Delilah DiCrescenzo may have inspired the Plain White Ts to earn a Grammy a nomination and a top-spot on the Billboard Hot 100 last July with “Hey There Delilah,” but it looks like she won’t be going for the gold this summer in Beijing. The young Chicago woman sadly finished last in the 14-woman final of the 3,000-meter steeplechase at the Olympic trials.
MP3s:
Plain White Ts - “Hey There Delilah”
Sugababes - “Hey There Delilah”
If you missed this year’s VH1 Rock Honors honoring The Who, I’m happy to report that the ceremony was a vast improvement on previous years! (Nickelback covering ZZ Top songs isn’t exactly what Hypeful considers Tivo-worthy…) You can now watch the full show online, which included ace performances from The Who (of course) and a gaggle of great bands covering the group’s hits. You can also bend an ear below to MP3s of what Roger Daltrey described as “the toughest bunch of opening acts we’ve ever had to follow.” (Definitely recommended are The Flaming Lips’ medley from Tommy and Tenacious D’s suprisingly straightforward performance of The Who’s most rarely heard hit, mid-70s lite-FM chestnut “Squeeze Box!”)
MP3s:
The Flaming Lips - “Medley From ‘Tommy’”
Incubus - “I Can’t Explain”
Pearl Jam - “Love, Reign O’Er Me”
Pearl Jam - “The Real Me”
Tenacious D - “Squeeze Box”
PREVIOUSLY:
Flaming Lips Rehearse For Who Tribute
At recent gigs in the U.K., Gnarls Barkley have added a sweet l’il cover to their setlist - Radiohead’s “Reckoner” off of In Rainbows. Sadly, the best video of this performance has been captured on what appears to be fans’ cellphones. Still, a higher quality version should be popping up soon - the duo broke out the cover at a recent small set at London’s Astoria 2 venue, was recorded for an upcoming DVD release!
VIDEO:
At his iTunes Live gig in London last night (July 8th), Lightspeed Champion performed a rocked-up medley of Star Wars themes including “The Imperial March” and the main film theme. Way better than what you would hear from a beauty pageant trumpeter and with less awkward choreography, Dev has been using the medley as an extended introduction to his epic single “Midnight Surprise” at recent live shows. If you dig L-Champ or just love R2-D2, you should check out the tracks below in less than 12 parsecs!
(As a bonus cover, I’m also posting his excellent take on The Strokes’ “Heart In A Cage!”)
MP3s:
Lightspeed Champion - “Star Wars Medley”
Lightspeed Champion - “Heart In A Cage (The Strokes cover)”
Lightspeed Champion - “Midnight Surprise”
False plagiarism allegations may cause Coldplay to think twice about covering other musicians in the future, but that doesn’t mean other bands aren’t anxious to cover Chris Martin’s tunes. Specifically, The Kooks who recently broke out this ace take of “Violet Hill” on Jo Whiley’s Radio 1 show. (This is really shaping up to be a cover-centric Monday, n’est-ce pas?)
MP3:
The Kooks - “Violet Hill (Coldplay Cover)”
PREVIOUSLY:
The Last Shadow Puppets Cover Rihanna’s “S.O.S.”
Creaky Boards Retract Coldplay Plagiarism Allegations; Now Blame Legend of Zelda