Week 22 of 52 Weeks - Billie Jean (Michael Jackson, 1982)

Week 22 - Michael Jackson. 

I was thinking that doing this project might be similar to speed dating.  You have to assess the personality of each song and try to figure out how you can relate to it, and the end result is somehow always surprising.  I had a vague idea that we might want to do Michael Jackson but picking this one was a surprise and an even bigger surprise was that how much we enjoyed it!  It’s such a well written song, during the rehearsal Bekah and I kept on saying “one more time!” because we couldn’t stop.  Michael himself said that he knew it was going to be a success - "A musician knows hit material. Everything has to feel in place. It fulfills you and it makes you feel good. That's how I felt about 'Billie Jean'. I knew it was going to be big when I was writing it."  Quincy Jones wanted to cut the long intro (29 seconds!) but Michael told him that that’s what makes him want to dance!  Later Jones said “and when Michael Jackson tells you, 'That's what makes me want to dance', well, the rest of us just have to shut up."  

Hats off to you Michael.  You were a true genius.

Week 21 of 52 Weeks - Dress (PJ Harvey, 1991)

Week 21 - PJ Harvey.  I still remember the first time I listened to Dry, PJ Harvey’s first album.  It just blew my mind.  She was, with a lack of better word, so COOL.  I haven’t heard anything like it before, she was intense, poetic, angry and damn sexy, just all around badass.  She was the first artist I saw using a bottle neck with her guitar and I bought one the very next day and tried to use it and miserably failed it.  It took me another 10 years before I tried it again…  When I decided to go solo, I spent hours learning every single songs from Dry.  There are other albums by her that I love, but Dry is the one that I always go back to.  She is one of a few artists that truly changed me.  And I’m very please to be able to pay homage to her by singing one of my favorite songs of hers which happened to be her first single.  

Week 20 of 52 Weeks - Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend (Marilyn Monroe, 1953)

Week 20 - Marilyn Monroe.  I love dresses.  I especially love vintage dresses and consequently I have accumulated lots of them over the years.  Half of me thinks that wanting to wear those dresses is motivation to get on the stage…  There’s something really fun about swaying around in a full length gown, even in 90 degree heat!  With that spirit we channeled our inner Marilyn Monroe this week - we had to dig pretty deep to find her!  It’s a mini-series continuing from last week’s Material Girl.  Enjoy!

Week 19 of 52 Weeks - Material Girl (Madonna, 1984)

Week 19 - Madonna.  In honor of her birthday (August 16) we are covering her this week.  When I was little, I used watch Madonna live in Madison Square Garden on repeat.  I loved the whole concert but one of my favorite bits was at the end when she talks about how she came to New York with nothing and worked hard to make her dream come true.  It was cited in a sort of poetry style and I can still recite some of it.  I’m sure she influenced my decision to come to NY years later.  One of the first thing I did when I got to NYC was to visit the store “Love Saves The Day” from Desperately Seeking Susan.  Luckily it was still there then.  Cheers to Rebekah for doing an amazing job styling us.  Hope you enjoy!

Week 18 of 52 Weeks - Sunnyroad (Emilíana Torrini, 2005)

Week 18 - Emilíana Torrini.

I love good story telling and many of the musicians and songs I love usually spins a good yarn. This song by the Icelandic singer Emilíana Torrini tells a beautiful one and when I first heard it, I wished that I had written it!  The challenge of covering this particular song was how to make it our own.  Luckily Rebekah had a brilliant idea of bringing in a trumpet.  I really love how it came out. 

Emilíana Torrini has released many albums and has done some interested collaborations with the likes of Thievery Corporation and Kylie Minogue.  If you are Lord of the Ring’s fan, she’s the singer that sang “Gollum’s Song.”

Week 17 of 52 Weeks - Changes (Black Sabbath, 1972)

Week 17 - Black Sabbath. 

This song was requested by Matt Brundrett, our drummer on the west coast.  The piano is the main instrument in this song and it’s not what you’d expect of Black Sabbath but it’s really a pretty song.  Maybe next time we will cover a metal song that’s more typical of Black Sabbath - in our style, of course ;)  I do have a soft spot for Black Sabbath though - my dear friend and my first band member Christy Kane loves them, and Matt, of course.  A little trivia, Bekah and I encountered Ozzy’s wife Sharon once when we both appeared on America’s Got Talent with our accordion orchestra, The Main Squeeze Orchestra.  Sharon Osbourne called us “the most ridiculous thing I’ve seen!”  Given that Ozzy was rumored to be pouring cocaine on his breakfast toast, and snorting ants off the ground through a plastic straw, I can’t believe that’s true!!! 

Our show at Rockwood Music Hall is tomorrow at 5pm.  Please come see us if you are in NYC area!

