Awesome Music On The Awesomer

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Jimi Hendrix was a master of the electric guitar. But we could never imagine one of his fiery hot tracks played on something so jangly as a ukulele. Well color us impressed. Sit back, crank up the speakers, and enjoy this fantastic uke cover of Voodoo Child, played by James Hill.

Especially for adults over 50, shingles can be a very nasty disease that causes excruciating pain. But for youthful YouTuber Brian David Gilbert – who was recently diagnosed with the ailment, it’s the source for some lyrical inspiration.

Pianist Vinheteiro catalogs some of the many memorable bits of music dating all the way back to 1500 through 2018. For the most part he manages to keep his eyes off the keyboard, but ever Lord Vin couldn’t pull off some of the trickier tunes without looking at the keys.

Scary Pockets teamed up with vocalist Mario Jose to perform a funky interpretation of of Guns N’ Roses’ hit Sweet Child O’ Mine, unlike any we’ve ever heard before. Between the Rhodes keyboard, horns, and Mario’s soulful voice, it’s a truly special listening experience.

PAB_Music pulls off a impressively accurate cover version of Radiohead’s 1997 classic, performing each of its instrumental and vocal parts, then layering them together. He previously worked his magic on Under Pressure and Where the Streets Have No Name.

Violinist “Danielle” discovered that the acoustics of a tunnel produced a dramatic echo. Listen as she plays a passage from John Williams’ Burning Homestead. We can vividly picture Luke coming home to the smoldering corpses of Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru.

“I’m eccentric, I’ll amaze. I am wonderful, just let me count the ways.” A Tribe Called Quest’s Ali Shaheed Muhammed teamed up with fellow star producer Adrian Younge to form The Midnight Hour. Their debut single Questions is a slick soul track with CeeLo Green on the mic.

“Music and lines, rhythm and melodies… So many nights, so many memories.” Justice reworked their feel good track Stop to be more compact and punchy. The track is from their upcoming album, Woman Worldwide, which drops 8/24/18.

After filling our ears with his wonderful classical and Disney medleys, Grant Woolard is back with an epic composition, which flawlessly blends 46 different melodies from Nintendo games in a single track. See if you can identify them all.

DJ Cummerbund smashes up Michael Jackson’s classic The Way You Make Me Feel with Childish Gambino’s This Is America, yet again deftly melding two very different songs with very different meanings into something totally new and refreshing.

Cy Ho is a master of the harmonica. Among the tracks you’ll find on his YouTube channel is this live cover version of Lalo Shifrin’s classic theme song from Mission Impossible. Be sure to check out his performances of Billie Jean and Flight of the Bumblebee too.

TomSka’s latest addition to the hilariously warped asdfmovie series is an adorably weird music video that doubles as a recipe (and a suicide note) for delicious, fresh-baked muffins, performed with the accompaniment of Schmoyoho aka The Gregory Brothers.

“I don’t waste ink, brother, I think. I drop megaton bombs more faster than you blink. ‘Cause rhyme thoughts travel at a tremendous speed.” Watch the Wu-Tang Clan’s GZA perform three tracks from his classic album Liquid Swords alongside brass band The Soul Rebels.

(PG-13: Language) The 3+1 members of the Warp Trio perform an energetic and enthralling arrangement of the entire 2017 Gorillaz album Humanz on piano, cello, violin, and percussion. It’s definitely well worth the next 32 minutes of your time.

“All day long, wearing a mask of false bravado…” The eclectic Sydney, Australia band Ocean Alley dusts off a 1970s classic – Player’s 1977 hit Baby Come Back, making us feel all warm and fuzzy inside thanks in no small part to Baden Donegal’s soulful lead vocals.

The original Sonic the Hedgehog was loaded with some of the most memorable music in the history of video games, including the classic opening level Green Hill Zone. Banjo Guy Ollie turns in an equally memorable performance of the tune on banjo and mandolin.

Synthwave duo Litiowave envisions what John Williams’ Imperial March (aka Darth Vader’s Theme) might have sounded like if it came out in the early 1980s rather than in 1977, giving the track a new neon-lit electronic sound.

The members of Toronto ensemble Choir! Choir! Choir! were joined by a special guest performer, none other than pop legend Rick Astley. They provided harmonies and backup while Rick took on lead vocal duties. We’re impressed how great his voice is after all these years.

Musician Alexandr Misko hangs tough, stays hungry, and rises up to the challenge of his rivals with another awesome fingerstyle acoustic performance, as he takes on the 1980s juggernaut that was Survivor’s hit theme from Rocky III, Eye of the Tiger.

Brooklyn, New York’s High & Mighty Brass Band gives Portugal. The Man’s big hit a shiny coat of paint, infusing the tune with a rich, layered, and jazzy new sound. This arrangement would work great for a football halftime show.

We’re really digging the bigger sound of Pomplamoose these days, now that they’ve expanded from a duo to a full band. Their latest track is a fantastic cover of the 2009 La Roux electro-dance track Bulletproof.

(PG-13: Lyrics) “This is America. Don’t catch you slippin’ up.” Donald Glover’s musical alter ego takes on gun culture, police brutality, racism, and materialism, all set against a banging beat, gospel vocals, and a brilliantly-directed music video from the amazing Hiro Murai.

Heavy metal musician and arranger Leo Moracchioli makes yet another track uniquely his own, transforming The Verve’s 1997 hit Bitter Sweet Symphony into a rough-edged, hard-rockin’, head-bangin’ new tune.

“Have you ever seen a prawn cause a world war?” Indie pop band Superorganism brought their irresistibly cute music and performance to NPR Music. They played The Prawn Song, Night Time and Something for Your M.I.N.D., all from their self-titled album.