) [originally by Blood, Sweat & Tears]
BS&T are another American band fronted by a Canadian, David Clayton-Thomas (who incidentally was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame in 1996).

Blood, Sweat & Tears - Sympathy for the Devil [originally by the Rolling Stones]
This is unlike any Stones cover you've ever heard. Blood, Sweat & Tears put their distinctive psychedelic jazz-rock stamp on this song, though the degree of success is open to debate.

Dread Zeppelin - Suite: Judy Blue Eyes [originally by Crosby, Stills, Nash, & Young]
Speaking of bands with a Canadian in their midst, there's of course Mr. Neil Young who put the Y in CSNY. Here's proof that Dread Zeppelin can also belt out some pretty sweet non-Led Zeppelin covers. I posted this a couple years ago, but I like it so much it's getting another round in the spotlight.

The Allman Brothers Band - The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down [originally by The Band]
Now here's a band that's predominantly Canadian with American Levon Helm on drums 'n vocals. Ah, The Band, the "Who's on First" of rock music (probably moreso than the Who).
I can just hear it now:
"What band is this?"
"The Band."
"Who?"
"No, not the Who. The Band."
"What the deuce?"

Duane Allman & Aretha Franklin - The Weight [originally by The Band]
Apparently the Allman Brothers like The Band.

Wolfmother & Zeppelin

Went to the Wolfmother gig a few nights ago. It was rockin'. The high tempo show kicked off right into Dimension, which is one of my favourite Wolfmother tracks, and they rocked hard for close to two hours straight including a five song encore. The lead guitarist/singer had an awesome afro that made his head look puny and he pulled off some entertaining antics such as flipping his guitar in the air and some Roger Daltrey-esque microphone swinging. They played through probably the entirety of their only album and also threw in a new song. The best surprise was a cover of Led Zeppelin's Communication Breakdown (rock on!). Apparently I was among the few who hadn't been expecting this, as there were a disproportionate amount of people sporting Zeppelin shirts including a roadie.

So I got home and did some googling and yes, they do regularly perform Communication Breakdown and even performed it live when Led Zeppelin was inducted into the UK Music Hall of Fame last year.

Wolfmother - Communication Breakdown [originally by Led Zeppelin]
This barely captures how wicked it was to see them perform this live in a smallish venue as the crowd went wild.

Wolfmother - Woman (Avalanches Millstream Remix)
Almost a completely unrecognizable version of this song.

Joss Stone - Son of a Preacher Man [originally by Dusty Springfield]
A pretty snazzy cover from the same UK Music Hall of Fame ceremony where Dusty Springfield was also inducted posthumously.

Some bonus Zeppelin covers:
Prince - Whole Lotta Love
Chris Cornell - Thank You
Jimmy Page & The Black Crowes - Celebration Day
Otis Clay - Since I've Been Loving You

Year of the Pig

Happy Chinese New Year, folks!

It's the Year of the Pig starting today. I'm a pig (or boar, if you prefer) and this is my year, so theoretically I should be getting off my butt and doing something productive with my life. Other notable pigs: our Canadian Prime Minister, Stephen Harper; future prez(?), Hillary Clinton; Kevin Spacey; Rachel Weisz; a couple of my favourite directors, Alfred Hitchcock & Woody Allen; Borat star, Sasha Baron Cohen; and many more. Since the Chinese follow a lunar calendar, the new year can fall anywhere between late-January to mid-February. So if you're a January/February baby, you'd be right on the cut-off between 2 animals. Wikipedia has what I'd hope to be a fairly accurate breakdown of the date ranges for Pig years.

Are you a Pig?

