Cover The HITS #6: Saint Alto

Hey guys!

One of the first things I've learned (the hard way) from house in the sand, was that things don't always go as planned and a lot of times you just have to believe in Rock'n'Roll and go with whatever happens.

It wasn't always easy to do that, but within the last 5 years, I've definitely gotten better at it.

Our Cover The HITS series sailed quite smoothly for the first few weeks, but there are always going to be some technical difficulties along the way - and so here we are, embracing them.

Today's cover is a little different compared to the others, but nonetheless - it's amazing.
And that's really all we care about.

Just to make sure you know what Cover The HITS is about, let us explain:
We love cover versions, so here we are - showcasing eight exclusive covers throughout the month of October.

You'll find a new video each Wednesday and Saturday, performed by artists we truly believe in.

To help us make this series a big (and maybe recurring) feature, we'd love for you to share it with your friends by using the hashtag #CoverTheHITS on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram.


Today we have another familiar face here - we get to listen to Saint Alto's fantastic cover.


Saint Alto is the new moniker of Birmingham's Phil Barber who was previously known as one half of Winter 1982.
Refreshing Alternative Folk might be the best way to describe the sound, however, listeners are always in for a surprise.

Even though Saint Alto is still a new-ish project to the industry, BBC Introducing is already as excited about it as we are.
With a few songs out already, we've heard enough to become big fans.


Saint Alto covered 80's mega hit "Ain't Nobody" by the one and only Chaka Khan.
If today you don't feel like dancing, but simply want to relax with a cup of tea in your hands - this cover is for you.


Check out Saint Alto's cover of "Ain't Nobody" right here:




In case you aren't familiar with the original, you can find it here.



Saint Alto online: Website | Twitter | Facebook | Soundcloud | Instagram



Big thank you to Phil for still delivering some this quality cover, even though technology wasn't on board.



more of Cover The HITS: #1 | #2 | #3 | #4 | #5





Thank you for your visit!

Credits // Words: Vanessa Jertschewske | Image & Video: Saint Alto | Audio Intro: Martin Kelly

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Cover The HITS #5: Robbie Cavanagh ft. Demi Marriner

Hey guys!

With today's video we are kicking off our third week of Cover The HITS.
As always, time flies and it blows our minds - but that's old news.

The further we are getting into this series, the more I realise how much fun this actually is.
Since all artists get to pick their songs themselves, it's always a complete surprise for us when we receive the videos.
So the behind the scenes atmosphere is an absolute blast.

Just to make sure you know what Cover The HITS is about, let us explain:
We love cover versions, so here we are - showcasing eight exclusive covers throughout the month of October.

You'll find a new video each Wednesday and Saturday, performed by artists we truly believe in.

To help us make this series a big (and maybe recurring) feature, we'd love for you to share it with your friends by using the hashtag #CoverTheHITS on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram.


Today we have the fabulous Robbie Cavanagh and Demi Marriner here to surprise us with a cover.


Robbie Cavanagh is a singer/songwriter from Manchester, UK.
His music can be genrefied as Americana as most of his songs are guitar and vocal based - yet there's more to him than that.

His album "The State Of Maine" consists of handcrafted, storytelling and relatable songs presented as interesting and lively tracks.

The musician keeps releasing fantastic songs as well as touching music videos and is gigging his way through the UK.
On February 24th Robbie released his new single "Godsend", which he previously performed for Mahogany Sessions, as the first single off of his brand new record "To Leave / To Be Left" which is out now. 


We simply cannot wait for you to watch their cover of Shania Twain's "Man! I Feel Like A Woman".
Every time we watch it, we can't help but sing along with the biggest smiles on our faces.


Check out Robbie & Demi's cover of "Man! I Feel Like A Woman" here:




In case you aren't familiar with the original, you can find it here.


Robbie Cavanagh online: Website | Twitter | Facebook | YouTube | Instagram

Demi Marriner online: Website | Twitter | Facebook | YouTube | Instagram



I'd like to send a mega thank you note to Robbie and Demi for joining this series and for brightening our day with this fantastic performance.



more of Cover The HITS: #1 | #2 | #3 | #4





Thank you for your visit!

