Welcome!
My name is Michael Armstrong. I’m a writer, photographer, and semi-professional music appreciator that lives in the Twin Cities area. I dig all kinds of music, but have a special fondness for cover songs. Such is my fondness that I created a site, this site, just to talk about them.
Feedback is welcome, you’ll find me on Twitter as @coversongsfm or @etherdust, email to michael at coversongs dot fm, or post something on your own site and link back here.
What is a cover song?
Simply put, a cover song is a remake. It is a new recording or performance of a song that was previously recorded and commercially released by someone other than the original artist.
Cover Song Types
- Loving Reproductions
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In the realm of cover songs, loving reproductions are where the coverer (the band doing the new rendition) makes their version sound as much like the original (the coveree’s) as they can.
Obviously there are allowances for male vs. female singers and slight changes in instrumentation, but the point in loving reproductions is that the new version identifies strongly with the original. You’re meant to immediately recognize it. You may even think you’re listening to the original until you finally decide that it doesn’t sound quite right.
- Total Renovations
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As the name implies, total renovations are when the coverer makes the song completely their own. It’s possible you may recognize the song but only just barely, often because the melody is the only thing left in tact with everything else having been reworked. The typical reaction is “Hey, isn’t this…?†or “What the h#%% have they done to…?â€
- Steadfast Revivals
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Revivals are standards or classics that have been reworked, re-arranged, or rejuvenated in some way. Think along the lines of people doing updated versions of George and/or Ira Gershwin, Benny Goodman, Glenn Miller, or Cole Porter. (OK, so maybe steadfast is somewhat hokey, but I have a thing for symmetry.)
Links and Commerce
Some links will go to amazon.com or other sites where I have an affiliate code. Let’s be honest, it’s the Internet and everyone is trying to make a buck. I’m just being up front about it.
In other cases I’ll link to band Web sites, or research/reference resources listed below: [wp-blogroll showdesc=0 notitle=1 catname=”resources” orderby=”name” order=”asc”]
None of this implies the knowledge, support, or endorsement of the linked sites.
Tools and Typography
The site is driven by WordPress using a heavily modified version of the veryplaintext theme by Scott Wallick.
The header and body copy are set in Georgia, Times, or whatever generic serifed font your browser uses in their place. Post titles and other headings are set in Museo Sans via typekit.com.
Writing is mostly handled in OpenOffice.org Writer and posted via the standard WordPress Web interface, MacJournal, or the WordPress iPhone app.
Images may come from a variety of sources. Every effort will be made to credit them whenever possible.