Finding my sound while fishing for cover tunes

A while back I posted about my search for the perfect cover tune. I was trying to find a song that I could remake – one that I can make sound like me. I got dozens of recommendations from friends, which is great. But by definition, those recommendations were almost exclusively songs that someone ELSE feels connected to. I wanted to find songs that really touched me.

So I listened – and found more than a handful of songs that I love, and at least a few that I feel a connection with. For example, “When will we fall” by Toad the Wet Sprocket, most of the first Counting Crows record, some classic Van Morrison, Squeeze and Split Endz songs and “Sitting on a Fence” by the Housemartins.

I love, love, love all of that music. And if you want to get a sense of some of my core influences, by all means listen to those bands. But that’s sort of the problem. All of those bands have already done those songs way better than I ever could – and in a style that is similar to mine. There just isn’t much room for reinvention in that music.

But one night while listening to music in Sausalito, I rediscovered some music which has an intense personal connection for me. And even better – I think my band has found a bit of room within that music where it both respects and renews the original. I can’t wait to share it. It’ll be on the next album.

But in going through this little exercise, I re-listened to a bunch of songs I hadn’t heard in a long time. And I uncovered a bunch of great bands that I hadn’t realized have had such an impact on my sound.

Pretty cool, eh?