Musical Friday - The Gaga Covers

Lady Gaga is one of the most talked about musicians these days. Whether it's about her behavior, political views, music, or her outrageous fashion sense, one can't deny she's a tour de force. How long she'll last is up for debate but while she's around, everyone from celebrities to the average Joe Shmoe has been having fun with her music. With so much to choose from, I decided this Friday will go to the everyday folk out there (though I might have to do one for the celebrities. Some of them are just too funny not to include.) So without further ado, I present...... Gaga!

Lady Gaga Acapella Medley Multitrack (Just Dance, Poker Face, Chillin, Paparazzi)

As the only female of the post, I chose Naya Marie because, of the many different covers I viewed, she was unique. She obviously very talented but by creating the medley, adding the beatbox, and performing all the parts herself, she gave the songs a twist that really energizes them.

Paparazzi - Metal Guitar Cover (HQ)

I love when songs are taken out of their designated genre and turned into something new. I particularly love turning pop songs into something edgier and harder. This version helps demonstrate how versatile Lady Gaga's songs are. If you click on the link in the video and watch the video with the vocal track, you'll see how great it sounds. Man, I wish I could play guitar like this guy....ah, just me on a stage, playing like a rock star...sigh...oh, sorry. Got caught up in the moment. On to the next...

 On The Rocks - Bad Romance

Part of me wishes these guys had worn outfits to go with the song but the rest of me knows the everyday clothes make this even funnier. On the Rocks is the University of Oregon's premiere all-male a capella ensemble. They have a new album out, which you can learn more about here.

Telephone - The Afghanistan Re-Make

I crack up every time I see this. Who thinks these guys might have had a little bit too much to drink one night and decided to put on a show? These guys are fighting overseas in dangerous situations and if this is what they need to do to blow off a little steam, then please, please, PLEASE keep doing this! I'd be laughing my ass off if any group of guys got together and did this, but these are soldiers and that gives it extra oomph. They are so awesome. I hope they can eventually make another re-make but as malibumelcher, the guy who filmed this, said it's hard to get them all together because they're constantly on missions. Here's hoping they are currently all safe and coming home soon.

Part of what makes Lady Gaga so great is the fun she inspires people to have. It's high energy, twisted, inventive, and, did I mention... fun? It gets people out of their shells because it's so over the top. It's ridiculous! I guarantee you there is a Lady Gaga cover for everyone. So pull up at seat, enjoy the videos, and if you have a favorite Gaga cover, let us know so we can put it in next time until then, a fond farewell!

Musical Friday - Cover Songs!

Welcome & Bienvenido to our latest rendition of Musical Friday!  My name is @Getsuyobi and I'll be rounding out the [insertgeekhere] crew as resident web-person/geek/gamer.  For my first post I'm sharing with you my strange fascination with stolen music.  I'm not talking about piracy, but the art of the cover song.

Cover songs aren't actually theft of material (usually), but meant to pay homage to the original artist and add a new dimension to a song.  Some of the best cover songs are the ones that take a song completely out of its original genre and twist it into a new composition altogether.  My first pick for this Friday is a cover of Michael Jackson's "Beat It" by the awe-inspiring duo of Jack Conte & Nataly Dawn, otherwise known throughout the interweb as Pomplamoose!



Awesome, right?  Talk about taking a song in a new direction.  Pomplamoose actually released a whole cover album on iTunes that includes some more amazing covers, like Beyonce's "Single Ladies" & Lady Gaga's "Telephone".  I'm a little ashamed to say I know all the words to those songs now as a result of their covers.  Pomplamoose is one of my favorite indy/internet bands.  Their videos are always entertaining and they have so much damned talent!  I could gush over Pomplamoose for an entire post (idea!), but on the the next song...

The next cover comes from the R&B group Ahmir.  They're doing a mashup cover of Owl City's "Fireflies" & "Vanilla Twilight".  Another great example of a group making you hear familiar lyrics in a whole new context.  Enjoy the soulful harmonies (and cheesy choreography) of Ahmir.



... get it?  He fell asleep?!  So funny!  Anyway, Ahmir was actually invited to an Owl City show at the House of Blues last April to perform on stage with the band!  The video of the performance is available on their YouTube channel.  It's pretty funny to hear them side by side with the original artist because they actually blow him out of the water!

Okay, it's Friday, let's all rock out with our last cover from Italy's own Vanilla Sky.  They're covering what will forever be "the song of that Eliza Dushku danced to in that awesomely tiny dress on episode 1 of Dollhouse" or you could shorten it to Lady Gaga's  "Just Dance"  This brings me back to when I was first obsessed with cover songs.  It was the time of napster and CD burning, and every cover on the internet was some punk band covering pop hits.  Those were the days.



... ahh Echo...!  Sorry, I got a little lost there... Well I hope you enjoyed my Cover Song Musical Friday.  Please check out all of the bands mentioned on YouTube & MySpace, while all of their careers are taking off, they can use all the support we can give!  Also don't forget to give us a follow on Twitter (@IGHinsider) for more updates and sweet tunes every Friday.

Peace!