Covey (folk rock project)

Covey folk rock project

Covey

Tom Freeman of Covey performing in New York City (Aug. 12, 2022)

Background information
Origin| Boston, Brooklyn
Genres|

* Folk rock
* Indie rock
* Folk punk
* Pop punk
* Emo

Years active|

* 2013–present[1]

Labels|

* AntiFragile Music (2019)[2]
* Rise Records (2020-present)[3]

Members|

* Tom Freeman
* Dillon Rovere
* Saguiv Rosenstock
* Dan Hemerlein

Past members|

* Joradan Rich
* Mike Kerr
* Michi Tassey
* Guillermo Goldschmied
* Adam Marks

Website| store.coveysux.com

Covey is a folk rock music project created by Tom Freeman,[4] a Brooklyn-based British artist,[5] who has been called "the face" behind Covey.[6] Originally formed in Boston, Covey included Freeman, Dillon Rovere, and others.[7] Covey moved and reformed in Brooklyn, including Freeman and Rovere, as well as Saguiv Rosenstock and Dan Hemerlein.[8]

## History

[edit]

### Early years in Boston and First Album: 2013–2017

[edit]

Freeman originally formed Covey while in Boston.[9] The band formed at Berklee College of Music in February 2013, including Freeman, drummer Rovere, keyboardist Joradan Rich, lead guitarist Mike Kerr, and Michi Tassey providing female vocals.[10] Freeman borrowed the name "Covey" from the street where he grew up in England.[11] Covey released their first single in 2014 with the indie folk song titled "Comes and Goes."[12] Covey released their debut album, Haggarty, on September 22, 2017.[13] Haggarty includes performances by Guillermo Goldschmied on bass, Adam Marks on keys, and Dillon Rovere on drums.[14] Covey performed as the opening act for national touring artists such as Hozier and others.[15]

### Move to Brooklyn and Second Album: 2019

[edit]

After Freeman relocated from Boston to Brooklyn, Covey's second album, Some Cats Live, Some Cats Die, was written in an "old house on Long Island," and released in May 2019.[16] Front View Magazine described the album as "[s]oul-baring and bursting with a breadth of authentic emotion."[17]

### Tour to Nobody: 2020

[edit]

In 2020, Tom Freeman performed and recorded his so-called “Tour to Nobody” experience, in which he performed on the road in the Northeastern United States amid the COVID-19 pandemic, documented on his TikTok page, which has amassed over 4 million views.[18] During the Tour to Nobody, Freeman performed songs at a wide variety of venues, including an abandoned asylum in New York,[19] as well as a dinosaur park, roadside stores, and the Bread and Puppet Theater, and shared videos of these performances on TikTok and YouTube.[20]

### Class of Cardinal Sin: 2021-Present

[edit]

Covey released their third studio album, Class of Cardinal Sin, on June 18, 2021. According to an interview with Sam Taylor of the music magazine Dork, Freeman recorded the songs himself and worked with a mixing engineer named Jake Cheriff to complete the album.[21] The songs were composed, arranged, and recorded by Freeman. Drums were performed by Dillon Rovere. Horns were performed by Neal Rosenthal. The album was mixed by Jake Cheriff. The album was mastered by Joe Lambert.[22] Edie McQueen, writing for Dork, noted that "the album deals with the residues of childhood trauma and bleak schoolboy days," and the site rated the album 3 out of 5.[23] According to Mike LeSuer, writing for Flood Magazine, Covey's third album contains "brutally open lyrics," and the songs might have seemed "corny" if they had not been so "entirely genuine."[24] Covey released two singles for the album, ‘Sam Jam’ and ‘Crooked Spine’. ‘Sam Jam’ is about imagining revenge on a man who assaulted his sister by pouring hot coffee on her head; ‘Crooked Spine’ is about his sister’s struggles with scoliosis.[25] Covey created videos for TikTok to introduce the various characters seen on the cover of the album.[26]

As of March 15, 2022, Freeman stated in an interview with Backward Noise, that he had been writing new songs and planned to record about 10 new tracks for a "follow up" album to Class of Cardinal Sin, which will continue the story from that album.[27] However, according to Covey's Instagram account, on May 24, 2023, Freeman departed the U.S. to deal with mental health concerns.[28] In June 2023, Freeman encountered difficulties returning to the U.S. relating to visa issues, and he remained in Canada for part of that time.[29] On August 18, 2023, Freeman announced on social media, with an Instagram story, that he would be returning to the United States after about 3 months out of the country.[30]

