Eric R. Danton | Sound Check

Even more Springsteen, via Mark Erelli

In a reflective mood as he tours through places he has at times considered home, singer and songwriter Mark Erelli shows a knack for good timing with this month's cover song: "My Hometown" by Bruce Springsteen.

Erelli's version is starker, consisting of just his voice and acoustic guitar playing, and he captures the nuance of the song and the balance between pride of knowing a place so well and the inevitability of change. Check it out, Boss fans:

Download
My Hometown mp3, as covered by Mark Erelli

Mark Erelli, waiting for little people

Well, a little person: Erelli and his wife, Polly, are awaiting the imminent birth of their first child.

In the meantime, they caught a show on the recent northeast swing by singer and songwriter Randy Newman, Erelli (at right) writes in his latest newsletter. "The show was simple and profoundly moving; just a man, a piano, and some of the most melodically-inventive, soulful, witty and meticulously-arranged popular songs in American music," he writes.

Newman, then, must have been a natural choice for Erelli to cover in the latest installment of his Song of the Month feature, in which he posts a new free mp3 download every month on his website. He chose a version of Newman's tune "Political Science," cracking, "It takes a strong man to joke about nuclear annihilation in the wake of his first child's birth."

Download
mp3 — "Political Science" (Randy Newman cover)

Mark Erelli raises a new barn

Here's an interesting idea: Folk singer Mark Erelli is hoping to pay for the recording of his seventh album by taking pre-orders from fans.

Rather than seeking an advance from a record label or paying entirely out of his own pocket, Erelli says his gambit follows in the in the spirit of 19th-century barn-raisings.

"Your pre-order will allow me the greatest degree of creative freedom and flexibility to take the time I need to take to make the record I want to make," he writes on his website. "Getting involved in the process requires no substantially greater investment than you would make by simply buying the cd after it was released commercially."

True, you're taking a bit of a chance by buying a collection of songs that hasn't even been recorded yet, but Erelli's previous albums suggest you'll get your money's worth. Think of it as commissioning a work of art, in conjunction with a bunch of other people.

Erelli says he's about halfway toward his goal, which means he can book studio time for later this summer. He's still taking pre-orders, though, and, in a little sponsorship deal of his own, donating a certain amount will get you thanked in the liner notes. Details are on his website.