Eric Beverly

There’s been all sorts of hub-bub on the dashboard over the past few days about Jeff Buckley’s cover of Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah,” and its recent surge in popularity owing to a contestant on this week’s American Idol. I’ve long loved Buckley, but I’m not ashamed to admit that my first introduction to the song came in the form of Rufus’ cover. I forget who blogged this first (apologies!), but the MOKB Covers Project has gone to the trouble of compiling an impressive list of “Hallelujah” covers (as has Michael Barthel of clapclap.org, but I haven’t worked my way through that yet). I’ll confess I’m not as keen on Cohen’s original as I am on some of the reworkings by others.

I let the full set play through while I worked tonight, and after listening, re-listening, and sorting out the live tracks with decidedly poor audio quality, I realized that so many of these artists have truly inhabited this song, each making it their own and offering us something unique to suit different tastes, moods, or hours. So, without further ado, I present for your picking and choosing, my Hail Mary shot at (generously) bestowing honors on various interpretations of “Hallelujah”:

Best Original – Leonard Cohen (live)
Best Male Performance - For being the first to cover Cohen, gotta give it to John Cale
Best Female Performance - In addition to the winners of the categories in bold below, I was particularly moved (and isn’t that what this song is about?) by Allison Crowe, Arooj Aftab, and k.d. lang (the woman who can do justice to just about any song).

Most Haunting – Susana and the Magical Orchestra | Most Anguish-wrought - Street to Nowhere | Most Likely to Be Heard at a Poetry Slam – Bono

Best Duet – John Jerome | Best Choral Arrangement - Late Tuesday (HM: Macbrolan) | Best a Capella – Imogen Heap | Best Instrumental – Chris Botti

Best Rock Version - Bob Dylan | Best Pop Version - Gavin DeGraw | Best Jazz-Influenced Version - Karen Ann | Best Version from an Oscar-Winning Film - Rufus Wainwright | Best Lo-Fi Version by a Current Critical Darling - Regina Spector | Best Foreign Language Version (Hebrew) – Noam Peled | “Best” Calypso Version – Beruit

Best Use of: Piano - Lucky Jim (HM: Jack Lukeman) | Guitar - Eric Beverly (HM: David Bazan) | Strings - Katheryn Williams | Horn Section - Clare Bowditch | Organ – Elisa | Banjo – The Junebugs | Bongos - Kate Noson |

The Buckley cover is one of my favorite songs of all time, I haven’t heard most of these, so thanks for linking me over to them. - Soup Soup Blog

Artist and presenter David Holmes adds a new twist to the SXSW sideshow. He and co-presenter Callie Snyder will be hosting pure Texas talent including Randy Weeks,Tony Gilkyson, Jess Klein, Charlie Faye, Eric Beverly and Abi Tapia at The Intrepid Artist Management/Show Lush Presents House Concert in Callie's backyard.

Presenters:
The Renegade

David Holmes

AP: A SXSW house concert – that’s definitely a new twist:
DH: That dynamic between the artists and SXSW is interesting. There is a general feeling among Austin artists that they have a great disadvantage in getting an official showcases because they live here.

The purpose for the party is, primarily, to give more exposure to these artists during a time when so many people are in town for SXSW and so many people who live in Austin want something fun to do that is nowhere near the madness of downtown during this conference.

AP: Is this your first time throwing an event?
DH: This is our first party during SXSW, but Callie somewhat regularly has backyard concerts under the name: Show Lush Presents.

AP: What compelled you to go thru the time & expense?
DH: We wanted to provide our artist friends more exposure during SXSW. While the event is open to the public, most of the attendees will be locals who do not want anything to do with SXSW except for it to end so that their streets are unclogged and their favorite restaurants are accessible once again. They recognize the value of SXSW to the Austin economy, but get frustrated by its impact on the normal vibe of this laid-back city.

AP: How are you getting the word out?
DH: We are promoting the show mostly online, but will also have show posters placed in various places around town.

AP: Do you think you’ll be at a disadvantage being so far from the main drag?
DH: For most of our guests, being away from downtown will be a great bonus. Our event is very near two other venues where free events will be held: Maria's Taco Xpress and the Saxon Pub. We hope people will attend all three.

AP: What’s your budget like?
DH: The costs are fairly low. We will rent a PA for the musicians, but other than that, there are few costs after alcohol was donated.

AP: What are your goals & expectations? How will you measure the success?
DH: We are trying not to have too specific of expectations of the event. With everything going on in town, it is impossible to know what kind of crowd we'll get, so we are just hoping that if we build it, they will come... We will be happy if the musicians we have playing leave feeling good.

Check out the show!

