If you're looking for some impressive music to fill your Sunday listening, look no further than Tanya Donelly and her Sunday Series on the Bandcamp music platform. In mid-April, Tanya launched the first installment of the series with a cover of The Rolling Stones' "As Tears Go By," a dedication and get well wish to Marianne Faithful, who was recovering from a COVID-19 infection at the time. The founder of 90's alternative rock band Belly, co-founder of iconic bands Throwing Muses and The Breeders, and established solo artist, Tanya announced the Sunday Series launch on her Bandcamp page, "Hello, and welcome to our Sunday cover series, one song chosen weekly from suggestions posted on my socials."
Along with Joe McMahon, Russell Chudnofsky, and spouse Dean Fisher, Tanya has been recording weekly cover songs with a variety of guest musicians. That guest roster has so far included Sadie Dupuis, Scott Janovitz, Gail Greenwood, Tanya's 'sisters' from 'Band Of Their Own' (Gail, Hilken, Magen, Kay, Melissa, Michelle, Jen D, Amy), Dave Brophy, Lilia Halpern, and even Tanya's daughters, Gracie and Hattie.
All music is recorded in everyone's home and later mixed for the final released song. All "tips in the jar" from sales on Bandcamp are being directly distributed to worthy organizations, non-profits, unemployed music venue staff and local musicians. One of the primary beneficiaries is Project Bread, an organization in need of donations to help provide food for children and families impacted by school shutdowns and lost/suspended income. Other recipients have included The Boston-Cambridge Musicians Fund, The Record Company’s Musicians Fund, Rosie's Place, the staff of The Burren Backroom, ONCE Somerville, Great Scott, and a variety of full-time musicians/engineers that the Boston music community rely upon in the best of times, who might need some support in the worst.
Following the first Sunday Series release of "As Tears Go By", subsequent covers have included "Bless the Telephone" (Labi Siffre), "Three Little Birds" (Bob Marley), "Here Comes Your Man" (Black Francis/Pixies), and "Knocking on Heaven's Door" (Bob Dylan).
The Pixies cover is outstanding, true to the original song, but with a fresh take and Tanya's distinctive, emotive and sweet vocals.
"Knocking on Heaven's Door" is the most recent Sunday Series installment at time of writing. Tanya comments that the Bob Dylan cover was inspired by "The House Was Quiet and the World Was Calm," a poem by Wallace Stevens. Check out Tanya's Bandcamp page for a bonus video of her and Dean performing "Making Light," a brand new song that they recently wrote together.
Beyond Tanya's Sunday Series, be sure to keep an eye out for her collaboration with the Parkington Sisters on an upcoming album with American Laundromat Records. Scheduled for an August 2020 release, Tanya Donelly and the Parkington Sisters cover some of Tanya's favorite songs by The Go Go’s, Leonard Cohen, Kirsty MacColl, Split Enz, Linda Ronstadt, The Pretenders, Wings, Echo & The Bunnymen, and Mary Margaret O’Hara on this outstanding new album.
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