cover songs

I'm not a huge technogeek, but there are times when advances in technology -- even small things -- can make me really happy. As I've mentioned before, I have to drive a lot for work; most of the schools I work with involve a four-hour round trip each day, which adds up to a lot of time spent in the car.

That adds up to a lot of time spent scanning radio stations in search of something decent to listen to.

But not anymore. Motor pool -- the transportation department at the university where I work -- has a number of cars that feature a cool little bit of technology that makes my commute so much more enjoyable.

Hello Sync, I think I love you.

All I have to do is take the USB cord for my iPhone and plug it right into the USB port on the car's dashboard and voila, I can listen to my iPod during the entire trip, using the car's speaker system and controls. It definitely made my last trip for work (800 miles in 5 days) much more enjoyable.

Since I upgraded to the iPhone, I find myself listening to music much more than I used to. I like that I'm able to take it with me and everything fits in my pocket; I used to listen to CDs in the car, but I hated the storage options and ended up listening to the same one over and over. With my iPhone, though, I'm listening to old favorites and discovering new ones, and that's making me quite happy right now.

When it comes to music, one of the things I love most are cover songs. I think it just rocks when a band I love takes a song I enjoy and covers it, especially in a live show -- it's just so much fun. So I thought I'd put together a little collection of some of my favorite covers for you. Enjoy.


Goldfinger: 99 Red Balloons
A punk version of the 80s classic -- I absolutely love it. Especially when the bass line kicks in.

Ingram Hill: Solsbury Hill and Suspicious Minds
The YouTube versions are all live versions shot with someone's digital camera from the audience, so the quality is quite low. However, if you'll scroll on down, Ingram Hill has a number of great clips where they've covered some fun songs in their studio, like Amy Winehouse's Rehab, Beyonce's Single Ladies, and Katy Perry's I Kissed A Girl. These guys are a lot of fun; I've seen them in concert twice and really enjoyed them. They're a young Memphis band, and I'll admit that some (but not all, since I do love the song) of the appeal of the Suspicious Minds cover is watching lead singer Justin get his groove on -- it's minute mark 1:26, if you're interested. *grin*

Graham Colton: No Myth
This is off his newest CD; it came on while I was on the road, and I was just so excited to hear it -- havne't listened to this song in forever. (I couldn't find his version online, so I linked you up to the original Michael Penn version). Graham is a really sweet guy; I have a picture floating around on our home server of me and him taken several years after a concert in Baton Rouge; he opened for Better than Ezra, and I was really impressed with his talent and just how genuinely nice he was.

Better than Ezra: Love is Stronger than Death
This is just a beautiful song -- again, the quality is not perfect, but I love it still. I've seen BTE in concert something like 10 or 12 times, and they always add a few fun covers to their sets. Some of my favorites include Madonna's Don't Tell Me mixed with Outkast's Ms. Jackson, Beck's Debra, and Bill Wither's Use Me.

Rage Against the Machine: Ghost of Tom Joad
I'm a big RATM fan, even though they are radically different from a lot of the other music I love. Just a great song about a character from one of my favorite books.

Jewel: Have a Little Faith in Me
She did this cover for the movie Phenomenon, and I think her version is just beautiful.

Sarah McLachlan: Blackbird
I've enjoyed the entire I am Sam soundtrack, but this song is one of my favorites.

I'd love to hear what some of your favorite cover songs are; I'm always looking for new additions to my list. Leave a comment and let me know!

Comments

[justin guarini]

Nice blog good content I like those image!