I’d been shown some of Mike Posner’s stuff via his MySpace page by friends anxiously awaiting my opinion. (Some people mistake me for an authority on music, what with me being in a band and writing for recess and being so cool and all.)
To be honest, I don’t listen to a lot of hip hop, and therefore have severely embarrassing and unrefined tastes in the genre, leading me to adore guilty pleasures like “Soulja Boy,” “Paper Planes” and “Hey Ya!” So my response was aimed at staying on the fence, not wanting to soil my reputation on a claim I couldn’t actually defend.
This week, recess will feature my second story about cover bands this year. As you can tell, I am utterly fascinated by groups who devote their time to mimicking the sounds and mannerisms of other musicians.
Interviewing the members of these tribute groups has really only got me to thinking about what I would want my cover band to be. Of course, no one group fully encapsulates the range and diversity of my musical tastes. Instead, my cover band would have to be a collection of songs, a “cover set” if you will. After much introspection and iTunes scrolling, below is the list of the 12 songs that I would most want the ability to cover, with a few sentences justifying each selection. It’s worth noting that I do not actually know how to play any instruments.
1. “Oh Yoko!” – John Lennon. John Lennon and I do not have a lot in common. He was British. I am American. He liked having long hair whereas I prefer to keep it short. He changed the face of music. I change clothes most days. Yet, there are two things that unite me with what may be the greatest songwriter of all time: a respect for the power of simple melodies and an unending love of Asian women. (more…)
