Mountain Goats Cover Minutemen, Billy Bragg for Wisconsin Unions

Recent events in Wisconsin have prompted two members of the Mountain Goats – John Darnielle and Peter Hughes – to produce covers of pro-union songs.  First up was John Darnielle’s cover of Billy Bragg’s “Power in an Union.”  On the vimeo page, John writes:

Everybody knows I don’t generally do the acoustic guitar guy rocking political jams deal but as a former member of SEIU 660 & the California Association of Psychiatric Technicians & a kid who benefited from great teachers I wanted to spend tonight saying WE ARE ON YOUR SIDE xo jd

In response, Peter Hughes recorded a cover of “Themselves” by The Minutemen.  In the blog post where the cover first appeared, Peter writes:

Not exactly a union song per se, but a call to arms and the song that’s been in my head on continuous repeat for about the last two years.

Great stuff, and hopefully motivational.  Check them both out below:

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Other Stuff You Might Like: Mountain Stage

Ages ago, I found this R.E.M. bootleg at a now-defunct record shop.  It was wonderful, and intimate, and full of strange cover versions I had never heard.  Just before launching into “World Leader Pretend,” Michael Stipe says: “We’re really happy to be here at Mountain Stage.  We’re surrounded by really good people, and we’re gonna do a couple songs for you.”  At the time, I had no idea where, or what, Mountain Stage was… but I wanted to be there.  Years later, thanks to the magic of the Internet and NPR Music, I get to experience amazing, live concerts by an enormous array of musicians. And so can you!

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News: Billy Bragg Covers Joanna Newsom for The Voice Project

We’ve mentioned The Voice Project before, and I’d really suggest you check out our previous post or visit their site.  That said, we’ve shown you videos from Peter Gabriel, Joseph Arthur, and Mike Mills.  In that Mike Mills video, we were treated to a cover of Billy Bragg’s “Sing Their Souls Back Home.”

And now, it’s Bragg’s turn to give us a cover of Joanna Newsom’s “On a Good Day.”  It’s a lovely, intimate version, and I won’t waste any more time by trying to render it in prose.  So, follow me, check it out, and then go visit the fine folks of The Voice Project:

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