Week 16 of 52 Weeks - Rum and Coca-Cola (the Andrews Sisters, 1945)

Week 16 - The Andrews Sisters. 

I have such a love for harmonies, so of course I love the Andrews Sisters.  I’ve been wanting to cover one of their songs for a long, long time and finally we were able to do it with help from one of our accordion sisters, Jennie Muoio!  We were going with the beach/summer theme but didn’t realize the actual words till we really learned the song.  Musically it’s such a cute song but the words are, well morally questionable to say the least! It seems like a similar thing happened to the Andrew Sisters.  They recorded the song with 10 minutes to spare in their recording session. Years later, Maxine Andrews recalled, "The rhythm was what attracted the Andrews Sisters to 'Rum and Coca-Cola'. We never thought of the lyrics. The lyric was there, it was cute, but we didn't think of what it meant; but at that time, nobody else would think of it either, because we weren't as morally open as we are today and so, a lot of stuff—really, no excuses—just went over our heads.”  The song was banned by network radio stations despite being a big hit, because it mentioned….an alcoholic beverage!  Things were certainly different back then. 

Anyway, hope you enjoy the song and if you are in NYC area, please come see us next Sunday (8/7) at Rockwood Music Hall.  It’s going to be a special one because Jennie is going to make a guest appearance, yay!

Week 15 of 52 Weeks - Rockaway Beach (the Ramones, 1977)

Week 15 - the Ramones.

The Ramones will always have a special place in my heart.  They were the first punk rock band that I really fell in love with, they were the soundtrack to my summer days when I first got to NYC, and Jarvie was dressed as one of the Ramones for his first Halloween.  I even got to meet Joey Ramone a few times!!! Recently I went to the Ramones exhibit at the Queens Museum and it made me think of covering this song.  Singing this song was so much fun, much like listening to the Ramones!  If you are in the NYC area, go check out the exhibit- it’s up till the end of this month.

Week 14 of 52 Weeks - Blowin' in the Wind (Bob Dylan, 1962)

Week 14 - I know we covered Bob Dylan only two weeks ago.  But I had to cover this song and this is why.  As a mother, I hope to raise a child who sees beauty in our differences.  A child who won’t turn away from injustice and will be compassionate to those who are in need.  A child who will listen to others yet always looks for his own truth.  I hope to be a good role model for my son and as I get to know him and his little friends, I wish more and more to make this world a better place for them.  But times like these, I’m feeling small and lost.  So instead of giving into despair, I’m going to do one thing I know how to do. 

“Too many of these hip people are telling me where the answer is but oh I won’t believe that. I still say it’s in the wind and just like a restless piece of paper it’s got to come down some  ...But the only trouble is that no one picks up the answer when it comes down so not too many people get to see and know . . . and then it flies away. I still say that some of the biggest criminals are those that turn their heads away when they see wrong and know it’s wrong. I’m only 21 years old and I know that there’s been too many” - Bob Dylan, June 1962

Week 13 of 52 Weeks - Dog Days Are Over (Florence and the Machine, 2009)

Week 13 - Florence The Machine, Dog Days Are Over, 2009

I remember my friend Ren in London telling me that I need to listen to Florence way back but unfortunately I was too busy listening to Johnny Mercer and Yves Montand at the moment and I never got around to.  To be honest, I’m still not that familiar with her work…but learning and performing this song was one of the most fun we had so far!  I hope you have fun watching as much as we had!

Week 12 of 52 Weeks - Don't Think Twice It's Alright (Bob Dylan, 1963)

Week 12 - Don’t Think Twice It’s Alright, Bob Dylan

I’ve been listening to The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan a lot this summer and this song stayed on my mind. Funny enough, Bekah heard this song at a friend’s house and suggested to cover as well.  I’ve read Suzy Rotolo’s memoir’s about Greenwich Village in the 60’s (she’s the girl on the cover of The Freewheeling’ Bob Dylan).  I lived in Greenwich Village for a long time until I moved to Brooklyn and have a soft spot for the place.  It was fascinating to read about the neighborhood and imagine what it was like.  There’s an old music store on W 4th and it’s filled with instruments and is utterly chaotic but I always loved its “from the time gone by” atmosphere. I enjoyed going there and imagine all the musicians that passed through.  

This song is a beautiful breakup song, supposedly written around the time Suzy decided to extend her stay in Italy.  I’m really happy how it came out and hope that we were able to do justice to this beautiful song.  It’s my new favorite.  Hope you enjoy!

Week 11 of 52 Weeks - Apple Blossom (White Stripes, 2000)

Week 11 - Apple Blossom, The White Stripes. 

