In a presentation for a journalism class, I made a joke about promoting an album of Bruce Springsteen covers. The more I got to thinking about it though, the more I thought it sounded like a fun idea. Thus, I have decided to turn that joke into a reality. This first track in the series of Bruce Springsteen covers to come is probably my all-time favorite Springsteen song, "Dancing in the Dark," which is featured on his 1984 album, "Born in the U.S.A." I hope you like my take on it!

Dancing in the Dark (Bruce Springsteen Cover)

This is my second Bruce Springsteen cover. It's my take on Springsteen's 1975 song "Thunder Road," which is the first track on his breakthrough album "Born to Run." The song is my favorite off of that album. I particularly like the song for the story it tells and the imagery that Springsteen evokes with lines like "There were ghosts in the eyes of all the boys you sent away/They haunt this dusty beach road in the skeleton frames of burned out Chevrolets." I also dig the shout out to Roy Orbison in the beginning of the song, another musician who I very much like.

Thunder Road

Thunder Road (Bruce Springsteen Cover)

Inspired by the release of Mac DeMarco's new track, "All of Our Yesterdays," this week, I decided to record a cover of one of my favorite tracks of his, "Let Her Go." I hope you enjoy.

Let Her Go

Let Her Go (Mac DeMarco cover)

This is a cover of a Bruce Springsteen song that he wrote for the 1993 Jonathan Demme film "Philadelphia." It's a great song from a great soundtrack contained on a great movie. It even went on to win a Best Original Song Academy Award. Anyways, I've always liked this song, so I decided to attempt to record my own version of it.

Streets of Philadelphia (Bruce Springsteen Cover)

This song is a cover of the song "Don't Believe" by the great English singer-songwriter Vashti Bunyan. I first came upon Bunyan after hearing her collaboration with Animal Collective on their EP Prospect Hummer. I was immediately drawn to her warm vocals, which compelled me to check out her solo work. "Don't Believe" stands out as one of my favorites of hers, a short, sweet song with some fun fingerpicking. While there's no beating the original, I hope you find my take suitable.

Don't Believe (Vashti Bunyan Cover)

This is a cover of Alvvays' "Plimsoll Punks" from their 2017 album Antisocialites. I was driving around listening to KEXP one day when this song came on, and it instantly grabbed me. For me, it's one of those songs that doesn't require any time to grow on you. However, after listening to it 500 more times, it still keeps getting better. I probably would have preferred to record this cover with an electric guitar - like the original - but I do not have one at my disposal at the moment. Thus, my version is recorded on my acoustic guitar. With that, I found the solo that comes in around 2:50 in the song particularly challenging as it starts on the 16th fret, which is relatively cramped on the acoustic guitar. In my attempts to nail this part down, I've come to the humbling understanding that my fingers are not quite as nimble as I'd like them to be. I've also come to embrace a new level of respect for Alvvays - not that I didn't already respect them - as I've delved into this arrangement. It's a rather complex pop piece that is just as fun to play as it is to listen to. I hope you enjoy my take on this fantastic song.

Plimsoll Punks (Alvvays Cover)

Here is a cover I created of Beach House's wonderful track "Take Care." This was the first track I ever heard by Beach House and really got me into the band. Many years later, I have familiarized myself with all the rest of their albums and tracks which are all pretty sublime. Still, this particular track remains one of my favorites of theirs.

Take Care (Beach House Cover)

After listening through the newly released fourth album by Vampire Weekend all weekend, I felt inspired to cover one of their tracks. This is a cover of "Step," which is not a song from the new record. However, it remains one of my all-time favorites.

Covers

Step (Vampire Weekend Cover)

My name is Keith Bradley-Hewitt and I am currently a graduate student studying Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. In addition to writing, one of my primary passions has always been music. I have played a variety of instruments over my lifetime starting with the piano back in kindergarten; violin from first grade to middle school; trumpet from middle school through high school (where I even received a varsity letter in marching band!); and guitar which I picked up at the end of my high school career. I love playing music, listening to music, and even writing about it from time to time on a blog I created (which can be found at poeticpopculture.com). In addition to music, I also enjoy film, literature, hiking, running, and baseball. I hope you enjoy what I produce for my SoundCloud page!

Keith Bradley-Hewitt

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