Credits // Words: Vanessa Jertschewske | Image: Robbie Cavanagh | Video: Demi Marriner & Robbie Cavanagh | Audio intro: Martin Kelly

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Cover The HITS #4: ROE

Hey guys!

Today marks the halfway point of our Cover The HITS series.
We are sooo in awe with all the covers we've shared with you so far - and we are loving the positive feedback we've been receiving.

It sounds pretty corny, but we've fallen in love with this series and might be turning it into a regular.
(wink, wink)

Just to make sure you know what Cover The HITS is about, let us explain:
We love cover versions, so here we are - showcasing eight exclusive covers throughout the month of October.

You'll find a new video each Wednesday and Saturday, performed by artists we truly believe in.

To help us make this series a big (and maybe recurring) feature, we'd love for you to share it with your friends by using the hashtag #CoverTheHITS on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram.


Today we get to share an amazing performance by ROE with you.


ROE is the moniker of Roisin Donald, a singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist from Derry, Northern Ireland.

She describes her sound as "Grumpy Electro Pop", we describe it as "genius".

But it's not just house in the sand who is extremely excited about ROE's sound, no.
She has already played the BBC Introducing stage at Glastonbury 2017, Output and The Great Escape.

Her debut track "Fake Ur Death" was featured on Tom Robinson's weekly mixtape on BBC Radio 6 and has received praise from the Irish Times.

ROE followed up with "Cheek, Boy" earlier this year and took our breath away with her latest single, "Playground Fights".


Needless to say, we are thrilled to share ROE's cover with you.
She performed an amazing laid back version of "Lights Out" by Royal Blood - you're gonna love this!!!


Check out ROE's cover of "Lights Out" right here:




In case you aren't familiar with the original, you can find it here.



ROE online: Website | Twitter | Facebook | Soundcloud | Instagram



We want to say a massive thank you to Liam for arranging this and to ROE for the incredible performance.



more of Cover The HITS: #1 | #2 | #3





Thank you for your visit!

Credits // Words: Vanessa Jertschewske | Video performance & Image: ROE | Audio intro: Martin Kelly

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Cover The HITS #3: Matt Perriment

Hey guys!

We are now three videos into our new series, Cover The HITS.
Can you believe it?

In case you don't know what the hell that is about, let us explain -
We love cover versions, so here we are - showcasing eight exclusive covers throughout the month of October.

You'll find a new video each Wednesday and Saturday, performed by artists we truly believe in.

To help us make this series a big (and maybe recurring) feature, we'd love for you to share it with your friends by using the hashtag #CoverTheHITS on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram.


Today we're excited to share Matt Perriment's cover with you.


Matt Perriment is a London based musician.
He's been making music for 7 years now and has successfully found his signature sound; Indie-Folk meets Acoustic.

His debut EP, "Everlast", was all it took for him to build a loyal fanbase.
This year he'll be playing iconic London venues such as The Lexington, St Pancras Old Church, The Islington and many more.

After selling out his first headline show in London, at Servant Jazz Quarters on the 23rd of August, Matt is currently touring New Zealand. Head to his social media channels to keep up to date with his gigs.


Matt decided to put his own spin on Tracy Chapman's classic, "Fast Car" and - spoiler - it's absolutely brilliant. If you're having a stressful day - put this on repeat and you'll be relaxed in no time.


Check out Matt's cover of "Fast Car" right here:




In case you aren't familiar with the original, you can find it here.



Matt Perriment online: Twitter | Facebook | Soundcloud | Instagram



Big thank you to Matt for joining our series and for dealing with the technical difficulties like a pro! 



more of Cover The HITS: #1 | #2





Thank you for your visit!

Credits // Words: Vanessa Jertschewske | Image & Video Performance: Matt Perriment | Audio Intro: Martin Kelly

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Cover The HITS #2: Ava Rae Heatley

Hey guys!

I would like to welcome you to our second part of the Cover The HITS series.