* Saturday, March 21, 2:00pm to 10:00pm @ The Intrepid Artist Management/Show Lush Presents House Concert in Callie's backyard (1704 Kinney) ***FREE, No badge required
- Musician's Atlas - Atlas Plugged

Derived from the Spanish word for “mixed,” the term “mestizo” is popularly used to describe an individual of mixed European and Indian ancestry. In that linguistic tradition, Austin-based singer-songwriter Eric Beverly describes his paintings as “Tex-tiso” – a blending of Scottish, Irish, German, French, Cajun and Latino influences that he “mixes and matches” to come up with his unique creative vision.

After completing a Bachelor of Art in French at the University of Texas, Beverly settled in the state’s capital city where he and his band, The Sunday Best, have become fixtures of Austin’s vibrant nightlife. When he isn’t writing songs and performing, Beverly is plying his brush. Approximately a dozen products of his visual imagination will be on view in the lower gallery of USC Aiken’s Etherredge Center beginning Sunday and running to Nov. 2.
Beverly himself avows that anyone examining his paintings may detect various sources of inspiration. The subject matter may remind some viewers of the whimsical inventiveness of folk artists hailing from the Deep South and the Southwest as well as the magic realism often found in modern literature. The artist’s techniques are reminiscent of those favored by the principal exponents of some of the major European movements: the visible brushstrokes of the Impressionists and the vibrant colors employed by the Fauvist painters. The artist’s long residence in Texas, his travels in South America, his passion for French culture – all inform his work.
The exhibition of paintings by Eric Beverly coincides with the launching of the new short story collection entitled “A Shared Voice,” co-edited by my USCA colleague Andrew Geyer and me. Beverly did the cover painting for the book, and this particular work, which is also entitled “A Shared Voice,” offers an excellent introduction to the artist’s subject matter and style.
Measuring about 30 inches by 48 inches, this acrylic painting features a circle composed of eight stylized faces, most with open mouths as if they were sharing a song. The resulting image, rendered largely in saturated colors, mirrors the creative fusion that can be found in the twenty-four tales that make up the anthology, half by writers from Texas and the other half by writers from the Carolinas. In fact, to reinforce this point, the artist has carefully inserted at strategic points in the circle, visual references to the flags of Texas and South Carolina.
Other paintings in the Etherredge Center show that especially caught my eye are “Dixie Fish” and “Tiger, Tiger,” largely because of the surrealism the artist achieves by anthropomorphizing familiar animal shapes. The “Dixie Fish” might more appropriately be identified as a mermaid struck by lightning; her right fin bears the jagged scar of a lightning strike, and the top of her head is a blazing bonfire. The big cat in “Tiger, Tiger” is actually a man with a tiger’s face; his eyes are rectangular slots through which the viewer can see the cloud-filled sky beyond. Since the figure holds a paintbrush in his right hand, Beverly may regard this work as a self-portrait of sorts; after all, the fauvist style, noted for its distortion of form and its use of pure color, is derived from the French word for “wild beast.”
The opening of the Beverly exhibition will be celebrated with a free reception in the lower gallery of the Etherredge Center this Sunday at 2 p.m. The general public is invited to attend.
On Oct. 22, at 8 p.m. on the main stage of the Etherredge Center, two authors whose stories appear in the collection “A Shared Voice” will be reading their contributions to this landmark anthology. George Singleton, heralded far and wide as a master of the comic short story, will read his hilarious tale entitled “Thank You.” Immediately following his performance, Terry Dalrymple will read his tale “Nasty Things,” which takes one of the characters from Singleton’s narrative and gives the reader her amusing “back story.”
This free double reading by Singleton and Dalrymple on Oct. 22 is sponsored by the USCA Department of English. For more information on the work of Eric Beverly, visit his website at www.ericbeverly.com; for more information on the Oswald Distinguished Writers Series, please visit the USCA homepage at www.usca.edu and type in “Department of English” or “Etherredge Center.”
A recipient of the prestigious Carolina Trustee Professorship in 2008, Dr. Tom Mack currently holds the G.L. Toole Chair at the University of South Carolina Aiken. His new book “A Shared Voice,” co-edited with Dr. Andrew Geyer, has just been published by Lamar University Press (Beaumont, Texas).

Read more: TOM MACK’S ARTS AND HUMANITIES: USCA showcases work of eclectic visual and performing artist | Aiken Standard
Follow us: @aikenstandard on Twitter | aikenstandard on Facebook - Aiken Standard Newspaper

Stage to Studio is an exciting series where a few exceptional artists from the monthly Cactus Cafe Open Mic are chosen to come by the KUTX studio and record one of their original songs. Once those songs are recorded, we post them here for YOU to hear and vote on! Whoever racks up the most votes will then have their song played right here on KUTX!

