Cover Videos
In the early days of COVID, cooped up at home, I began recording videos of me performing covers of old favorites. Over the next couple years, it evolved from simple acoustic performances to fully-produced studio adaptations. The selection of videos below starts at the end of the journey, then traces it chronologically from the beginning.

U2 - "Running to Stand Still"

This was the last in my series of covers, showing the evolution toward a more polished production, which ultimately influenced my approach to the album.

Colin Hay - "Waiting for My Real Life to Begin"

This is where it all started. Trapped at home on a dreary day, lamenting life in the pandemic. Phone camera, no mics, no post-production.

City and Colour - "Sorrowing Man" (with a bonus mashup ending)

With the realities of COVID really setting in, I decided to try something different: recording two live tracks using my studio equipment and a video camera.

U2 - "One"

I had so much fun with two tracks that the evolution to three tracks felt natural. Again, each part is a single-take live track.

Bob Marley & The Wailers - "Johnny Was"

Three tracks? Why not four? This particular song was chosen for its relevance to the murder of George Floyd; some of the lyrics were altered accordingly.

Tribute to Eddie Van Halen - "Hear About It Later" Intro

A pivotal milestone in my childhood was the first time I ever heard "Eruption" by Eddie Van Halen, on the record player at a friend's house in 1978. Shortly thereafter, I quit piano lessons and started drooling over electric guitars. When Eddie passed in 2020, I found some comfort in going BACK to the piano... which happens to be where he wrote the iconic guitar intro I covered.

Mashup of Led Zeppelin - "Tangerine" and The Bee Gees - "Heaven Tonight"

By the spring of 2021, I was STILL stuck at home and starting to lose my damn mind. Looking back on it, it's no surprise that my covers started to become more experimental.

Jackson Browne - "Doctor, My Eyes" (with a bonus mashup ending)

Continuing with the experimentation, I decided to mash up two songs from 1972 with similar arrangements and themes, using an original arrangement of instruments and voices. Again each part is still a single live take. Obsess much, Mark?

Etta James - "At Last"

Here's where it started to get ridiculous (and I have zero regrets). I decided to take an old classic and update it with an entirely new arrangement. I was no longer focused on live single-takes, but instead diving deep into the original songwriting to find my own twist.

CSN - "Guinnevere"

In case you thought "At Last" with a 70s twang wasn't weird enough, how about an acoustic classic arranged in the spirit of the heavy music I was consuming in 8th grade? By 2022, there was a shark to be jumped, and I was ready to be The Fonz.