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Cover songs are cop outs. It’s an easy way for a band to get their name out there with an [almost] guarantee of some radio air time without having to put the effort into either A) finding a songwriter themselves or B) actually writing a song themselves. Plus the redone version will probably only last for 6 weeks at the most, then fade into the song archives getting minimal hits on iTunes store. Think about it: how many times have you heard Don McLean’s “American Pie” redone, and how many times does the original keep popping up on your playlist? Does anyone actually still listen to Madonna’s version?
But all of that is null-and-void if the band finds the 1 in a million way to actually make cover songs their own.
Reel Big Fish is that band.
To stand out from the other cover albums, Reel Big Fish scoured the music archives looking for that perfect inspiration for their latest album, Fame, Fortune and Fornication. The orchestra-esque band came up with 10 classic rock hits to spin their reggae sake-punk sound to really twist these timeless tunes into something of their own.
Covering everything from hair band Poison’s “Nothin’ But a Good Time” and “Talk Dirty to Me” (pre Bret Michael’s pseudo celeb-status on VH1’s Rock of Love) to Tom Petty’s “Won’t Back Down,” Reel Big Fish does the originals justice while spicing them up a big to keep their signature flare. Take Van Morrison’s “Brown Eyed Girl.” Originally, a DJ standard in bars like Cheers that gets everyone singing. Reel Big Fish amps up the volume, throws in some a trombone and trumpet and makes it nearly impossible not to bounce along to the reggae-infused beat.
Sure, you can’t beat the original, and you shouldn’t expect a cover album to be better than the original. You just want something different. You want a band that pushes the envelope to cover the song but doesn’t lose their sound.
Reel Big Fish doesn’t play it safe, raising the standard for other cover albums to come.
Four years after HalfDown Thomas initially laid down the first tracks of their third album, Beautifully Strange, the album was finally released. It wasn’t poor planning on band breakups that caused delay. The band was prepped and ready to get their new sounds out. But in 2005, Hurricane Katrina had a different idea, leaving the Mississippi recording studio and the band’s mastered tracks under 12-feet of water.
The band reconvened in 2006 at that same recording studio with the same producer, Chris Henderson from 3 Door’s Down, hoping for a better stream of luck this time around. They recorded in three week’s time and mastered the tracks for production, only to be stopped short by a computer malfunction leaving half the tracks unusable.
In 2007, the band moved to Nashville with Henderson to finish the album that nature didn’t want to finish, and Beautifully Strange was finally released in February 2009.
It’s easy to hear that HalfDown Thomas drew inspiration from Henderson and his work with 3 Door’s Down, but HalfDown Thomas doesn’t let the similarities sit for long. (Just because two bands are categorized the same genre, doesn’t mean they sound exactly the same, even if members intertwine.) Take a listen for yourself to their first single “Guiltless (Mend Your Broken Heart).”
Beautifully Strange is anything but ordinary. It’s a rock hard, heavy-set album that pushes the envelope of modern rock and roll, only intensified by Wesley Smith’s electrifying guitar chords and Randy Ayers’ raw voice.
For some reason, you expect this band to lean more on the mellow side—maybe because of their connection with 3 Door’s Down—but the first 3 seconds easily change your mind.
Just listening to it brings out the inner rocker in you.
Sure, we were all a bit bummed when it was announced that Langerado was canceling due to some strategic issues back in February. But lucky for us Florida festival lovers, there’s always something else brewing. This weekend, it’s the first annual Harvest of Hope Fest, a multi-stage music festival blending punk rock, hip hop and blues into one outdoor setting all benefiting the Harvest of Hope Foundation, an organization providing direct aid to migrant farm workers and their families.
I’ve been following the Fest since early February, and it’s like Christmas Eve knowing that opening night is tomorrow. If you want more details, check out the links below to articles in the Gainesville Sun, including a one-on-one with Against Me! frontman Tom Gabel.
Harvest of Hope Fest will draw music lovers