Check out this month’s artists below, take a listen, and cast your vote!

Matt Amos is a Cactus Cafe Open Mic enthusiast, making it to nearly every performance and of course playing his own!

Eric Beverly has played Open Mic at the Cactus Cafe since the 90s and is preparing to release his next album, The Joy Armada.

The Wasted Hearts is part-time musician, part-time recruitment representative for Texas Tech, and full-time guitar and banjo lover Eric Hartsfield and musical compatriot Chris Baldridge with guitar and vocals. - KUTX.org

Like so many others, Paste has been moved by the tragedy facing the survivors of the Haitian earthquake. We spread the word to many of the musicians we work with via the magazine about launching Songs for Haiti. It’s way to raise money and keep awareness high by offering free MP3s to everyone who donates to help Haiti (through Songs for Haiti or, indeed, any charity). Already, more than 200 artists have donated 250+ songs.

We don’t think people should donate to the relief efforts in Haiti just to get a reward. But this gives Paste and artists a way to help, using the thing we’re most passionate about—music.

100% of money contributed through “Songs for Haiti” will go to relief work via Doctors Without Borders, the Red Cross and Wyclef Jean’s relief effort via his Yele Haiti Earthquake Fund.

In return, donors will be able to access a cache of MP3s through our Download Vault. Songs for Haiti includes tracks by Ludacris, Andrew Bird, Switchfoot, Derek Webb, Dex Romweber Duo, Bruce Cockburn, Josh Ritter, The Welcome Wagon, Joe Pug, Umphrey’s Mcgee, Keller Williams, Disco Biscuits, Bloodkin, Mugison, Deer Tick, Eric Beverly & the Sunday Best, House of Heroes, The Rosewood Thieves, Jason Harrod, A Camp, The Champion and His Burning Flame, The Low Anthem, Jonathan Kingham, Hanson, Gaslight Anthem and so many more. Several of the tracks are unavailable anywhere else.

Click here to donate or to download the songs if you’ve donated elsewhere.

via Paste Magazine

You may also text the word “Haiti” to 90999 to donate $10 to the Red Cross’s relief efforts. - The Sound Medium Blog

MOKB Covers Project : Hallelujah Repost
MoreFeb 26, 2008, 11:45pm My Old Kentucky Blog
MOKB Covers Project : Hallelujah Repost The original MOKB Covers Project post of Hallelujah has been dead for many moons, but it is still one of the most commented on, linked up and talked about posts we've put together here at MOKB. I've promised many a reader that I would one day re-host all the files for everyone to enjoy. We revisited the song and found a plethora of new versions since last we posted it. There are even more we saw but couldn't find....

* I Am The Lost Sea - Hallelujah » I Am The Lost Sea - Hallelujah (Leonard ....mp3
* John Jerome - Hallelujah » John Jerome - Hallelujah.mp3
* Regina Spektor - Hallelujah » regina spektor - hallelujah.mp3
* Allison Crowe - Hallelujah
* Ari Hest - Hallelujah
* Aroof Aftab - Hallelujah (Aroof Aftab)
* Beirut - Hallelujah
* Bob Dylan - Bob Dylan - Hallelujah (Leonard Cohen Cover) (88-07-08 Montreal, CA) 1.mp3
* Chris Botti - Hallelujah
* Clare Bowditch - Hallelujah
* Damien Rice - Cannonball/Hallelujah
* Damien Rice - Hallelujah
* Dresden Dolls - Hallelujah
* elisa - hallelujah
* Eric Beverly - Hallelujah
... - My Old Kentucky Blog

MOKB Covers Project : Hallelujah Repost
MoreFeb 26, 2008, 11:45pm My Old Kentucky Blog
MOKB Covers Project : Hallelujah Repost The original MOKB Covers Project post of Hallelujah has been dead for many moons, but it is still one of the most commented on, linked up and talked about posts we've put together here at MOKB. I've promised many a reader that I would one day re-host all the files for everyone to enjoy. We revisited the song and found a plethora of new versions since last we posted it. There are even more we saw but couldn't find....

