Awesome Covers

David Bowie performed in many styles over the years, but as far as we know, pop-punk wasn’t one of them. Musician Steve Welsh makes a compelling argument that The Man Who Sold the World would have worked quite well in that genre. His Green Day-inspired cover of Bowie’s classic track works much better than the idea sounds on paper.

We’ve heard several amazing performances by the talented guitarist Marcin Patrzalek. His latest is a cover of Derek & The Dominos 1970 track Layla. While nobody will ever live up to Eric Clapton and Duane Allman, Marcin’s percussive fingerstyle technique adds a new depth and dynamic to the rock classic.

Luca Stricagnoli takes on another Muse song with a performance of Hysteria on his unique triple-necked acoustic guitar. As his fingers fly across the three fretboards, Luca captures the original track’s massive energy despite being a solo musician.

El Estepario Siberiano, aka “The Groovefather,” is a skilled percussionist. In this video, he shows off his talents with a cover of the AC/DC track Thunderstruck on a tubulum – that PVC pipe instrument made famous by Blue Man Group. He looped multiple sequences to create the track, but it’s still impressive for an instrument he’s just learning to play.

After turning Y.M.C.A. into a sad song, Italy’s Melodicka Bros have done the opposite with another song. Please enjoy as they perform an upbeat ska-punk version of Nirvana’s Lithium, bringing a little bit of levity into this otherwise dark and moody track.

If there’s any song that needed a rubber chicken remake, we’d say it’s Led Zeppelin’s Immigrant Song. Fortunately, Chickensan is here to fulfill our wishes, replacing Robert Plant’s iconic wail with the pained squawks of plastic poultry.

The twangy sound of a pedal steel guitar is invariably associated with country and bluegrass. But as Noah Faulkner proves, it’s perfectly capable of playing alternative and pop music in the hands of the proper musician. Sit back, click play, and enjoy his covers of Depeche Mode’s Enjoy the Silence, the Cure’s Just Like Heaven, and Don’t Dream Iit’s Over by Crowded House.

It’s always fun to hear our favorite albums played with video game sounds. FXSnowy took the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ 1991 smutty masterpiece Blood Sugar Sex Magik and covered it using the 16-bit sounds from the Super Nintendo games Donkey Kong Country 1, 2, and 3. All the best tunes are here, from Funky Monkeys to Breaking the Gorilla.

We recently stumbled upon the EZ Band, and we’re glad that we did. This Houston-based group of musicians has many talents, among them the ability to take alternative music and spice it up with their Norteño sound. This cover of The Strokes’ Last Nite is one of our favorites, but you should also check out their Smiths and My Chemical Romance tracks too.

A lot has changed with music over the past 60 years, but memorable melodies will always be a thing. Music teacher Milo Andreo sat down at his electric piano and synthesizer to play the introductions to a single famous song from each year since 1963. Close your eyes and see how many you can name without looking at the titles.

Matthew Van Ness has impressed us with his multi-track vocalizations of the Star Wars and Jurassic Park themes. Now he’s back to sing of all the instruments from another John Williams classic – the theme music from Raiders of the Lost Ark. Close your eyes and imagine Indiana Jones taking flight after escaping a rolling boulder and a shower of arrows.

Bardcore musician Hildegard von Blingin’ is back with another great medieval interpretation of a popular song. This time, we’ve got The Rolling Stones’ 1966 classic Paint It, Black, which works incredibly well with the centuries-old instrumentation and revised Old English lyrics. Just wait for the choir to kick in at the end. You won’t be disappointed.

We hadn’t heard of Lavish Lucy before now, but this band is now officially on our radar screen. Their cover of the Stone Temple Pilots’ track Plush is as good as it gets, with a lead vocal performance that sounds like Scott Weiland has come back to life. Their covers of Nirvana’s On a Plain and Pearl Jam’s Alive are next level too. (Thanks, Craig!)

Musician Jamie Dupuis has demonstrated his mastery of the 20-string harp guitar with his performances of Where Is My Mind and Boulevard of Broken Dreams. In this clip, he takes on the warm and enveloping vibes of Neil Young’s Harvest Moon, a track that has given us chills every single time we’ve heard it played.

Say what you will about Never Gonna Give You Up, but the 1987 pop hit has kept musician Rick Astley in the cultural zeitgeist for decades. And he’s actually really, really good. During the BBC’s Radio 2 in the Park 2023 concert, Rick and his band crushed it with a live performance of his cover of Foo Fighters’ Everlong.

Musician Mac Glocky likes to record cover versions of songs as if different bands performed them. He recently dropped this gem, which imagines what The Killers’ track Mr. Brightside would sound like if System of a Down played it. We’re setting this as our new alarm sound. If this doesn’t wake us up, nothing will.

Chickity China, the Chinese chicken. Postmodern Jukebox and vocalist Emma Smith take on the Barenaked Ladies’ 1998 track One Week, revamping the fast-talking pop hit in the jazzy style of a 1940s lounge act. It’s another brilliant performance from Scott Bradlee’s retro cover band.

Love the music of the 1980s? Then, put on your headphones, crank up the volume, and hit play on this double feature. Musician Martin Miller and his bandmates performed this stellar two-part medley featuring tracks from Van Halen, A-Ha, Tears for Fears, Europe, Depeche Mode, Bon Jovi, Michael Jackson, U2, and more.

Imagine for a moment that Nirvana and Green Day did some kind of Freaky Friday thing and swapped bodies. Musician Steve Welsh imagines what it might have been like if Billie Joe and his bandmates performed Lithium in their trademark pop-punk style. It took a minute for us to remember this wasn’t an actual Green Day song.

Finnish band Steve’n’Seagulls offers up another great bluegrass cover of a rock classic. They performed their arrangement of Boston’s 1976 hit More Than a Feeling while enjoying a delightfully warm summer day along their country’s idyllic Lake Armisvesi.

We’ve heard a whole lot of covers of Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody, but never one like this. A few years back, New Zealand choral group Hātea Kapa Haka and musician William Waiirua collaborated on a unique and captivating interpretation of the rock opera classic sung in the native Māori language.

Musician Carolina Eyck is one of the best theremin players of all time. Her nuanced arrangement of Ennio Morricone’s The Ecstacy of Gold is a thing of beauty, a musical Cowboys & Aliens, if you will. Only Carolyn’s performance is significantly more entertaining than that movie.

Radiohead is one of our favorite bands of all time. While some of their music can be a bit esoteric, they’ve produced an equal number of sharp and memorable guitar-driven melodies. Guitarist Bloxsy claims he’s no Radiohead expert, but we think he sells himself short with this excellent medley of classic riffs.