The Dresden Dolls - War Pigs [originally by Black Sabbath]
Cake - War Pigs [originally by Black Sabbath]
Ozzy Osbourne & Miss Piggy - Born to Be Wild [originally by Steppenwolf]

Elton John and Canadian soft rocker Bryan Adams are among several music artists born in the Year of the Pig, so here's a cover and unlikely duet from each of them:

Aretha Franklin - Border Song [originally by Elton John]
Elton John & Ryan Adams - Daniel

John Alcorn - Run to You [originally by Bryan Adams]
Bryan Adams & Luciano Pavarotti - All for Love [originally by Bryan Adams, Rod Stewart, and Sting]

Léon Covered

One of my favourite films is Léon (AKA: The Professional). If you've seen it, you probably know what I'm talking about. It's got the incredible film debut of Natalie Portman, age 12, in what still stands up today as probably her best role. It's got Gary Oldman in an over-the-top, scene-chewing (yet great) performance as a crooked DEA agent. And, of course, this would have been the first time most of us were introduced to the wickednesss of Jean Reno. It's hard to believe that director Luc Besson descended into such mediocrity after this. In fact, his directorial output over the past decade is sparse to say the least and he has become synonymous, at least in my mind, with churning out mindless action sequels (primarily as a writer/producer). That's not to say there's no entertainment to be had in multiple Transporters, constant Taxis, and American Jet Li movies, but seeing his name attached to a film trailer has definitely lost any sense of "Ooh, I might see that". If anything, it's simply been a disappointing decline in filmmaking from the guy who brought us La Femme Nikita, Léon, or even The Fifth Element.

But I digress, some songs from the movie:

The Originals
Björk - Venus as a Boy
This song plays over a montage of Mathilda (Portman) and Léon's (Reno) developing hitman/pupil relationship. Like the Rocky Training Montage, but Björked.

Gene Kelly - Singin' in the Rain
Léon's a big fan of the old Gene Kelly musicals and who can blame him. Though if you've seen Singin' in the Rain, that final 17-minute dance finale is overkill.

Sting - Shape of My Heart
This now-familiar guitar intro leads into the film's end credits.

Covers & Other Derivations...
Corinne Bailey Rae - Venus as a Boy
Oftentimes I start listening to new artists after discovering them through covers. About 6 years ago, I started to really get into The Living End after repeatedly listening to their version of Tainted Love (a modern classic, by the way). Danny Michel is another instance where I eventually "evolved" into listening to his original music (moreso now, then his covers) based on initial exposure to his take on Young Americans. At some point you realize not only is it a great cover, but a great band or artist. After hearing this and her cover of Zeppelin's Since I've Been Loving You, Corinne Bailey Rae is starting to move into this territory. I'm excited to hear some more from her in the near future.

Nils Landgren Funk Unit - Venus as a Boy
An instrumental jazz version, closely veering into the realm of elevator music or telephone hold limbo.

Mike Flowers Pop - Venus as a Boy
If you've heard their cover of Wonderwall, you know what to expect with this cover.

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Mint Royale - Singin' in the Rain
You'd remember this from a particularly funky VW Golf commercial from a couple years ago. This might be considered sacriligious, but damn those are some wacky moves to behold, particularly the "strobe light effect". Shockingly, the only CGI is the pasting of Gene Kelly's face onto some scarily inhuman pop 'n lock dancers (google: David Elsewhere for more). The remix used in the commercial was done by Mint Royale, who later expanded the track for their album See You in the Morning.

Jamie Cullum - Singin' in the Rain
He's on my concert to-do list.

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Dominic Miller featuring Sting - Shape of My Heart
This doesn't really qualify as a cover since Dominic Miller co-wrote and performed on the original. But Miller later released a solo album of classical music with this remake, complete with Sting in tow. Not surprisingly, it is very similar to the original.

Randy Bachman & Burton Cummings - Shape of My Heart
Last year there was a CBC special of these two Canadian rockers revisiting their classic songs from The Guess Who/Bachman-Turner Overdrive repertoire. Unexpectedly, they whipped out this excellent cover, which incidentally was a bit of a hassle to rip from our PVR box. They also teased viewers with the first 40 seconds of Jimi Hendrix's Stone Free before it inexplicably cut to commercial break, thus crushing the cover lover in me. Since then they released a DVD of the full performance, which makes the inexplicable commercial break not so inexplicable.

