July's Cover Songs!

From the start of the Song Writing Game, July has just been too busy of a month for me.  Summer is just in full swing and I find myself struggling to have time for most anything, let alone thinking about, writing and recording a song.  So, it's been an annual tradition to dedicate July to Cover Songs!  Not just cover songs, but a significant change must be made to the original song.  Here are the songs, take a listen and vote for your favorite below!

Danny Imig - My Way (Frank Sinatra Cover)

The Original Song:

My comments:  Danny took this classic Sinatra tune and stripped it bare.  Building up from soft, pretty guitars which stay true to the original, he burst that acoustic guitar forward full blast for the rest of the song.  It's a nice and simple take on the song, contrasting the big, orchestrated original, and a cool way to hear it performed.

Brian Salapek - Melon Collie Reprise (Smashing Pumpkins Cover)

The Original Song:

My comments:  It is crazy to realize that the album this song is from is turning 20 years old this October.  Ever since it came out and I had it, this brief ending of Thru the Eyes of Ruby has always stuck with me.  It turns out that it is titled Melon Collie Reprise and I decided to turn it into it's own song.  In Smashing Pumpkins tradition, I tried to make it a legitimate rock song.

Rene Zansman - Everybody Loves a Clown (Gary Lewis and the Playboys Cover)

The Original Song:

My comments:  I had never heard this song before so I am thankful to Rene for exposing me to it!  Rene took the song and really made it his own.  I think it really improves the song to speed it up a little and add that pop punk edge to it all.  Great job, Rene!  I think you picked a great song that fit you really well!

Jeff Coral - I Won't Cry (Oasis, Jack Johnson, Bob Marley, Gotye, Bon Iver, The Calling Medley)

The Original Songs:

Sorry, but there are too many to embed all the videos.  Here are links:

Oasis - Wonderwall  Jack Johnson - Sexy Plexi  Bob Marley - No Woman No Cry  Gotye - Hearts a Mess  Bon Iver - Skinny Love  The Calling - Wherever you Will Go

My comments:  Jeff took a different route than everyone else with this medley, and it really worked out great!  It's cool to hear each distinctive song flow into one another.  The guitar is constant throughout, but Jeff changes his vocal melody with each song, and they all work great over the chords he plays on guitar.  This was a very welcome change of pace for July!

Jack Eggleston - Creep in a Remix (DJ Jazzy Jack Remix) (Portugal. The Man Cover)

The Original Song:

My comments:  Along with Jeff, Jack did something different than everyone else.  His song falls more into the remix realm, which I guess I should have realized by the title.  Again, like Rene's song, I hadn't heard the original song here until after listening to Jack's remix.  And hearing the original was almost lack-luster.  Jack's remix really does add a lot to the song and makes it just cooler.  I like it!

Vote for your favorite!

August Song Announcement!

I had asked for an interesting suggestion for August's Song Writing Game.  And interesting is what I got!  Danny Imig had a great suggestion and I didnt hesitate at all to jump on board.

Subject: Minimalism

Genre: "Five Notes or Less"

That's right, you're limited to five notes for this song.  Simplicity is a beautiful thing sometimes.  How about chords?  Do all the notes in the chord fit in your 5 chosen?  If so, go ahead.  If not, NOPE!  Obviously I will not be analyzing every song to be sure it follows the rules, but the subject of Minimalism gives you the idea of what we are going for here.  Good luck everyone!

And remember to turn in your cover songs for July!

June's winning song!

As always, thank you to everyone who took the time to participate in the songwriting game.  It always amazes me to realize that it is still going on after all this time and we are continually getting new participants!  Thank you as well to everyone who took the time to listen to the songs from June and vote on your favorites.  When the voting was all complete, we had our winner...

Brian Salapek - Tuesday Morning, 5:32 AM

I was really surprised to find that my song had won.  Thanks to everyone and I am happy that people liked it.  I guess simplicity really is the key!  Thanks everyone!

How is everyone's cover songs for July coming?

June's "Front Porch, West Virginia" Songs!

June came and went and we've acquired some song that represent a whole slew of "Font Porches" in West Virginia.  Thank you to everyone who took the time to write a song.  I hope you enjoy them!  Listen to them all and vote for your favorite below!