* I Am The Lost Sea - Hallelujah » I Am The Lost Sea - Hallelujah (Leonard ....mp3
* John Jerome - Hallelujah » John Jerome - Hallelujah.mp3
* Regina Spektor - Hallelujah » regina spektor - hallelujah.mp3
* Allison Crowe - Hallelujah
* Ari Hest - Hallelujah
* Aroof Aftab - Hallelujah (Aroof Aftab)
* Beirut - Hallelujah
* Bob Dylan - Bob Dylan - Hallelujah (Leonard Cohen Cover) (88-07-08 Montreal, CA) 1.mp3
* Chris Botti - Hallelujah
* Clare Bowditch - Hallelujah
* Damien Rice - Cannonball/Hallelujah
* Damien Rice - Hallelujah
* Dresden Dolls - Hallelujah
* elisa - hallelujah
* Eric Beverly - Hallelujah
... - My Old Kentucky Blog

Paste magazine is offering free mp3 downloads for people who donate through their site, or anywhere else.

It’s a way to raise money and keep awareness high by offering free MP3s to everyone who donates to help Haiti (through Songs for Haiti or, indeed, any charity). Already, more than 200 artists have donated 250+ songs.

In return, donors will be able to access a cache of MP3s through our Download Vault. Songs for Haiti includes tracks by Ludacris, Andrew Bird, Switchfoot, Derek Webb, Dex Romweber Duo, Bruce Cockburn, Josh Ritter, The Welcome Wagon, Joe Pug, Umphrey’s Mcgee, Keller Williams, Disco Biscuits, Bloodkin, Mugison, Deer Tick, Eric Beverly & the Sunday Best, House of Heroes, The Rosewood Thieves, Jason Harrod, A Camp, The Champion and His Burning Flame, The Low Anthem, Jonathan Kingham, Hanson, Gaslight Anthem and so many more.

Visit Paste to find more info on donating and downloading some fantastic music - The Album Project

Paste magazine is offering free mp3 downloads for people who donate through their site, or anywhere else.

It’s a way to raise money and keep awareness high by offering free MP3s to everyone who donates to help Haiti (through Songs for Haiti or, indeed, any charity). Already, more than 200 artists have donated 250+ songs.

In return, donors will be able to access a cache of MP3s through our Download Vault. Songs for Haiti includes tracks by Ludacris, Andrew Bird, Switchfoot, Derek Webb, Dex Romweber Duo, Bruce Cockburn, Josh Ritter, The Welcome Wagon, Joe Pug, Umphrey’s Mcgee, Keller Williams, Disco Biscuits, Bloodkin, Mugison, Deer Tick, Eric Beverly & the Sunday Best, House of Heroes, The Rosewood Thieves, Jason Harrod, A Camp, The Champion and His Burning Flame, The Low Anthem, Jonathan Kingham, Hanson, Gaslight Anthem and so many more.

Visit Paste to find more info on donating and downloading some fantastic music - The Album Project

Like so many others, Paste has been moved by the tragedy facing the survivors of the Haitian earthquake. We spread the word to many of the musicians we work with via the magazine about launching Songs for Haiti. It’s way to raise money and keep awareness high by offering free MP3s to everyone who donates to help Haiti (through Songs for Haiti or, indeed, any charity). Already, more than 200 artists have donated 250+ songs.

We don’t think people should donate to the relief efforts in Haiti just to get a reward. But this gives Paste and artists a way to help, using the thing we’re most passionate about—music.

100% of money contributed through “Songs for Haiti” will go to relief work via Doctors Without Borders, the Red Cross and Wyclef Jean’s relief effort via his Yele Haiti Earthquake Fund.

In return, donors will be able to access a cache of MP3s through our Download Vault. Songs for Haiti includes tracks by Ludacris, Andrew Bird, Switchfoot, Derek Webb, Dex Romweber Duo, Bruce Cockburn, Josh Ritter, The Welcome Wagon, Joe Pug, Umphrey’s Mcgee, Keller Williams, Disco Biscuits, Bloodkin, Mugison, Deer Tick, Eric Beverly & the Sunday Best, House of Heroes, The Rosewood Thieves, Jason Harrod, A Camp, The Champion and His Burning Flame, The Low Anthem, Jonathan Kingham, Hanson, Gaslight Anthem and so many more. Several of the tracks are unavailable anywhere else.

Click here to donate or to download the songs if you’ve donated elsewhere. - Paste Magazine

(06/15/2010)

In this episode, Kevin and Peter bring you some world class drummers, King Crimson’s guitarist, Enuff Z’Nuff’s guitarist, a great rocking songwriter, and some cool electronic pop.

Dafnis Prieto Sextet – http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/Dafnisprietosextet

Eric Beverly and the Sunday Best - http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/ericbeverly1

Lovespirals – http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/lovespirals4

Trey Gunn – http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/TreyGunn

Monaco Johnny – http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/Monacojohnny - CD Baby Music Discovery Podcast & Blog

Eric Beverly and the Sunday Best Do512 Top Pick for Thursday, January 21, 2010 - Do512.com