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Between The Covers

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Kings of Leon Cover Pixies' "Where Is My Mind?"

Kings of Leon got this one right – from the distorted guitar lines and hauntingly high “ooohs” to the simple drums and vocals on edge. It’s no wonder the band covered this Pixies staple in several concerts throughout its 2010 tour. Whether you know it from the final scene of Fight Club, HBO’s promo for The Dark Knight (who’s seeing the final movie this weekend?), or just listen to good music, there’s a reasonable chance you’ve had this song stuck in your head in the past 21 days – or you will now. Musicians from Arcade Fire to James Blunt have covered it as well – and some even covered it without calling it a cover (here’s looking at you, End of Fashion’s “O Yeah”). Either way, the 1988 tune inspired by scuba diving in the Caribbean (and “having this very small fish trying to chase me” - Black Francis) has come a long way.

Matisyahu Covers Kings of Leon's "Use Somebody"

And so the coverer becomes the covered – but compared to the Kings of Leon cover of “Where Is My Mind?,” this Matisyahu treatment of “Use Somebody” isn’t interesting for its similarity to the song, but rather its difference. The acoustic guitar and delicate, high vocals not only diverge from the original song, but also from Matisyahu’s usual style of heavier reggae-rap rhythms.  Though the lyrics are the same, the Hasidic reggae singer changes the flow of them to suite his own style, topping off the song with his characteristically uncanny beatboxing skills.

KoRn Covers Danny Elfman’s "Kidnap the Sandy Claws" (from The Nightmare Before Christmas)

Yes, you read that right: KoRn covered a song in a children’s movie. But this isn’t Disney, This is Halloween – from the specter director Tim Burton himself. Had it been any other animated film, this cover might seem out of place; but given the inherent twisted fun in most of Burton’s delightful nightmares, KoRn’s heavy metal insanity lends itself well to this tune recorded for Nightmare Revisited . More intense than the original sung by the sadistic Halloween Town kids, this cover is entertaining to listen to. From the heavy metal shouts of “Kidnap the Sandy Claws, lock him up real tight/Throw away the key and then/Turn off all the lights “ to the harsh whispers of “Kidnap the Sandy Claws, beat him with a stick/Lock him up for ninety years, see what makes him tick.” Sweet dreams, everyone.

And psst . . . Nightmare Revisited also features a cover of 'Jack and Sally Montage"  by VSQ! Check it out here!

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Rock Star Hobbies

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David Lovering, Pixies Drummer and Performing Magician

Pixies drummer by night, The Scientific Phenomenalist by day, David Lovering defies preconceived notions of rock stardom. While at times his performances are more scientific than magical, more comedic than awe-inspiring, Lovering knows how to intrigue and humor audiences. He does extraordinary tricks with simple props, which range from smoke and pickles to a chair and Jack in the Box antenna ball. In any case, it’s nice to see a drummer finally getting the spotlight for a change. Roger Daltrey, The Who Singer and Trout Farmer Many know that The Who frontman was in such films as Tommy and The Kids Are Alright – but Underwater World of Trout, Vol. 1? Yes, that’s right – when charismatic rock god Roger Daltrey isn’t selling out stadiums on tour, he likes to relax by doing a bit of trout farming. He even designed and built his very own trout farm, Lakedown Trout Fishery, in England about 30 years ago (which can be seen on Underwater World of Trout, Vol. 1). "When I go fishing," Daltrey claims, "I come away feeling like I've smoked half a dozen joints." Well, that’s enough to inspire any young trout farming enthusiast. Bill Wyman, Rolling Stone Bassist and Treasure Hunter Roger Daltrey’s hobby isn’t the only documentary star – ex-Rolling Stone Bill Wyman was in a short video, too: one about metal detecting. "Metal detecting is not just for anoraks or eccentrics; it's probably the best and most enjoyable way of learning about our history," he declares on his site. Wyman even has his own signature metal detector - so that’s where Keith Richards gets all of his jewelry. Maynard James Keenan, Tool Vocalist and Winemaker When Maynard James Keenan moved from Los Angeles to Jerome, Arizona, he not only found a lower-key lifestyle, but also fertile ground for his newfound hobby: winemaking. You might think this strange, but wine is in the man’s blood – not from the party last night, but years ago when his great-grandparents made wine somewhere in pre-World War II northern Italy. So naturally, Keenan opened a winery and vineyards and went to town. It’s even said that Puscifer’s latest release, "The Conditions of My Parole," was recorded in part among barrels at Keenan’s winery.

Be sure to check out:

The String Quartet Tribute to the Pixies Available now at iTunes and Amazon

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Between The Covers

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Tristan Prettyman Covers Barry Louis Polisar’s “All I Want Is You” Leave it to a children’s book author to come up with a simple yet catchy tune that will be stuck in your head for hours after you first hear the lyrics, which are childishly charming despite the allusions to floral reproduction: “If I was a flower growing wild and free/All I'd want is you to be my sweet honey bee.” Barry Louis Polisar’s memorable melody might be why acoustic singer-songwriter Tristan Prettyman covered his 1977 song - and why you might recognize the original from the intro to Jason Reitman's 2007 film “Juno.” Polisar’s cute and quirky lyrics are treated to Prettyman’s, well, pretty vocals that weave in and out of acoustic guitar and lyrics that don’t bend to the gender of their new singer: “All I want is you, will you be my bride/Take me by the hand and stand by my side.”

