KURT BAKER

Kurt Baker on Got It Covered

1. Let Me Out
The Knack are the quintessential Power Pop band, everything down to the black skinny ties and Beatle boots. "Get the Knack" belongs in every music fans record collection, and was one of the first Power Pop records I ever bought. "Let Me Out" is a burst of pure adrenaline and I couldn't think of a better track to start of the album. My performance and version reminds me of the work that I did on the Leftovers album "On the Move", which I'm really psyched about. On a funny side note, rumor has it that the Knacks singer/songwriter Doug Fieger wrote songs exclusively from the perspective of his "Schlong", which makes perfect sense if you go back and read the lyrics to songs like "My Sharona" and "Let Me Out". Doug Fieger died shortly before we recorded our version, so this is dedicated to him.

Ringtone > Let Me Out

2. Hanging On The Telephone
Many people know this song as recorded by the beautiful Debbie Harry and Blondie, but in fact the original was written by Jack Lee, who played in the legendary LA punk/pop group The Nerves. Along with Lee, the other members included Paul Collins and Peter Case. Both members would go on to front bands like The (Paul Collins) Beat and The Plimsouls.. both staples in late 70's Power Pop. My version stays pretty true to the original, but it also reminds me of a great Swedish rock n' roll band called the Hellacopters. I saw them once in Boston and it totally blew my mind.. actually, they were probably the greatest band i've ever seen live. Speaking of Boston, Kay Hanley from the legendary Boston group Letters to Cleo, sang back ups on this! She is awesome! The intro sound clip is taken from Linus's voice mail on his phone. He's got a fancy phone... my phone doesn't even have a voicemail option, it's that old!

Ringtone > Hanging On The Telephone

3. Pump It Up
When Linus and I got together to discuss "Got It Covered", one of the songs that we really wanted to model some of our work on was a track called "Bandages" by Hot Hot Heat. I remember always hearing that song in High School and thinking how ridiculously catchy it was, yet wild and spastic sounding. Elvis Costello is the king of making music that can be described at times as "Organized Chaos", so on this track we really tried to channel something along the lines of musical spontaneous combustion. Our "Pump It Up" comes off as a wild party anthem, and I love wild parties... esp. if there is beer and snacks involved!

Ringtone > Pump It Up

4. I've Done Everything For You

Rick Springfield is the man. You cannot deny his awesomeness. When The Leftovers were working on our record "Eager to Please", Rick had just released a new single called "Victoria's Secret". We all had a laugh about it, but Linus and I quickly switched the subject to how much we love Springfield's "Working Class Dog" album. It's pure 80's pop at it's best. During the recording of this song we found out that he was actually playing the entire "Working Class Dog" album in its entirety in Milwaukee, Wisconsin ( home to Beer & Cheese, two favorites of Linus and myself). We almost cancelled the session and boarded the plane but then Kay Hanely stopped by to record some killer back ups and we ended up just going to Mel's diner in Hollywood were we drank many Budweisers and got in fights with dorky LA douche bags who claim Taylor Swift doesn't write her own songs.. (She does by the way, and is kinda hot).

Ringtone > I've Done Everything For You

5. Is She Really Going Out With Him?

In a way, this song is kind of autobiographical. I spend a lot of time in coffee shops in my home town of Portland, Maine, usually drinking coffee and looking out the window and seeing all these beautiful girls walking with a bunch of meat head college guys. This might happen everywhere. "Is She Really Going Out With Him?" is a hopeless romantics lament and I've always loved the way that Joe Jackson comes off as your "average guy" songwriter. I've always felt a connection to his lyrics, and at the same time loved his infectious melodies. This was the first song we recorded during the session, it just came naturally!

6. Cruel To Be Kind

I'm a VH1 classics junkie. I really don't like cable TV very much. I don't even have cable were I live, but whenever I get a chance to eat dinner at my parents house, you can bet your fortunes that i'll be sitting on the couch watching Metal Mania or Pop Up Video rather than eating a pot roast. I've always seen Nick Lowe's video for "Cruel To Be Kind" on VH1. It's always stuck with me, and the chorus is just so infectious. This might be one of my favorite songs on the album. Ironically, Kay Hanley (my producer Linus of Hollywood has a band with Kay called Palmdale), who sang back ups on this record also did a stellar version of "Cruel" for the hit teen movie "10 Things I Hate About You" with Letters to Cleo. This one is for Heath.

Ringtone > Cruel To Be Kind

7. Turning Japanese

The Vapors are total 1 hit wonders, and there is nothing wrong with that! Take a tune like "Turning Japanese", a new wave classic that transcends generations. You can't help but feel good when you hear this song. Growing up I always would buy old Beatles or Beach Boys albums, but the first "New Wave" record I ever bought was "New Clear Days" by the Vapors, which features "Turning Japanese". It was probably the best 75 cents i've ever spent (besides that Milkey Way I just purchased at the gas station). This was the last song we recorded during the "Got It Covered" sessions, and totally represents how much fun we had making this album.

Ringtone > Turning Japanese

GOT IT COVERED COMMERCIAL - FREE DOWNLOAD

Kurt Baker "Got It Covered" Commercial by ogliorecords

THE LEFTOVERS’ KURT BAKER HAS GOT IT COVERED
WITH SOLO DEBUT FOR OGLIO RECORDS
FIRST SINGLE IS HANGING ON THE TELEPHONE

Los Angeles, CA - (August 1, 2010) Kurt Baker from The Leftovers embarks on a solo career with his new release, Got It Covered, for Oglio Records, a Fontana/Universal distributed label. Got It Covered was produced by Los Angeles based pop genius Linus of Hollywood and features guest appearances from Kay Hanley of Palmdale and Adam Marcello. For his debut release, Kurt takes on some of his favorite Power Pop songs of the 70’s and 80’s covering tracks from Blondie, Elvis Costello, Joe Jackson, The Knack, Nick Lowe, Rick Springfield, and The Vapors.

The first single from the Got It Covered EP is “Hanging On The Telephone”, originally by The Nerves and later covered by Blondie. The video was directed by Reginald Groff for Groff DRTV Productions and edited by Richard Pelletier.

“Hanging On The Telephone” video link:
www.youtube.com/oglio
www.youtube.com/watch?v=qBbNXIVY9sA

Kurt Baker is a singer, songwriter and rock n’ roll performer from Portland, Maine, who is a founding member of the notable pop/punk outfit The Leftovers. They formed in 2002, have toured all over North America and Europe, and released many acclaimed records including Eager To Please for Crappy Records/Oglio which featured the single “Telephone Operator”. Kurt’s signature unique blend of ultra catchy Beach Boys and Beatles styled melodies under a relentless wall of high energy guitars and pounding rhythms have earned him the praise of Lookout Records’ Larry Livermore, Screeching Weasel’s Ben Weasel and Bowling For Soup’s Jaret Reddick. Kurt’s solo tour will kick off in Portland and will return to Spain in the fall of 2010.

“There are a couple of things I pride myself in, buy first is my ability to spot raw talent. The first time I met the Leftovers - goofy teens from Maine who drove ten hours just to play a free party in Queens - I knew they were the real thing. Kurt Baker's got an ear for pop melody that only comes along a few times in a generation, and a true love for the minutiae and history of rock 'n' roll. I can't wait to hear what he comes up with next.” - Jim Testa, Jersey Beat