July 19, 2013 Who doesn't love The Wizard of Oz? Okay, the flying monkeys may be a little scary, aside from that, it's one of the most beloved stories and movies of all time. We all know the 1939 movie, The Wiz (love it!), but now, what you are about to watch is one of the most unique and creative interpretations you will ever see or hear.
About six weeks ago, I started working out every weekday. And, to help me get motivated, I grabbed my IPod and loaded it up with what I consider to be "workout" songs. Upbeat. fun. Pep in their step. The first track on my playlist is the song "Call Me Maybe" by Carly Rae Jepsen. (It's the perfect song to run 6 mph to on the treadmill!) You've probably heard it. It recently reached #1 in seven countries and peaked at #4 on the Billboard chart here in the U.S. When I first heard it, I told Jaclyn that she needed to give it a listen. Something about "Call Me Maybe" just screamed out for a "country-fried" version and I thought Jaclyn's band could give it a cool, country-flavored twist. Apparently, I'm not the only one who thought the tune had some bacon grease in it. Check this out! I found an awesome version by a young lady named Emma Rowley, who sat down with her acoustic guitar and cranked it out. Her version of "Call Me Maybe" is my "Country-Fried" YouTube Cover of the Week . . .
It's time again for another installment of Chad's "Country-Fried" YouTube Cover of the Week. And this week's selection comes to us from aspiring country music singer/songwriter Tim Foust, who recently rounded up his band to take a crack at (of all things) Lady Gaga! And, NO, I'm not kidding. Yeah, I realize that, on paper, this sounds completely absurd. But you have to listen to this. These guys kill her song "The Edge of Glory" and give it a driving bluegrass/country twist that's completely unpredictable and refreshing. Take Tim's booming bass voice, layer some high harmonies on it and let the guitars rip and you've got some Gaga we're . . . well . . . gaga for!
While combing the web for this week's edition of Chad's "Country-Fried" YouTube Cover of the Week, I came across two different versions of Chris Young's "Tomorrow" that caught my ears and eyes. I was trying to decide which version would make the cut, but I just couldn't make a choice. Both deserve to be seen and heard, albeit for different reasons. So, this week I present to you two very unique covers of the song. The first features a pair of brothers who love to down Coors Light while they sing. The second features an apsiring country singer and his friends, who are masters of dorm-room harmony. Check these out!
Last week, I unveiled my brand new weekly column here at WBKR.com . . . Chad's Country-Fried YouTube Cover of the Week. And, in that first edition, I introduced you to the Mabaleka Brothers, a pair of brothers from Zimbabwe who gave their own twist to Kip Moore's song "Somethin' Bout a Truck." This week, we are going international again. I was looking around on YouTube this week and came across the group Ashton Lane. They bill themselves as Scotland's pop/country answer to Lady Antebellum. And, in my Country-Fried Country Cover of the Week, they take on Kelly Clarkson's "Mr. Know It All" and flavor it up with an awesome acoustic-country vibe and pitch-perfect harmonies. Take a listen!
A couple of weeks ago, I was goofing around on YouTube and came across video of Jenny Beth Willis of Owensboro covering "Over You" by Miranda Lambert. I posted that video here at WBKR.com and something clicked. YouTube is FULL of undiscovered talent and some of the folks out there put some really cool twists on country songs that we know and love. So, here at WBKR.com, I am going to begin a weekly feature called "Chad's Country-Fried YouTube Cover of the Week!" And, I am pleased to present my first official selection. It's a cover of Kip Moore's "Somethin' Bout a Truck" by the Mabaleka Brothers. Enjoy!
This is awesome! It's exactly why we all fell in love with Youtube in the first place. Grandparents Bruce and Esther Huffman trying to figure out their new webcam while actually recording on the webcam is one of the funniest things I have ever seen
We've had a number of new artists visit the WBKR studios over the years. And we have a number of local artists with amazing talent who have either visited or performed in the various talent competitions that I've had the good fortune to judge. And I tell them all the same thing, "You have to be in Nashville." Now, most of the travelling musicians who stop by are ahead of me; they all have record deals of some form or another. But there are those in the area who don't. And they have a great advantage over so many just like them who don't live nearly as close to Music City as they do. But times have changed. And maybe an aspiring country star doesn't have to do anything more than walk into the next room.
Country singer Ronnie Dunn – one half of superduo Brooks & Dunn – talked with Taste of Country a bit last week about musicians that influenced him. Among Dunn’s more interesting recent influences: “I love Harrison’s slide guitar on ‘Something,’” the singer told Taste of Country.
Dunn has of course been impactful in his own wide-ranging way, and the wild diversity of Brooks & Dunn covers on YouTube are a pretty-great sample of his influence. Among the YouTube treasures we unearthed: a rocker girl singing a heartfelt cover of B&D’s ‘If You See Her, If You See Him’; a ukelele-toting troubadour singing his dog to sleep with ‘Neon Moon’; and a near-perfect bedroom rendition of ‘My Maria.’ Check ‘em out and more below, and don’t forget to sign up to see and meet Ronnie Dunn in Yakima, WA on June 21!