Sugababes - Shape
One of two songs (both apparently hits from 2003, no less) that use the Sting song as the basis for a new song. The second song is below...

Craig David - Rise and Fall (featuring Sting)
I find it vaguely amusing that, excluding the Bachman/Cummings cover, all these new versions of Shape of My Heart actually feature Sting, either through sampling or cameos.
i.e. "I will let you use the song, but only if I get to sing too."
"Uh, sure thing Sting."
Because really, who could say no to Sting? Apparently, neither Andy Summers nor Stewart Copeland. "We are The Police and we are back!" So much for rock mystique... Very subtle, guys.

Gypsy Punk

Lately I've been diggin' me some so-called "gypsy punk," a genre that previously I didn't even know existed. Yet over the past few months, I've independently stumbled upon two bands that could be each classified as such.

First, there's Gogol Bordello whose frontman Eugene Hütz is credited with coining the term "gypsy punk cabaret" to describe the band, which is a punk-infused Eastern European romp. The gala screening at the Edmonton Film Festival in October was a film called Wristcutters: A Love Story, an offbeat roadtrip comedy set in an alternate plane of existence where all the suicide victims end up and "everything's the same, just a little bit worse". It's quite a charming little gem of a movie with inspired performances from an eclectic cast that includes Patrick Fugit (Almost Famous), Tom Waits (!), Shannyn Sossamon, Shea Whigham, and Arrested Development's Will Arnett (as a self-proclaimed Messiah, no less). I found out after that some of the music on the soundtrack was done by Gogol Bordello, so I checked the library and we had a couple of their CDs. Shea Whigham's character Eugene, who electrocutes himself and dies mid-song at a gig, is no doubt inspired by Gogol Bordello's Eugene Hütz (who presumably did not electrocute himself and die mid-song at a gig).

Here are a couple of my favourite tracks:
Gogol Bordello - When The Trickster Starts A-Poking (Bordello Kind Of Guy)
Gogol Bordello - I Would Never Wanna Be Young Again
Gogol Bordello - Huliganjetta


The other band I've started listening to is Golem. Apparently gypsy punk can be further sub-categorized: Gogol Bordello could be considered Slavic gypsy punk while Golem is more along the lines of klezmer/Yiddish gypsy punk. I first took note of Golem when I heard their song Warsaw is Khelm, which features Amanda Palmer of the Dresden Dolls sharing lead vocals.

Golem - Warsaw is Khelm (featuring Amanda Palmer)
Golem - Mazel
Golem - The Rent


I suspect my affinity for this genre goes back to my days as a huge fan of Captain Tractor, a local band whose music is usually Celtic folk-rock but they have a few songs that share the same "gypsy punk" vibe. For example, the conspicuously titled Gypsy Music, a 30-second throwaway track from their Bought The Farm album. Also, a cover of If I Were a Rich Man, which I posted long ago in the formative stages of this blog.

Captain Tractor - Gypsy Music
Captain Tractor - If I Were a Rich Man [originally by Jerry Bock and Sheldon Harnick from Fiddler on the Roof]

Squirrel Nut Zippers Comeback Special

Here we go again with yet another Squirrel Nut Zippers post:


Even though I'm nowhere near where these shows are happening, I'm really excited about the upcoming Squirrel Nut Zippers mini-tour. It's only 4 shows, possibly just a one-off thing, and it starts next week!

February 6 -- The Birchmere, Alexandria VA
February 7 -- Ram's Head Tavern, Annapolis MD
February 8 -- Cat's Cradle, Chapel Hill NC
February 9 -- Smith's Olde Bar, Atlanta GA

Go, go now if you can!