Ryan Kinal and Family - Same Old

My comments:  This is Ryan's first submission to the song writing game and I really enjoy it!  The song has a great bluegrass-y feel to it, and I love that it is a video of the song being played live.  But what I love most are Ryan's vocals.  They just shine through so well in the song, I love it.  He had help from his parents to record the song, even adding more to the theme of "front porch" music.

Brian Salapek - Tuesday Morning, 5:32 AM

My comments:  Awhile back, Danny said he was working with "first takes only" and I decided to go with that approach as well.  That way, it was more of a "live-recorded" song, which I thought was important for the theme.  It may be a little repetitious, but I left it simple so the birds and the rain that morning could take the spotlight.

Danny Imig - Hot Tub Terrorist

My comments:  Danny's front porch is that of some hippies tripping on LSD.  This song is more about ambiance than anything, it seems.  There is a fountain flowing constantly, complimented by some wind chimes from hell.  The banjo playing feels almost Indian which makes me ask, is that a banjo or a sitar without many strings?  Very trippy and very cool.

Rene Zansman - Front Porch, West Virginia

My comments:  Rene's song is a super-happy-sing-a-long style song.  The verse has an almost-reggae feel to it, and the chorus kicks in and that's where Rene always shines (the second chorus is particularly fantastic).  I love the hand claps, tambourine, and layered vocals, those elements give it the front porch sing-a-long aspect that really brings it home. 

Vote for your favorite!

July's Song Announcement!

I dont know about the rest of you, but I expect to have kinda a busy July.  It always seems to be that way, so we will do the usual July song.  To make things a little easier and/or less time consuming, we will be doing cover songs!  The only stipulation is that you must make a significant change to your cover, setting it apart from the original.  Easy enough, right?  Now the hard part, deciding what song to cover.

COVER SONGS!

You must make a significant change from the original!

Good luck!

May's Most Disco-est Songs!

Thank you to everyone who took the time to listen to May's Disco songs and vote for their favorite!  There were two definite favorites of the bunch, and they ended up BOTH winning!  Yes, we had a tie, ladies and gentlemen!  The winners were Jack Eggleston and Jonas Peterson!  I really enjoyed both songs quite a bit!  If you hadn't had a chance to listen to them, check them out below!

Jack Eggleston - Disco Shit

Jonas Peterson - The Tyger

May's DISCO Songs!

So here we have it, what I am sure everyone has been dying to hear, the song writer's take on DISCO songs!  As you will remember, the subject (always optional) was Animals.  Check out the songs anf vote for your favorite below!

Brian Salapek - Bird Berries

My comments:  I was in the woods with my four year old son and he found some bird berries and was very excited to show me.  I told him not to eat them, to which he replied "I'm going to hold them in my hand and wait for a bird to come tickle my fingers."  So I decided to write a song about it!  Maybe the song doesnt scream disco, but the bass line is just perfect for the genre.

Jonas Peterson and William Blake - The Tyger

My comments:  Jonas and William are good friends from way back in the 1790's.  So with personal permission, Jonas used the lyrics from William's famous poem for his song and the results are great.  The song has a super cool funky feel to it that reminds me of BoomBox or Jamiroqua.  Very good job!

Danny Imig - Get Down Disco Doggy

My comments:  Have you ever yelled at a dog enough to get off the couch that it sounds like youre singing a funk song?  Is that the joke Danny is going for here?  I hope so because it's a clever one!  Danny pulls out a really great funky beat and adds in some of his signature surfy guitars for this one.  I love the intermitant dog barks thrown in there.  Very cool!

Rene Zansman - Not About a Duck

My comments: Rene told me that this song "should come with a warning sticker."  In a weird, but good way, I agree.  It has a great hip-hop-esque beat and a cool guitar part that got stuck in my head.  In come the vocals and thats when things get strange.  At one point there is a really high pitched and awesome background vocal track going on, that I really enjoy.

Jack Eggleston - Disco Shit

My comments: Jack is back after a long hiatus!  And he seems to be getting into making electronic dance music now.  This song is a pretty long but great instrumental incorporating audio clips.  It goes through a lot of different transitions and parts that make it so the length isn't a bother at all.  Jack did a really good job composing and arranging this song.