When I’m Gone back with a bang

By Geoffrey RowlandsAP Carter couldn’t possibly have imagined that a folk song he wrote more than 80 years ago would be a top ten hit on Billboard’s Hot 100. But a hybridised version of his ditty, When I’m Gone, originally recorded by The Carter Family in 1931, has become a multi-million-selling single for American actress Anna Kendrick.Songwriting credits are shared with Luisa Gerstein. Then a member of Lulu and the Lampshades, now renamed as Landshapes, Luisa devised additional lyrics and created a beat using only handclaps and empty plastic cups.Their performance video featured a kind of hand dance using the clapping and movement of the cups. It was an Internet sensation sparking a host of cover versions including one by Indiana native Anna Burden which became by far the most popular.“Anna Burden’s video was the one which caught my attention,” said 28-year-old Anna Kendrick. “Even though most people now know the song from my performance in the movie, Pitch Perfect, I didn’t learn the song for the film. I was just at home and saw the video of this girl singing the song and doing the cup movements. I was fascinated and wanted to do it myself.“I spent an afternoon watching the video about 50 times and learned all the moves. It was just for my own amusement but fitted in perfectly with the story of Pitch Perfect. When the producers learned I could do the cups routine, they included it in the movie as my character’s audition piece.”Retitled as Cups (Pitch Perfect’s When I’m Gone),” the song appears on the movie soundtrack album as originally performed by Anna. But the single version is expanded by 50 seconds and includes instrumentation in the form of a folk /pop string arrangement.“People were buying my a cappella version so we realised there was the potential to maybe have a pop hit. I’ve been in several musicals during my career and had songs on soundtrack albums but I felt genuinely excited by the prospect of getting a hit single.”Significant chart success did not come quickly. The single was released last February, a month after Anna’s a cappella version had debuted at number 93 on the Hot 100. It climbed slowly but steadily eventually peaking at number six after 32 weeks on the chart.“It was great for me that the song was a slow burner because I kept getting asked to appear on all kinds of TV shows. I’ve probably done more television work thanks to ‘Cups’ than ever before when I’ve been promoting my shows and movies.”Those shows and movies began when Anna was just 12. She appeared as Dinah Lord in the Broadway musical, High Society, a role for which she won a Theatre World Award and was nominated for a Tony and Drama Desk Award. She has since won numerous Best Supporting Actress awards.“I’ve been lucky to play some great characters over the years. I loved playing Beca Mitchell in Pitch Perfect and I’ve agreed to reprise my role in the planned sequel.“It’s great to play roles where I also get to sing and having the big hit with Cups has been such a thrill. But I’m not trying to become a pop star. I’ve always been an actress who could sing rather than a singer who can act and I’ve no desire for this to ever change.”inbriefHeartsHearts have been causing quite a stir on the music scene since their debut single, Wings, hit the airwaves late last year. Encompassing members from England and Germany as well as the United States, the Brooklyn-based indie-rock quintet have since released a second critically acclaimed single, All The Days.Official videos have been made for both singles. The video for Wings doesn’t actually feature any of the band members. This is posted at www.youtube.com/watch?v=yk52XHSpmF4.The Aritzia fashion chain partnered Hearts in creating the video for All The Days. Shot at the La Descarga nightclub in Los Angeles, it features a cast of non-professional dancers discovered in the city’s dance clubs by director Bridget Palardy and her sister Kat. They were recruited specifically to appear in the video. The end result can be seen at www.youtube.com/watch?v=LZ-XtBvPj0I.Both songs are included on the band’s newly released debut EP. The other two tracks are new songs, All For You, and the title-track, Hemiplegia.SwitchfootAmerican alternative rock quintet Switchfoot have also just issued a new EP. Fading West is either a three-song digital package or a four-song physical release. The latter is only available at venues on the band’s current concert tour or through their Internet website, www.switchfoot.com.Two songs are posted on YouTube. A live performance of Love Alone Is Worth the Fight is at www.youtube.com/watch?v=shfROz3Mufk while the recorded version of the title-track can be heard at www.youtube.com/watch?v=m-DSxlL_emU.The songs are taken from Switchfoot’s ninth studio album, also entitled Fading West, which is scheduled for release in January.More immediately, the band have created a third product with the Fading West title. This is a documentary filmed in Australia, New Zealand, Bali and South Africa during their 2012 world tour. It is part rock documentary, part travelogue and part surf film showcasing each band member’s love of surfing.The 80-minute movie is being screened to audiences on Switchfoot’s concert tour ahead of a DVD / Blu-Ray release later this year. A trailer for the documentary is available to view at www.youtube.com/watch?v=iJ1ynQ46984.Deap VallyLos Angeles-based female rock duo Deap Vally have already enjoyed top 40 success in Britain with their debut album, Sistrionix. American audiences have been slower to pick up on Julie Edwards and Lindsey Troy’s music but their album is now set for a US release next month.Official videos for their first two singles can be seen on YouTube. End of the World is at www.youtube.com/watch?v=adsEE5e0PKg while the URL for Gonna Make My Own Money is www.youtube.com/watch?v=PWXsTaBoD7A.A free live recording of Gonna Make My Own Money is offered to everyone who submits their email details. Any takers should visit (no www.) deapvally.com/ and click on the free download link.Although official videos have been made for Lies and Baby I Call Hell, their next single will be Bad For My Body. See if you think they’ve made the right choice by checking out all three videos. Lies is posted at www.youtube.com/watch?v=jBVUFKBN19k, Baby I Call Hell is available at www.youtube.com/watch?v=c2OjVFp54po and Bad For My Body is at www.youtube.com/watch?v=kXxVF8spdac.KittenInfluenced by 1980s new wave artists such as Eurythmics, Tears For Fears and the Pet Shop Boys, Kitten are starting to make a name for themselves on the US music scene.Formed in 2010, the band are fronted by Chloe Chaidez who is still only 18. They have just released their third EP, Like A Stranger. All six songs are posted at www.kittentheband.com/.Numerous official song videos, live performances and fan videos are posted on Kitten’s YouTube channel. They can be accessed from www.youtube.com/user/KittenTheBand.