Staying Fit
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Everyone has a personal relationship with their playlists, and for me, it’s impossible to separate music and family. My mom would sing Red Grammer songs to me when I was a baby. I went to my first concert when I was 7, dancing in the aisles and singing every word to Genesis. From there, the soundtrack of my life just kept building. I’ve even convinced myself that Leon Bridges is already my 3-month-old daughter’s favorite artist, as his soothing voice seems to always put her at ease.
Music’s intimate relationship with our memories has long been studied, and the results show that songs have the ability to evoke strong emotions that may be forever intertwined with a specific experience.
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While I love the songs that have identified my past, newer renditions of some of my favorites have reinvigorated my love for those classics – sparking old memories and creating new ones. Here are eight of my favorite remakes, covers and tributes:
“Rich Girl”
Original: Hall & Oates, 1976
Newer version: Lake Street Dive, 2011
Lake Street Dive is one of my sister and wife’s favorite bands. If my wife could have any singing voice in the world, it would be Rachael Price’s so every time I hear the Lake Street Dive frontwoman’s soulful, rangy vocals, I imagine it coming out of my wife’s mouth. The fun-loving group isn’t afraid to put their twist on an old classic, and “Rich Girl” is one of the remakes they play most often at their shows.
“It’s Not My Cross to Bear”
Original: The Allman Brothers Band, 1969
Newer version: Big Band of Brothers (featuring Ruthie Foster), 2019
After I graduated college, my dad, brother and I started taking annual summer trips to a jam band festival. While they are both connected to the jam band scene, I mostly tagged along for the beer. Despite not knowing the music, I will never forget being awe-struck by some of the most talented artists on the planet and watching every melodic passage trance between my dad and brother. The Allman Brothers Band and Gov’t Mule (with Warren Haynes) were staples at these festivals, and hearing any song by either of those bands brings me back to those late, head-bopping nights in those remote fields. Big Band of Brothers released jazz interpretations of 10 of the Allman Brothers’ hit songs to celebrate 50 years since the band’s debut album. This saxophone-driven remake of “It’s Not My Cross to Bear” makes me think of my brother, who plays a pretty mean alto sax.
“Nights in White Satin”
Original: The Moody Blues, 1967
Newer version: Goose, 2020
After growing up listening to the Grateful Dead and Allman Brothers, my dad was on a mission to find the “next great jam band.” In the early 2000s, he jumped on the Umphrey's McGee bandwagon and dubbed them with that distinction. Since then, he’s struggled to find a band worthy enough to take the torch from Umphrey’s … until now. That next great jam band is Goose, and their rendition of “Nights in White Satin” shows how the newcomers can appeal to a more mainstream audience. (Even my mom likes them!)
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