Last month, Zipper drummer Chris Phillips dropped by my blog with a comment ("where were you when we needed you?") on a year-old post I made about the band. At least, I'm inclined to believe it was Chris Phillips and not an impostor commenting on one of my first blog posts ever from mid-2005 pretending to be Chris Phillips. . . um, not likely I think. While not as exciting as, say, meeting Terry Gilliam last year, the virtual presence of the drummer of my 2nd favourite Chapel Hill band (hint: #1 band has the initials BFF) had me beaming momentarily. The current line-up of Zippers is Jimbo Mathus, Katharine Whalen, Chris Phillips, Stu Cole, Je Widenhouse and Will Dawson, who I'm led to believe was the last recording/touring line-up from 2000. From their press release: "Life is mysterious. You never know when something might appear or disappear. Take it while you can get it, because for now, it's the Squirrel Nut Zippers."

The ol' "good things come to those who wait" seems appropriate here. My favourite bands that have reunited over the past couple years: Harvey Danger, The Presidents of the United States of America, The Philosopher Kings... and now tack on the Zippers to that list. I've said it before and I'll say it again, still waiting for Moxy Fruvous to rise out of the ashes of their "hiatus" which is 7 years and counting.

On a not-so-happy note, key ex-band member Tom Maxwell will not be among the newly reunited Zippers. Maxwell is responsible for writing their big hit Hell, among a flurry of other great Zipper songs. From a recent blog post on his mySpace: "Most of you are probably aware that my relationship with most of my former bandmates is sour, and continues to be litigous. I don't wish any of them ill will, but sure as f*ck wouldn't step back on stage with them." Please continue to read his full post to see why (understandably) SNZ is the least important thing imaginable and why the band is dead to him. Ken Mosher is another familiar band member who will have nothing to do with the latest incarnation of the band. Actually, Maxwell and Mosher both quit the band in 1999, an album and tour before the rest of the band broke up. The SNZ saga is outlined in quite tragic detail in this article.

Related links:
A recent SNZ article on their upcoming gigs can be found here.
The Official website is now back online here
The Official Zipper mySpace is also up here.

Squirrel Nut Zippers - Do It This Way
Squirrel Nut Zippers - Evening at Lafitte's
Squirrel Nut Zippers - Got My Own Thing Now
Squirrel Nut Zippers - Bedlam Ballroom
Squirrel Nut Zippers - The Ghost of Stephen Foster (live from Sessions at West 54th)

Jeff Warren - Galang-al (Trou Macacq) [SNZ vs. M.I.A.]
Quite possibly the only Zippers mash-up.



And for your cover fix, in the spirit of band reunions:

Mel Tormé - Happy Together [originally by The Turtles]
Konishi Yasuharu - I Want You Back (readymade 524 mix) [remix of the Jackson 5]
Steel Train - I Want You Back [originally by the Jackson 5]

Katharine Whalen - Want You Back
Not a cover, but apropos nonetheless. This solo effort is from the only female Squirrel Nut Zipper's 2006 album Dirty Little Secret.

...and in the spirit of bitter band break-ups:

The Jeff Healey Band - Communication Breakdown [originally by Led Zeppelin]
Matchbox 20 - Never Going Back Again [originally by Fleetwood Mac]
The Canadian Brass - You Never Give Me Your Money [originally by The Beatles]

2007 will also see David Lee Roth return to Van Halen and The Police back together too. Lesson: never say never!

The Oscars are funny.

...As in a big joke! A little Oscar commentary for you whether you want it or not.

Shirley Bassey - Big Spender (Wild Oscar mix)

I saw Children of Men last night and it was fantastic. I didn't even know they were announcing Oscar nominations today, but I'm already disappointed and shocked that this film did not get more recognition. There were literally 4 or 5 jaw-dropping moments of brilliant filmmaking that I haven't experienced in a long while, particularly throughout 2006. Comparing it to some of the blockbusters of last summer (emphasis on the BUST), it inspired more wonder and awe than Superman Returns, was more thrilling than Mission: Impossible 3 (ugh), and was a whole lot smarter than The Da Vinci Code, though I guess that's not much of a feat all things considered. Children of Men could've also been nominated in the Visual Effects category since it's plentiful effects are more subtle but no less impressive (in fact, probably more impressive) than Superman, Pirates, or Poseidon.

