9 Great Alt-Rock Cover Songs (From the Vault)

9 Great Alt-Rock Cover Songs (From the Vault)

Author: Curiouscast March 25, 2026 Duration: 28:21
There’s just something fun about learning to play one of your favourite songs for yourself…you know, learning the lyrics, figuring out the chords and the rhythm and deconstructing all the constituent parts… Then you get deeper…you begin to appreciate how everything fits together, the artistic decisions made by songwriter made, what kind of musical skill is required, the sort of production that was employed all that…and by the time you’ve learned the song, you’ve learned a whole lot of other things, too…and you’re probably a better musician as a result…this is why learning to play other people’s music is so important… Now let’s look at it from the other side…if a song can be interpreted multiple times by many different people and it still sounds good, then that is a great song… The best compositions not only sound great when played by a full band, but also sound great when performed by one person around a campfire… And finally, there’s the fan aspect of all this…people love to hear songs done in different ways by different artists…sometimes the cover is even better than the original—or, at the very least, is revealed to be something more in the hands of someone else… With all this in mind, I’ve assembled a list of cover songs…and we’re going to go through with them to determine what makes them (and the original) great… Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For over two decades, the Ongoing History of New Music has served as an essential audio documentary series, digging deep into the stories that shaped alternative rock, hip hop, and everything in between. Hosted by the legendary music historian Alan Cross, this podcast functions as a curated archive of musical culture, moving far beyond simple artist profiles. Each episode is a thematic exploration, connecting sonic dots across decades to reveal the hidden contexts, forgotten pioneers, and cultural shifts that define what we listen to. You’ll hear about the scenes that birthed genres, the technologies that changed production, and the personalities whose influence ripples through today’s charts. It’s less a linear history lesson and more an ongoing conversation about why music matters, delivered with Cross’s authoritative yet accessible narrative style. Tune in and discover the rich, often surprising backstories behind the songs and artists you thought you knew, gaining insights you’re unlikely to find anywhere else. This is Canadian broadcasting at its most inquisitive and enduring, making the Ongoing History of New Music a foundational listen for anyone curious about the forces that continually reinvent our sonic landscape.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

Ongoing History of New Music
Podcast Episodes
What's The Big Deal About Iggy Pop [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 21:44
For this week’s episode, we’re going to go back into the ongoing history of new music vault and our “what’s the big deal” series. This is where we try to figure out why we keep hearing and reading about these old names f…
It's A Family Affair [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 28:42
Music is one of those things that can bring families together…and sometimes, that togetherness grows into a business… The BeeGees had the three Gibb brothers…baby brother Andy Gibb was also part of that universe for a wh…
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Duration: 34:12
Here’s a warning right from the outset: this is going to be a weird program…the performs and the music we’re going to talk about are famous because of their weird, shocking behaviour…they set out to get our attention—and…
Good Goth - Part 2 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 20:34
This is the second part of our examination of the legendary Alt-Rock scene known as "Goth", and this time we go from mid 80's... right up to today. Goth has always had a bad rap, so in our deep dive, we'll try to clear e…
Good Goth - Part 1 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 20:14
Goth has always had a bad rap and that's not fair to the music, the fans and the fashion so we're going to try to clear everything up with our deep dive. But don't worry...no one's going to get hurt. We are going to exam…
The Second Voice [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 22:09
When you’re the lead singer in a band, you’re pretty much guaranteed to get all the attention…after all, you are the visual and audio focal point for pretty much everything… Yeah, there might be a hot guitarist or someon…
The Original Ramones [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 34:47
Friday, August 16, 1974, was a hot summer day in New York City…it was 31 degrees, but the humidity made it feel a lot hotter…and if you were down in the Bowery amidst all the concrete, it was hotter still...and it smelle…
Rock's Most Iconic Instruments [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 30:21
Most of us probably go through a phase where we decide to make music for ourselves…maybe we’ll do it alone, or perhaps we want to be part of a band. The first thing you need to do is decide what instrument you will play……
Explaining Krautrock [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 30:52
After World War II, Germany was destroyed…the country was divided…the east was under the control of the USSR…the west was in democratic Europe…and then there was berlin, sitting in the east but cut into different zones d…
Stupid History 2 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 33:49
What do you remember from history class back in school?... Maybe a few dates and events…maybe the names some important people…and probably how dull a lot of history classes were. I remember being inundated with a bunch o…