‘KITCHEN COVERS’
DREW HOLCOMB ON HIS UNEXPECTED VIRTUAL MUSIC SERIES
Self-quarantined creativity can take artists to unusual places.
It took Americana songwriter Drew Holcomb into his kitchen.
“I always write in my kitchen because of all the hard surfaces,” Holcomb told The Tennessean. “It’s where I sound the best, in my own ears.”
A few days into lockdown and the smooth-voiced Tennessean found himself next to the stove and cutlery, covering “No Hard Feelings,” a song originally penned by his buddies The Avett Brothers.
One stove-side video turned into a series, “Kitchen Covers.” “It started out as just the idea of playing a song each night from a different friend,” Holcomb said. “But we also wanted to expand it into artists we love, and try to cross genres a little bit.”
“We didn’t have any plans for how long we wanted to do it,” the Memphis native continued. “It was just a way to offer something to the world.”
Holcomb, many nights alongside songwriter-wife Ellie Holcomb, would track 41 covers in as many days before scaling the project back to three nights a week.
Kitchen Covers offered a space for him to celebrate late songwriters he admires, such as John Prine and Bill Withers, as well as dabble in heartland rock, classic country and the occasional pop tune (yes, there’s even a Beyonce cover).
There’s a spreadsheet of songs waiting for Holcomb to cover, he said. As much as he’d like to cover 10 Laurel Canyon artists in
a row, he tries to keep options balanced. And “wood-shedding” through ‘90s country and Outkast could come in handy when Holcomb decides to write his next record.
“It’s an opportunity to offer something to people who are sitting at home alone, lonely, bored,” Holcomb said. “And, also, there’s the benefit that they may stick with you, after the fact.”
Viewers can find a buffet of reoccurring shows hosted online by notable names. For example, virtual programs like the Ed Helms-led Americana showcase “Whiskey Sour Happy Hour” raised funds to support struggling music industry professionals. Award-winning songwriter Brandy Clark offers a weekly book club on Instagram and the songwriter interview series “You Can’t Come Over (But You Can Come In)” on Youtube.
Why’s it important to keep creating?
“There’s a physical reason and a practical reason,” Holcomb said. “The philosophical reason for me is, as a creative person, to just push pause on singing, learning, performing feels like hibernation. That would not be good for me; (it) would lead toward all sorts of self-doubt. … Practically, I think it’s important for us to stay engaged. It is a job. It’s a great job. It’s fun, it’s creative. But it’s still my work. I want to work.”
The “Kitchen Covers” project brought Holcomb — an independent artist who sold out the Ryman Auditorium last year during Americanafest — around 40,000 new Instagram followers (“that’s almost half as many as I had before,” he jested). He plans to cut studio versions of some covers, releasing the collection on a “Kitchen Covers” vinyl series to support his band and crew.
And, as he and his wife navigate life in self-quarantine with three kids, the songs can help make sense of a world sometimes scarce on solace.
“You wake up and it’s still true,” Holcomb said. “This world’s going through a hellacious thing and our lives have been altered, possibly forever in some way. (Kitchen Covers) helps me navigate those feelings. Sometimes I need an escape from that, so we do something fun. Other nights I need to engage that and we do something more heart-wrenching and sad.”
He continued, “And that’s OK. We can do both and feel all sides of the moment.”