Little Miss Sunshine was a bit of a shock for Best Picture. It was well-made and enjoyable, but still... Perhaps it's the long delayed make-up nomination for National Lampoon's Vacation back in '83.

As much as I love The Departed and Martin Scorsese, I'm kinda torn as to whether I actually want him to win. On one hand, he's much deserving and it wouldn't be a pity vote (I'm glad he didn't win for The Aviator or Gangs of New York, which were good but...). But it'd be just as cool for him to join Kubrick and Hitchcock as one of the greatest filmmakers to never actually win a Best Directing Oscar. Hmmmmm... he should probably get it.

I laughed that Dreamgirls didn't get a Best Picture nod. I haven't seen it so I can't judge it too harshly, but I thought it was ridiculous that it was hailed as a Best Picture frontrunner before they even started making it. Perhaps there's something to be said here about counting unhatched chickens...? Take that, suckers.

I also think it's atrocious that Dreamgirls is nominated for THREE songs in the same category OUT OF FIVE. Yeah, it's the most nominated film this year with 8, but I repeat, THREE of those are in the same category. It's a musical for crying out loud, it practically takes over this category by default. I can't think of past examples where this has occurred, but maybe they should consider a nomination cap for this category.

Click - Could they not have found a better movie than this for the make-up category?

Animated movies is another category that could use some reconsideration. It seems like a great idea when, say, Spirited Away wins, but let's recount some past nominees: Treasure Planet, Ice Age, Brother Bear, Shark Tale (blech!), Shrek, Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron. To be sure, there's some entertainment to be found in there, but Oscar-winning films? I think last year's crop of Wallace & Gromit, Corpse Bride, and Howl's Moving Castle may have been the only competitive year since the award's inception. Nominees are basically any animated movie that comes out each year, with box office taken into consideration of course. Mind you, I've been ranting about how much a joke the Oscars are, I guess this category is not that far-fetched. I can already see next year's nominees: Shrek 3, Ratatouille, and The Simpsons movie.

Bah! I'll probably end up watching them anyway... like last year, and the year before, and every year... See you at the Oscars!

MP3-Photo Travelogue: San Francisco

Some pics from my week in San Francisco with mp3 commentary:


Never the Bride - Going to California [originally by Led Zeppelin]
Me First & The Gimme Gimmes - San Francisco [originally by Scott McKenzie]

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R.A.M. - She's a Rainbow [originally by the Rolling Stones]

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Captain Tractor - Up the Hill
Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66 - Fool on the Hill [originally by the Beatles]

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Gary Brooker - Old Brown Shoe [originally by the Beatles]

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Fantastic Plastic Machine - City Lights
Fantastic Plastic Machine - Allen Ginsberg

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Dread Zeppelin - Jailhouse Rock [originally by Elvis Presley]
Go Home Productions - Modern Rock [David Bowie vs. Queen mash-up]

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Ben Folds - Prison Food

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The Living End - Prisoner of Society (Reggae Version)
AC/DC - Jailbreak

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The Living End - Prisoner on the Inside [originally by Lynne Hamilton from the TV series Prison Cell Block H]

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Puffy AmiYumi - Usagi Channel

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Sarah McLachlan - Blackbird [originally by The Beatles]
Bobby McFerrin - Blackbird [orginally by the Beatles]

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The Raconteurs - Hands (XFM session)

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The Beach Boys - Crocodile Rock [originally by Elton John]

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Sam Roberts - Bridge to Nowhere

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The Toronto All-Star Big Band - American Patrol [originally by F. W. Meacham]

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Daft Punk - Digital Love

Happy Winnie-the-Pooh Day!

Hey, it's A. A. Milne's 125th birthday today. You know what that means... Pooh covers!