In case you missed the introduction to - earlier this week we premiered our new series.
A series which is dedicated to the beauty of cover versions.

It's a fact that most musicians start out by learning how to play and sing their favourite songs by other artists. And we think that's mega cool. So, here we are - showcasing eight exclusive covers throughout the month of October.

You'll find a new video each Wednesday and Saturday, performed by artists we truly believe in.

To help us make this series a big (and maybe recurring) feature, we'd love for you to share it with your friends by using the hashtag #CoverTheHITS on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram.


We are so excited for you to see the second video, performed by Ava Rae Heatley.


Ava Rae Heatley is a singer/songwriter from Warwick (New York), USA.

Her sound is influenced by artists such as Sara Bareilles, Ben Folds and Elton John - creating a Pop/Rock meets Acoustic sound.
Ava started out playing at local coffee shops such as Caffe A La Mode in Warwick and Music at the Mission in New Jersey, where she's the winner of the open mic competition.

She has also been 95.3 DNH's "Discovered Artist of the month" in June 2017 which led to her song "Good For You" being played on their station for the entire month.

Her debut EP "The Drive" won us over by storm and we've been loving Ava's sound ever since.

Ava teamed up with her cellist Julia Rupp, and the ladies performed "Toxic" by Britney Spears.
We love their own take of the classic tune and just can't stop hitting that replay button.


Check out Ava's cover of "Toxic" right here:




In case you aren't familiar with the original, you can find it here.



Ava Rae Heatley online: Website | Twitter | Facebook | Soundcloud | YouTube | Instagram




I'd like to thank Ava and Julia for taking the time to be a part of our series, we love this cover and are so happy we got to share it. 

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Thank you for your visit!

Credits // Words: Vanessa Jertschewske | Video: Ava Rae Heatley & Julia Rupp | Image: Iris Roger | Audio Intro: Martin Kelly

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Cover The HITS #1: Charlie Hole

Hey guys!

This is the very first part of our new series - Cover The HITS.

Throughout the month of October, we will be sharing exclusive cover versions, performed by artists we truly believe in.
There's going to be one new video each Wednesday and Saturday, premiering right here, on good ol' house in the sand.

(Yes, we love covers. And puns - hence the name of this series.)

To help us make this series a big (and maybe recurring) feature, we'd love for you to share it with your friends by using the hashtag #CoverTheHITS on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram.


We are excited to kick off the series with Charlie Hole, a super talented musician, whom you'll get to know better today.


Charlie Hole is a singer/songwriter from Bournemouth, UK.

His carefully crafted music combines Acoustic and Folk elements in such elegant manner.
Charlie started making and writing music at the young age of eleven and has been going strong ever since.

With inspirations such as Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen, Tom Waits & Paul Simon, it's no surprise that we find a lot of personality and intimacy in his songs.

His debut album "The Joy of a Caged Bird" was released in 2013.
With loyal fans and praise from none other than Rod Stewart and three time Novello Award winner Andy Hill, it's safe to say we're not the only ones with his music on repeat.

Charlie recently released his new single, a cover version of Maggie Rogers' song "Dog Years".
And he's got a brand new EP coming up on October 6th - exciting times!


We are super happy that Charlie is opening this series for us and we just can't wait for you to check out the video we filmed in a little sunflower field near my hometown.


Charlie decided to cover Fleetwood Mac's beautiful "Landslide" - a song most of us have probably cried to after a breakup. Am I right?
He definitely put his own twist to it and we're absolutely delighted to share it with you.


Check out Charlie's cover of "Landslide" right here:




In case you aren't familiar with the original, you can find it here.



Charlie Hole online: Website | Twitter | Facebook | Soundcloud | YouTube | Instagram



Mega thank you to Charlie for being the first one to jump on the "Cover the HITS" train and for doing such brilliant job.


We would love to hear what you think of this series, so please let us know.



More of Cover The HITS: #2



Thank you for your visit!

Credits // Words, Photography & Video: Vanessa Jertschewske | Audio (Intro): Martin Kelly

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