Fish Picks: “Top 10 Covers of 2019”

Cover songs help make people comfortable. Artists are comfortable playing material that inspires them and they feel passionate about. Fans like to hear something they’re familiar with and often times love seeing that material performed through the lens of another artist they have respect for. Sometimes it’s the interpretation that makes it interesting, sometimes it’s the sheer “wow” factor of seeing an artist play a song by another artist you’d never expect them to appreciate, sometimes you just love hearing that song. But no matter what the reason, covers serve to show that music is about inspiration, and what inspires us is always special. So with that, I hope you enjoy these special moments from 2019, which show my picks for best covers of the year.

#10: The Jauntee – “Blue Rondo a’La Turk” (Dave Brubeck cover) (2019-05-25 @ Mile High Spirits, Denver, CO)

Our first foray into 2019’s best covers comes from The Jauntee. Last spring, the band participated in Mile High Spirits’ weekly bluegrass series, “Bloodies and Bluegrass”, donning a stripped-down acoustic setup, dubbed Jauntgrass, that brought a plethora of covers and originals alike to brunch crowds looking for a day cap and some music to vibe out to. The cover selection from these two sets was daunting and made it difficult to narrow down just one, (shout-out to their take on Cake’s “Stick Shifts and Safety Belts”; also, the crowd noise during Neil Young’s “Harvest Moon” feels appropriate if you’ve ever seen the video) but this cover of the Dave Brubeck classic highlights the band’s impressive ability to take on complex instrumentals composed by jazz legends and to execute them with ease.

Listen to The Jauntee – “Blue Rondo a’La Turk” (Dave Brubeck cover) below or check out the full show here.

#9: Cris Jacobs – “Past My Prime” (Greensky Bluegrass cover) (2019-02-15 @ Cervantes’ Other Side, Denver, CO)

Baltimore born crooner Cris Jacobs knows just how to play to a crowd. Recognizing that a Denver crowd may have just a few bluegrass fans, he performed a stirring and soulful rendition of Greensky Bluegrass’ “Past My Prime”. The chorus hits with a new found anthemic passion, as the dirty roar of Cris’ guitar colored up the bluegrass tune with some vibrant slide guitar licks and cranked up distortion, making for a very satisfying performance.

Listen to Cris Jacobs – “Past My Prime” below or check out the full show here.

#8: Quite Frankly – “Harvest Moon” (Neil Young cover) (2019-11-15 @ Zio Romolo’s Alley Bar, Denver, CO)

Our next selection comes from the weekly Friday night house band at Zio’s, Quite Frankly. Featuring Kessel Run drummer Kirk Larson; Cycles bassist Tucker McClung; and Aidan Pagnani Band front man, guitarist, and namesake, Aidan Pagnani, the band brings a smooth instrumental take on everything from classics by funk and jazz legends like The Meters, Roy Hargrove, and Herbie Hancock. The band also finds room for more contemporary hits, like Tame Impala’s “The Less I Know The Better”. But the cover that stood out was their laid-back take on Neil Young’s waltzy ballad, “Harvest Moon”.

In a sense, this is a cover of a cover, as the composition follows more alongside the recently popularized Poolside version than the Neil Young original, but it also features an enchanting interplay between the power-trio as they communicate a jam over the iconic melody, a moment that makes the tune entirely their own.

Listen to Quite Frankly – “Harvest Moon” below or check out the full show here.

#7: The Sweet Lillies – “Are You That Somebody” (2019-11-21 @ Cervantes’ Other Side, Denver, CO)

If you’re a fan of 90s/00s throwback hip-hop, this entire list could be comprised of selections from this particular show… and you would still have to make some hard cuts. The Sweet Lillies brought your formative hip-hop years nostalgia back in spades with their bluegrass tribute to hip-hop, which featured String Cheese Incident / EOTO percussionist Jason Hann providing the key beats for these well known classics. This particular take on Aaliyah’s “Are You That Somebody” featured not only Jason Hann singing Timbaland’s verses, which is a treat in and of itself, but it also showcases the vocal talents of Katia Racine of Pixie And The Party Grass Boys, who helped compliment Becca Bisque on each verse. The break also contained some solid solos from The Mercenary Horns and Sweet Lillies guitarist Dustin Rohleder that built into a very grass jam before arriving back at the hook, helping pay proper tribute to the fallen R&B singer through the bouncy throwback.

Listen to The Sweet Lillies – “Are You That Somebody?” below or check out the full show here.

#6: Funk Sessions – “Sex On Fire” (Kings Of Leon cover) (2019-05-21 @ Cervantes Masterpiece Ballroom, Denver, CO)

Back in May of 2019, Live For Live Music got together with Cervantes to host a monthly series called The Funk Sessions, which featured an incredible array of artists coming together to form a one-night-only super group to pay tribute to not only funk classics, but also some interpretations of contemporary numbers as well. One particularly incendiary moment was their somewhat out-of-left-field cover of Kings Of Leon hit, “Sex On Fire”. The song featured a powerful vocal performance from Tauk’s Isaac Teel singing the verses and choruses with the help of Trey Anastasio Band backing vocal juggernaut, Jennifer Hartswick, providing a riveting backdrop to frame the wailing chorus. The tune also featured an impressive jam led by an especially fiery performance from Nth Power guitarist Nick Cassarino and framed by the rhythm section composed of Marc Brownstein of The Disco Biscuits on bass and Joey Porter of The Motet on keys. The result is an inspired jam filled with peaks and exploding with energy, which felt as if it could just possibly set the room on fire.

