The Witzard

For argument's sake, I guess I've always been an Usher fan... or @ least an admirer of Mr. Raymond's sheer talent and work ethic. I can vaguely remember nervously asking a few P.Y.T.'s to dance to "U Got It Bad" (2001) @ those painfully cheese-tastic 7-8th grade dances. Paraphrasing Pitchfork staff writer Ryan Dombal , it was an oddly-matched collaboration that no one expected, let alone asked for. But somehow still managed to greatly surpass everyone's non-existent expectations: Friday night @ FADER Fort (SXSW) , Usher wandered on-stage with The Afghan Whigs mid-way through their "Climax" cover. Frontman Greg Dulli & Usher then launched into spirited, guitar-driver renditions of both artists' more well-known tracks, "Somethin' Hot" and scorching set-closer, "OMG." Former- Yeasayer member and solo artist Sinkane (Ahmed Gallab) came on stage to perform a super- Funky version of his own single, ...

When my buddy Dave & I saw Cults @ Union Transfer (Philly) roughly 2 weeks ago, lead guitarist Brian Oblivion talked about how the band doesn't ever really play live covers, simply because the couldn't nail down a suitable tune. Cults then proceeded to rip through a heavy, emotionally-driven rendition of "Everybody Knows." Originally appearing on Leonard Cohen 's 1988 album I'm Your Man , the track was penned along with Sharon Robinson , and later appeared on a handful of various film soundtracks. From what I can tell, that very Friday The 13th show marked the premier live performance of "Everybody Knows." It has since been revealed that Cults' cover is actually the first in what will essentially be an on-going series... "Old Ideas with New Friends." The compilation is set to be leaked out gradually over the course of the [up]coming months. A few of Indie Rock 's favourite leading men, A.C. Newman (New Pornographers) , Br...