Cover/Uncovered: Dead Leaves.....

This edition of C/U will not follow the general form - originally, this feature post was designed to highlight those cover songs in which i heard the cover first, and later investigated the original. But that limits the songs i can feature - so i'm scrappin' the formalities.

September is fall, right?

Either way, this is great song. i've never been real big into Jack White - i like his full band more that his duo, but in both, he can crawl over to the crazy side a little much. There's no denying his place in Rock History - he singlehandedly brought indie-rock to the masses (Does it then remain indie?? That's for another discussion....).

Cover: Chris Thile - Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground

buy How To Grow a Woman from the Ground

i haven't said much about Chris here. The most creative force in Nickel Creek - another band to bring a sub-genre into the mainstream - Chris constantly abuses his mandolin and always takes his vocals to their upper-reaches. His '06 solo release remains one of my favorite albums. Chris compiled an all-star Bluegrass band to back him on it, and it came together perfectly. The band played the entire album live, sitting around 2 vintage mics hooked to the exact same 2-track machine The Beatles used on The White Album. The record also includes a Welch/Rawlings cover, Wayside (Back In Time), a few bluegrass instrumentals, and a handful of originals. He's got a new one that came out in February (billed as The Punch Brothers). i haven't picked it up yet, but it's on my list - Check some of it out on his MySpace.

Watch Chris and band perform the song live on CMT's Studio 330.

Uncovered: The White Stripes - Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground

buy White Blood Cells

Bonus: Ryan Adams - Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground (live)

As always, Ryan adds his own flare to a cover song - with some original verses about Meg and Jack.