Meaghan Smith Covers Pixies’ “Here Comes Your Man” This smoothed-out, slowed-down version of “Here Comes Your Man” leaves the alt-rock edge of the late 80s behind, but keeps one of its electronic instruments – the Omnichord. The chiming timbre and kitsch appeal of the instrument is embodied well in one of the more playful and upbeat covers of a song about winos and hobos traveling on trains. Canadian indie pop songstress Meaghan Smith’s charismatic vocals and charm are brought to life in the accompanying lighthearted video, where she rides a bike in the sun while being chased by a boy (supposedly “her man”?). The Zooey Deschanel magnetism of the song fits perfectly in the movie soundtrack it was on, (500) Days of Summer.

Peter Gabriel Covers Vampire Weekend’s “Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa” The original song’s tropical frills and tribal beats made it an easy target for Peter Gabriel to cover – that, and the fact that the song’s lyrics mention him by name (“But this feels so unnatural / Peter Gabriel too”). When asked to do a cover of the song, Gabriel replaced one of the lines with "And it feels so unnatural to sing your own name" to rectify the situation. Gabriel’s animated voice is a funny yet fitting addition to the Hot Chip instrumental, as the cover combines music new and old.

The String Quartet Tribute to Peter Gabriel Available now at iTunes and Amazon

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Vitamin String Quartet Sheet Music Release!

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Stuff We Like: Pixies Release Free Live Doolittle EP For 20th Anniversary

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We were excited when Pixies headlined Coachella in 2004 and we are ecstatic now that they have began touring again in support of their 20th anniversary of Doolittle’s release. It's not very often you get a chance to watch one of your favorite bands play their most classic album in its entirety. To celebrate, they’ve done not one, but TWO things we are stoked about: First, they have created custom USB wristbands that include live audio from recent shows as well as five tour videos. They’ve blended technology with our favorite Doolittle songs so we can take the experience home with us – but hurry! They’re a limited edition. You can check get your own customized USB wristband here. Secondly, they’ve just offered fans a free Doolittle 20th Anniversary Live Sampler. It includes live performances of “Dancing the Manta Ray,” “Monkey Gone to Heaven,” “Crackity Jones,” and “Gouge Away.” All four songs were recorded from their recent October 16th show in Paris. P.S. All you have to do is click the widget below and the live EP is yours! Already downloaded it? Which track is your favorite?

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VSQ Employee Mixtape #2: The Art Department

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Please welcome the second installment of our new series of employee playlists, designed by the experts themselves - the VSQ staff! Like we said in our first post, we designed this series to help fans discover VSQ tracks they may have never found otherwise - and show off our impeccable and discerning musical taste! Last week we visited Taylor in the Marketing Department to see what was on her iTunes rotation. This week, lets check out what the art department is spinning.

Mixtape #2: Art Deparment Deep in the bowls of this ship we call “the art department” lies the desk of graphic designer Steven (aka PONG). If you had the chance to go through his itunes library you’d see he(I love referring to myself in 3rd person) is into a lot of music. There’s so much in the VSQ catalog, and narrowing down the fav’s is not a task for the faint at heart(look at me ma! I’m blogging!).

Please Please Please Let Me Get What I Want

String Quartet Tribute to The Smiths








Superstar

String Quartet Tribute to Sonic Youth (even though it’s really a carpenters song, this cover of a cover is great!)






Bizarre Love Triangle + She’s Lost Control

String Quartet Tribute to New Order & Joy Division Another VSQ album that is a must!







Caribou

Vitamin String Quartet Tribute to Pixies







Wish You Were Here

Vitamin String Quartet Tribute to Pink Floyd







10:15 Saturday Night

The String Quartet Tribute to The Cure






Cannonball

Vitamin String Quartet: Alternative Hits of the 80's and 90's Vol. 2






Hit Me Like You Did The First Time

The String Quartet Tribute to The Flaming Lips






Heroin

The String Quartet Tribute to The Velvet Underground & Nico Seriously, just buy this album every song kicks ass!








Everyday Is Like Sunday

String Quartet Tribute to Morrissey Aww, to be in high school once more






The Man Who Sold The World

String Quartet Tribute to David Bowie








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VSQ Employee Mixtape #1: Marketing Department

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We created this unofficial series to help you uncover the precious gems that are buried in the depths of our impressive and seemingly endless catalog. While creating our lists we've found tributes we didn't even know existed and we'll be sharing this valuable information with you in weekly installments of playlists from the experts themselves, The VSQ Staff. So get your headphones ready because we're about to take you on a tour through the best, the classic and the weirdest Vitamin String Quartet tributes to be found.

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Pixies Minotaur Limited Edition Box Set Coming Soon

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Being huge pixies fans, we were nothing short of thrilled when The Pixies’ Minotaur was announced a few months back.  But now that there are images and video up on ArtistsInResidence, we can't hold back the excitement anymore.  Pre-order starts tomorrow, which means you could be 24 hours away from being an owner of your very own Pixies mega set which includes a whopping amount of goodies any fan would drool over. Not to mention, each copy of the Limited Edition is individually numbered, and hand-signed by every member of the Pixies and Vaughan Oliver.

Includes all five Pixies’ studio albums (Come on Pilgrim, Surfer Rosa, Doolittle, Bossanova, and Trompe le Monde) in the following formats: 24k gold plated CD’s; five 12″ - 180 gram virgin vinyl LP’s cut from the original analog tapes; Blu-ray audio mastered for 5.1 surround sound and 2 channel stereo at 24/192; DVD mastered for 5.1 surround sound and 2 channel stereo at 24/96. Also included is the previously unreleased Pixies 1991 live performance from Brixton, on both Blu-ray and DVD, mastered for 5.1 surround sound at 24/192 and 24/96, respectively. All discs are housed in a custom designed folio.

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