Winnie the Pooh [originally by Richard M. and Robert B. Sherman]
Carly Simon
Asparagus
Yasuharu Konishi
The Chieftains

Canadian Cover Content #1

Hey, I'm back from San Francisco. More about that in a later post. I'm also testing out a new file-hosting site... let me know if that works okay.

Part of the fun of maintaining a blog is inventing on-going features that may or may not be actually on-going (see: Cover Riddles). Sunday night I caught the Tragically Hip in concert and I've been inspired to add another irregular feature whereby I highlight covers by and of Canadian artists. Our radio stations in Canada are required by the CRTC (Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission) to play 35% Canadian content per week in the interests of promoting our uniquely Canadian culture. In other words, so our airwaves aren't hijacked by American pop stars. Usually on the classic rock station this means listening to an undue amount of Trooper, April Wine, Triumph, and Loverboy. Yikes. Of course, we have our homegrown classics like Neil Young, Rush, Joni Mitchell, The Tragically Hip, The Guess Who, and others. Fortunately, our recent exports like The New Pornographers, The Arcade Fire, Broken Social Scene, and many more indie rockers are starting to get wide recognition over the past few years. I'm under no such obligation to provide Canadian content, but I thought it'd be fun as a Canadian blogger to occasionally wave the maple leaf. So here it goes!


Sarah Polley - Courage [originally by the Tragically Hip]
Canadian actress Sarah Polley would probably be known best for her roles in Go and the recent Dawn of the Dead remake, but most Canadians would remember her best as the child star of Road to Avonlea. I had never even seen Road to Avonlea growing up, but even I knew who she was. Here she sings this haunting, 180° take on the Tragically Hip song. The cover comes from the soundtrack to Atom Egoyan's The Sweet Hereafter, which Polley also starred.


The Tragically Hip - Springtime in Vienna
Not a cover, but at Sunday's gig The Hip played one of my favourite songs of theirs, which is from the Trouble at the Henhouse album.

Captain Tractor - The Log Driver's Waltz [originally by Kate and Anna McGarrigle]
You can hardly get much more Canadian than this. Local E-town folk rockers Captain Tractor plug into a little Canadian nostalgia with this cover. Any Canadian kid from the 80's is bound to remember the Log Driver's Waltz and the National Film Board animated short that accompanied it with the light-footed log driver dancing with a beaver and leaping over moose all the while "birling down" the river on a log... I distinctly remember this playing often on YTV in the commerical break between Dr. Who and Ninja Turtles. See the original NFB vignette here. Little bit of trivia: Kate McGarrigle's son is none other than singer-songwriter Rufus Wainwright.

Barenaked Ladies - McDonald's Girl [originally by Dean Friedman]
I used to like the Barenaked Ladies back in the day (their first album Gordon was one of my first CDs ever). I haven't really liked much since their second album, but it's hard to believe they're still kickin' around. This early live cover (recorded for radio?) is an old favourite, although I didn't even know it was a cover for years. Some background on the song can be found on the original songwriter Dean Friedman's site.

Fates Warning - Closer to the Heart [originally by Rush]
This is a fairly straight forward cover of the Rush original. I used to hate Rush years ago. I'm not sure exactly when and how, but at some point I became a huge fan. I guess the Canadian Content indoctrination worked!

Until next time, people.

EDIT: Speaking of Canadian Content, I just noticed that Steve's most recent post over at Cover Freak features Canadian Danny Michel's cover of Davie Bowie's Young Americans. In last year's year-end post, I mentioned that this cover was the top cover that I had heard in 2005 (it's actually from Danny's 2004 all-Bowie cover album, Loving the Alien). Now I would not hesitate to say that it is among my top 5 covers ever. In addition, Danny Michel's original material is top-notch and I'd say he's is one of Canada's most underrated singer-songwriters. If you ever get a chance to see him live, he puts on a great show. So head on over to Cover Freak and download it while you can. He's also posted another one of my fav's: Gina Jeffries' amazing version of Creep, a great cover of the over-covered Radiohead song. Great post!