Tenacious D does Karate.

(note: strong language and serious karate contained in these vids...not reccomended for work or kids)
And here's the live version fer poops and giggles.
 
 
John Sez: Some interesting footage of a huge meteor coming down in South Africa. Or was it Dr. Evil returning to Earth in his giant Bob’s Big Boy?
 
 
John Sez: Cover tunes are a fun way for a musician to stretch out and pay homage to their influences (or make some money, in the case of wedding and event musicians or when a record company thinks that a band’s original music on a given album isn’t strong enough to create a buzz). I’ve heard some great cover tunes over the years, and I’ve caught a few on Youtube as well – two of which I will share at the bottom of this post.

One of them is a cover of a tune called “Entangled” by Genesis which simply blew me away. The video is very well done and the music is absolutely sublime. I’ve done a symphonic version of the same song so I know how tough it is to put together properly (not that its overly complicated as far as prog rock goes, but it does have a certain intangible ‘feel’ that’s challenging to capture), and the folks who did this one absolutely nailed it. It’s definitely among my top favorite covers on Youtube and well worth the listen.

Another is a cover of UK’s ‘Time to Kill’ by a Japanese group called UnKnown. Now the vocals are a tad off key in places and Asian accented (which only means they speak at least one more language than I do) and the sound on the clip isnt exactly high-fidelity, which might draw some criticism from musical snobs. But there is no denying that the tune is a tough one to conquer musically, and the band does a great job of pulling it off (live no less).

Here are the videos for both tunes. Check ‘em out and ENJOY!
 
 
John Sez: An amazing piece of video. BIG pats on the back to the people on the train platform who did their best to flag the oncoming train that there was someone on the tracks, and a HUGE kudos to the train conductor for her quick actions – give that woman a raise.
 
 
John Sez: I found this vid on YouTube, and it’s a real eye opener. I live in the area and have noticed how a great many commercial properties have been becoming vacant over the last few years. It’s a sure sign of the times.

Thanks to johnu78 on YouTube for thinking to document this and posting it.
 
 
A Genesis cover tune that i put together a while back that i though came out pretty well.

Enjoy!
 
 
Clutch is one of thoes bands which make you wonder, "how come a major label is not dropping some serious jack to promote these guys. My guess is that although they have some awesomely crunchy guitar riffs and catchy melodies, they are a bit too focused on lyrics that make your brain work a bit, as opposed to waxing poetic about bling, babes, bootie, whining, and cash.

Take, for instance, the chorus of the tune, "The Mob Goes Wild":

"21 guns, a box made of pine
a letter from the government sealed and signed
delivered federal express
to you mothers doorstep"

That's some powerful stuff, folks, considering what our military is going through and what potental recruits might be thinking before they sign on the dotted line. Clutch just might be a bit too dangerious to be bandied about on the music video stations or mainstream radio. All the more reason for me to dig em. Maybe you will too.

Here's the vid for "The Mob Goes Wild". Enjoy!
 
 
Nice cover of a classic Andrew Sisters tune.
 
 
The Shukar Collective are a group who bring together a great many musical flavors into any given track  they put out. They have a penchant for mixing modern electronic music with instruments and vocal phrasings of traditional Romanian music. Although the two genres are worlds apart, the Shukar Collective finds a way to make it work…very, very well.

This video is the first track of theirs I had heard, and makes for a good introduction to the band. I don’t speak Romanian (so don’t ask for a translation), but sometimes the emotion and pure musicality of a song transcends spoken language.

Enjoy!
 
 
Gomez is one of thoes bands that gets little to no airplay on US mainstream radio. An unfortunate situation, as they make some great music. I saw them as an opening act here in the states once, and very few people seemed to pay attention - but the ones that did were obviously very pleased. See and hear for yourself and ENJOY!