Listen to The Funk Sessions – “Sex On Fire” below or check out the full show here.

#5: Amoramora – “Tyrone” & “Time Bomb” (2019-12-21 @ The GOAT Soup & Whiskey, Dillon, CO)

I couldn’t decide which cover from this show I enjoyed more, so I decided that since I’m the decider and this list is my decision, I make the rules. So for this pick, you get two for one! Amoramora performed one of their last shows of the year to an intimate ski town crowd up in the snowy mountains of Keystone, and it contained my #2 pick for Jam Of The Year with a scorching 30+ minute version of “Oh Brother”. Not shockingly, this is one of the best Amoramora shows I’d ever seen, since it also contained some of my favorite covers of theirs: first is their take on Erykah Badu’s “Tyrone”, and second is an on-point version of Rancid’s “Time Bomb”, which segued out of their newer original and tour namesake, “Powderhound”. Each selection shows a different side of the band’s personality, from the sultry, smooth rhythms of one of neo-soul’s pioneers, to the skank-dancing upstrokes of ska-punk’s forefathers; Amoramora’s influences run deep. Both covers are so much fun, and each is so unique in its own right, that I felt it would be doing a disservice to not point out both. Amoramora means “love love”, so a two-for-one seems appropriate.

Listen to Amoramora – “Tyrone” & “Time Bomb” below or check out the full show here.

#4: Cycles – “When A Fire Starts To Burn” (2019-06-29 @ Rancho Del Rio, Bond, CO)

Denver trio Cycles has never been a band to shy away from unique cover selections. In 2019 alone I saw them cover Black Moth Super Rainbow, Natalie Imbruglia, and Slum Village, just to name a few. But no cover may have been more unique than their 18+ minute exploration/remix/jam of Disclosure’s “When A Fire Starts To Burn”. The excursion features an expansive journey into the depths of the tune through a complete deconstruction that flows freely through the band, as if planned. The band moves through each segment with tight communication and focus that morphs several times into compelling jams that build with Patrick’s patented reverb drenched builds, Tucker’s trademark smackstick attack, and new drummer Collin O’Brien’s surgical precision, coalescing into that secret sauce that makes Cycles special.

Listen to Cycles – “When A Fire Starts To Burn” below or check out the full show here.

#3: The Indie Jam 500 – “Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots Part I” (2019-02-15 @ Cervantes’ Other Side, Denver, CO)

This cover benefits not only from a well-executed tribute to the original, but even more so from the expansive jam that follows. The Flaming Lips’ music is built for psychedelic exploration, and the Indie Jam 500, a super group comprised of local Denver musicians–including former Cycles drummer and founding member Michael Wood, Blake Mobley of Tiger Party on keys, Zach Jackson of Mama Magnolia on bass, and Jonah Wisneski of Other Worlds on guitar–all jamming on indie tunes, was more than happy to take the journey. After the initial composition, the band launches right into a dub style jaunt that leads into the spectacular 10+ minute jam, which would serve as the centerpiece for a night dedicated to jamming. Like basically every other show on this list, you would benefit to check out this show in its entirety, as there were many other fantastic covers that didn’t make the cut, such as their take on Wilco’s “Handshake Drugs”, Mac DeMarco’s “Chamber Of Reflection”, which featured Casey Russell from the Magic Beans on keys, The War On Drugs’ “Under The Pressure”, which featured Scott Hachey from the Magic Beans on guitar, and TV On The Radio’s “Golden Age”, which featured Patrick Harvey from Cycles on guitar, just to name a few. If you love indie music and jams, this is the show for you.

Listen to The Indie Jam 500 – “Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots Part I” below or check out the full show here.

#2: ManyColors – “Fall In Love” (2019-04-23 @ Cervantes’ Other Side, Denver, CO)

My favorite musical discovery of 2019 has been ManyColors. I first saw them at a jazz club doing a tribute to J Dilla, and it was absolutely mind blowing. Their sound melds elements of lo-fi, jazz, and hip-hop, creating an ethereal soundscape that does the paradoxical by making each cover sound strikingly original. This is yet another show where you could throw a dart at the set list and land on a song I would 100% recommend, but ManyColors is like this for their entire discography. From their avant-garde covers to their innovative originals, they are, by far, one of the freshest sounds of 2019.

Listen to ManyColors – “Fall In Love” below or check out the full show here.

#1: Lespecial – “T-Mobile Theme” (2019-06-28 @ Beanstalk Music & Mountains Festival at Rancho Del Rio, Bond, CO)

I kind of think this cover wins on balls alone. The idea of covering the “‘T-Mobile” ringtone sound is almost so bad it starts to sound good again. Lespecial’s trash-metal take on the well known jingle is a ferociously enchanting assault of riffs that reconcile with the iconic two-note melody in a way that is as beguilingly tongue in cheek as it is legitimately compelling. A dichotomy of metal and corporate marketing coalescing in the most intriguing, most in your face, and overall most bad ass cover of 2019.

Listen to Lespecial – “T-Mobile” below or check out the full show here.