Coverville

I’ve recently started listening to Coverville, a fantastic podcast that is focused around cover versions of well-known songs. It’s really reawakened my passion for music and I constantly find myself writing down the artist and song names that come up on the show so I can investigate them further. Artists and songs that I currently want to check out are Richard Cheese (who creates fantastic lounge cover versions of well-known songs – check out the sample from his version of the Beastie Boys‘ Brass Monkey here), Prince’s Erotic City (the show played a cool cover by Berlin of Top Gun soundtrack fame), Damien Rice’s cover of Prince’s When Doves Cry, Nicky Thomas‘ Love of the Common People, The Folksmen’s cover of Start Me Up by the Rolling Stones (from the soundtrack to A Mighty Wind), The Kinks‘ Picturebook, and Albert Hammond (who I think did the original version of Air That I Breathe).

The show goes out two to three times a week and is usually between 30 and 60 minutes long. Brian Ibbott is the host and he does a great job – he obviously loves what he’s doing and is always very enthusiastic and knowledgeable about the music he plays. Occasionally he’s joined by his wife and/ or his son at the end of the show for a ‘musically challenged’ quiz which is always quite fun to listen to. The show takes a number of formats – sometimes it’s a regular random show playing whatever he wants to play, sometimes it’s a ‘Cover Story’ which is focused around covers of and by a particular artist, sometimes there are all-request shows and occasionally there is an ‘Originalville’ where he plays the less well-known original versions of famous songs that were actually covers.

If you like all kinds of music and you’re looking for something new to listen to I thoroughly recommend it. It’s hardly been off my iPod since I subscribed and at the rate Brian produces the shows it’s likely to stay that way for some time!