De Stijl was the first album I heard of the White Stripes and it still remains one of my favorite albums by them.  I still remember the first time I saw them live, it really blew my mind to see two people rocking out and putting on such a great show!  It was a lot of fun to watch them.  They influenced me quite a bit as I was starting my own solo project just then and their live show is one of my favorites of all time.

Week 10 of 52 Weeks - Enter Sandman (Metallica, 1991)

Week 10 - Enter Sandman, Metallica (1991). 

Well…Metallica.  I confess, I know almost nothing about Metallica.  I remember I was on tour with my friend Guitar Bomb and he was amazed that I never listened to any of Metallica’s album so he put on “Kill ‘Em All.”  Unfortunately right after we started listening, we got stuck in the horrible Lincoln tunnel traffic and ended up listening to the album on repeat in low volume for about 3 hours. Good times, good times.  This song was suggested by Bekah and we are dedicating this to Beka’s father who is a big fan.

Happy Father’s Day to all the rocking dads out there! 

I have to warn you though, the song has been altered, or Miwa Gemini-ed, quite a bit.

Week 9 of 52 Weeks - Rumor Has It (Adele, 2011)

Week 9 - Rumor Has it, Adele. 

I began this project hoping to broaden my musical horizon and challenge myself and so far I’ve been firmly stuck in my favorite musical era, the 60’s (haha).  With this song, I finally made it to 2010's!  Yay!  Although I respect Adele as a performer and a songwriter, her music isn’t something I can relate to easily, so it was a fun challenge.  I tried to make it mine as much as possible.  Hope you enjoy!

Week 8 of 52 Weeks - I Only Want To Be With You (Dusty Springfield, 1964)

Week 8 - I Only Want To Be With You - Dusty Springfield. 

I heard this song while I was grocery shopping and it’s been stuck in my head ever since.  Lots of artists covered this but my favorite is, of course Dusty Springfield.  It’s a love song but this song makes me think of Jarvie, my baby boy.  It reminds of me the first time I got to hold him, talking about “I never knew I could be in love like this.”  And today is his 2nd birthday.  Happy Birthday, Jarvie.  I love you.

Week 7 of 52 Weeks - La chanson de Prévert (Serge Gainsbourg, 1961)

Week 7 - La chanson de Prévert - Serge Gainsbourg

I really didn’t start listening to Serge Gainsbourg until I started listening to a lot of 60’s French pop.  I began noticing that many of the songs I enjoyed are written by him.  Singer, composer, painter, poet, writer, actor, director…talking about a prolific artist!  This is more of a sombre piece by him but I love it.  It also refers “Les feuilles mortes” - song by another of my favorite French artists, Yves Montand.   My French is pitiable but I can’t help but wanting to sing in it.  Hope you enjoy.

Week 6 of 52 Weeks - The Man Who Sold the World (David Bowie, 1970)

What can I say about David Bowie?  The man was a visionary, a genius and a true artist.  It’s his otherworldly-ness that attracted me to his work.  He also told such great stories through his songs and his style moved with the times but yet he remained, well…David Bowie.  This is one of my favorite songs.  Thank you, Bowie.  We miss you.

Week 5 of 52 Weeks - Starfish And Coffee (Prince, 1987)

Week 5 - Starfish and Coffee, Prince

It was indeed a very sad day when we all heard the news about Prince's passing.  A true genius, he was really inspirational all around.  There are so many songs that I love, but this one is my personal favorite.  It was written by Prince and Susannah Melovin (sister of Wendy from the Revolution). The girl in the song, Cynthia Rose is someone Susannah knew when she was young.  

I'd like to dedicate this to the ”Cynthia" in all of us - the happy soul that reminds you that there's magic everywhere.

Thank you, Prince.  

Week 4 of 52 Weeks - Harper Valley P.T.A.

Week 4 - Harver Valley P.T.A. by Jeannie C. Riley.  This song was suggested by Beech’s mom.  I’ve always enjoyed it but learning to sing was…challenging!  It has lots of words and so mouthful!  But once we learned the lyrics, it’s a lot of fun to sing.  We thought it was a perfect song for Mother’s Day.  To all moms out there - you all ROCK!  Don’t let anybody tell you other wise ;)

Happy Mother’s Day!

Week 3 of 52 Weeks - Ooh La La (Faces, 1973)

Week 3 - Faces.  When I was planning this project, I had a list of songs that I wanted to cover.  So far I have covered none of them!  The process of song selection has been quite surprising to me but I'm letting it happen organically.  I always loved this song, I love the guitar line and I love the voice.  Both Rod Stewart and Ronnie Lane recorded the vocal for this song but the producer suggested Ronnie Wood try it and that became the version included on the album.  I think Ronnie Wood's voice resonates well with the sentiment of the song - a little awkward and a little sad.  Do you agree?

Our version is a little different - us being women and all but I really like how it came out.  Hope you enjoy!