Song of the Day

**12/28/10
Sam Tsui - Firework & Grenade Mashup (Explosion Medley)
----------------I love Youtube sensations, mostly because of the artistic license to call your mashup an "exposion medley." Rightfully titled, because Sam Tsui performs beautifully on piano and knocks out the radio hits with a voice that puts up a great fight with Bruno Mars.

  Sam Tsui are two crooners on Youtube named Sam and Kurt. They're on iTunes, but their mashups and covers gain the most attention from over 500,000 + subscribers. Check their page out after hearing this song of the day:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9_IWRuryzaY

Song of the Day

**9/12/10
Aluminum Group - Sweet Child of Mine
-----------I always feel like a battle-hardened warrior when the weekend is over. Like many people I shove all of my plans to Friday and Saturday so when Sunday rolls around all I feel like listening to is stuff that'll help me catch up on some sleep.

Wil Brian, a good friend of mine who owns a local coffee shop takes over the house's speakers whenever I come by just so he can show me an artist I've never heard of before. Makes me feel bad for the people trying to study whenever he plays bar-drinking Irish bands and 90's Seattle punk,but it's his place and he can do what he wants.

But Aluminum Group weren't the thrashing, energy-annihilating group I prepared my ears for. Surprisingly their cover of Guns n' Roses "Sweet Child of Mine" quietly swooned over acoustic guitars and echoing vocals. Aluminum took a hard metal song of sweet devotion lyrics and took some edge off of Slash's solos and Axl's falsetto.

Here's the video for their cover. The song starts at the 0:54 mark. Thanks, Wil!

Aluminum Group Sweet Child of Mine cover

Song of the Day

**9/5/09
Gwen Stacy - My Friends Over You
--------------Scribed across their posters at Warped Tour, New Found Glory is described as "The Undisputed Leaders of Pop Punk." Gwen Stacy probably felt like "My Friends Over You" was so kick-ass, it HAD to be covered! As a tribute to these pop punk princes, Gwen Stacy rips and shreds through the otherwise charming guitar riffs with aggressive, chugging metal and bombastic percussion. Solid covers are hard to come by, but Gwen Stacy hits "My Friends Over You" on the head like a water bottle thrown at a scenester. And just for fun, this song is my current ringtone!

http://www.myspace.com/gwenstacy

Song of the Day

**7/7/09

Panic at the Disco - The Only Difference Between Martyrdom and Suicide is Press Coverage

-------------Today, theatrical rock quartet Panic at the Disco should reinsert the exclamation point in their name - and a question mark, since members Ryan Ross and John Walker have split ties in order to persue personal musical interests. What does this mean for Panic fans clutching tour tickets? According to buzznet.com, all scheduled performances will continue as promised.

So today, S.A.S. honors the Las Vegas showmen with a string quartet tribute to their breakout album, A Fever You Can't Sweat Out. Each song is delicately and meticulously interpreted through fiddle, viola, violin, and cello, giving the genre 'classic rock' a whole new look. The songs are all instrumental, so if you feel like donning a poofy hat and belting your favorite Panic songs like a robust opera man, go for it. Fans of Fall Out Boy can also hear the string quartet cover Fall From Under the Cork Tree. Get "The Only Difference..." from the album, Strung Out on Panic! At the Disco.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9nhFM3pk8sc

Song of the Day

**6/26/09

Boyce Avenue - No Air

--------------Artists have been covering Billboard topping hits and crowd favorites over the decades. And with endless Youtube hits of mediocre mooks off the streets stumbling over notes in their garages/living rooms/dorm rooms, one tends to think "where can I find a decent cover of my fave songs, yo?"

Fear not, for among the smog sub-par musicianship there is Boyce Avenue. Begun by the three Manzano brothers from Florida, the trio have played acoustic sessions for years, including deeply respectable covers of pop treats the likes of Justin Timberlake, Natasha Beddingfeild, and for today's song, American Idol Jordin Sparks.

Alejandro Manzano's strong piano gives the original recording a run for its money. Absent of synthesizers, "No Air" is stripped of bravado and given intense vibrato from Manzano's crooning vocals. Get the cover from Boyce Avenue's Acoustic Sessions Vol. 2.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=guWHD4a1wOM

Other Key Covers (Over Various Albums):

Natasha Beddingfeild - Pocketful of Sunshine

Rihanna - Umbrella

Justin Timberlake - Lovestoned