The Magic of Eye Contact

Training With Treats

Read this. Read this. Read this.

Covered in Folk: Joni Mitchell (17 Singer-songwriter covers from countrygrass to indiefolk!)
Joni Mitchell’s early influence on her peers is part of the mythos of her era, and their support a major factor in her future success; it’s telling that David Crosby, Fairport Convention, Tom Rush, Judy Collins, Buffy St. Marie, and Judy Collins all thought enough of Joni’s songwriting to cover her work long before she won the Grammy for Best Folk Performance in 1970 — or indeed, in many cases, before she had a chance to record those songs herself.

Hair of the Dog: Drunken Coverfolk (the songs of Tom Waits, Mary Gauthier, Willie Nelson & other
I’ve always had a low tolerance for alcohol. In college, I could get three good nights off a six-pack. Today, even a single beer with supper gives me quite the buzz. Low tolerance means I don’t drink much; after all, though I love a good microbrew IPA as much as the next guy, he can usually drive home afterwards, and I can’t. But yesterday was a tough day. By the time I got home, it was time for a drink or three. I make no apologies for taking the

New Artists, Old Songs: Jay Brannan, Brooke Brown Saracino, Linda Draper, and Cedar Hill Refugees co
I’ve been letting the new discs and press sheets pile up by the laptop for so long, it’s hard to find room to rest my coffee cup in the morning. But out of a large set of also-rans and almost-worthies, a few covers and albums have set their hooks into me so deeply, it seems selfish not to share. And though one or two of these come from well-established artists who we’ll come to in good time, others represent the first fruits of folks with promise. Today, then, the latest installment in our recurring New Artists, Old Songs feature. This is the good stuff, from musicians to watch: fresh, reinvigorating, and on the path to greatness. Enjoy the next g

Revisited: The Denison Witmer Covers Project (on old files and a renewed commitment to artists)
Moving to our own domain last November meant deserting a year’s worth of old files — a move consistent with our desire to keep Cover Lay Down from becoming a permanent archive for commercially available tracks, since that would ultimately undermine the livelihood of the very artists we are trying to

Festival Coverfolk ‘09: Falcon Ridge Folk Fest, July 23-26 (Cliff Eberhardt, Amy Speace, Girlyman,
It’s that time of year again, when a folk fan’s thoughts turn to this year’s summer festivals. Though the weather up here in the American Northeast makes for a relatively short season, there’s plenty of choices, from this month’s eco-centric Clearwater Festival to that one glorious weekend in mid July when both the Green River Festiv