As of July 17, 2023, Covey has over 130,000 monthly listeners on Spotify.[31] As of June 28, 2023, Covey has amassed 1.4 million followers and over 24 million likes on TikTok.[32]

## Musical style and influences

[edit]

Covey's musical influences include Neutral Milk Hotel, The Smiths, and Nick Drake,[33] as well as Blink 182.[34] Covey debuted with an indie folk single, 'Comes and Goes.'[35] According to Front View Magazine, Covey's third album includes songs from several genres, including indie rock, folk-punk, pop-punk, and emo.[36] According to Danielle Chelosky, writing for Stereogum, Covey's music mixes folk and indie rock, and Freeman's voice is pleasant, clean, and too "polished" to be considered folk-punk."[37]

## Music videos

[edit]

Covey has been praised for music videos that are "as creative as they are heartbreaking."[38] For Covey's first studio album, Haggarty, they released an official music video for the track 'Same White Shoes' on April 12, 2018.[39] For Covey's second album, Some Cats Live, Some Cats Die, Covey released music videos for 'Gecko' on April 5, 2019[40] and 'Dog & Bone' on November 10, 2019.[41] For Covey's third studio album, Class of Cardinal Sin, Covey released music videos for 'Cut the Crease' on December 10, 2020,[42] 'Sam Jam' on March 4, 2021,[43] '1991' on April 15, 2021,[44] and 'Point Mutation' on June 15, 2021.[45] According to Randall Colburn, writing for AV Club, the music video for 'Cut on the Crease' is a "twisted clip with an offbeat emotional edge" for the song, which has "piercing lyrics and stirring melodies."[46] Several of Covey's music videos, including 'Sam Jam,' '1991,' and 'Point Mutation,' were directed by Emmy Award winning director Robert Kolodny.[47]

## Band members

[edit]

Current members

* Tom Freeman – vocals, guitar
* Saguiv Rosenstock – guitar[48]
* Dillon Rovere – drums[49]
* Dan Hemerlein – bass[50]

Former members

* Joradan Rich – keys
* Mike Kerr – lead guitar
* Michi Tassey – female vocals
* Guillermo Goldschmied – bass
* Adam Marks – keys

## Awards and nominations

[edit]

Covey's premier track 'Comes and Goes' won BostInno’s “Song of the Week," and Covey was named “New England Band of the Month” by Deli Magazine.[51]

## Discography

[edit]

Studio albums[52]

* Haggarty (2017)
* Some Cats Live, Some Cats Die (2019)
* Class of Cardinal Sin (2021)

## Tours

[edit]

* Bless My Cardinal Sin Tour (2022)[53]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "WUMB and Berklee College of Music Summer Concert Series Begins August 1". UMass Boston. July 29, 2015. Archived from the original on July 17, 2023. Retrieved July 17, 2023.
2. ^ "Exclusive: Listen to Brooklyn Indie-Folk Outfit Covey's New Album, Some Cats Live, Some Cats Die". Paste. May 22, 2019. Retrieved July 14, 2023.
3. ^ "Covey's Record Label Profile". Rise Records. Retrieved June 28, 2023.
4. ^ "Covey". Music Alternatives. Retrieved 2023-06-28.
5. ^ "Covey Spotify Profile". Spotify. Retrieved June 28, 2023.
6. ^ "In Conversation with Tom Freeman of Covey". Backward Noise. March 15, 2022. Retrieved June 28, 2023.
7. ^ "Covering Covey: Single Premiere + Interview With Tom Freeman". Allston Pudding. 19 August 2015. Retrieved July 12, 2023.
8. ^ "About Covey". bandsintown. Retrieved June 29, 2023.
9. ^ "Covering Covey: Single Premiere + Interview With Tom Freeman". Allston Pudding. 19 August 2015. Retrieved July 12, 2023.
10. ^ "WUMB and Berklee College of Music Summer Concert Series Begins August 1". UMass Boston. July 29, 2015. Archived from the original on July 17, 2023. Retrieved July 17, 2023.
11. ^ "Covey". First Avenue. Retrieved June 29, 2023.
12. ^ "Premiere: Covey's Poignant Acoustic Lullabye "Stable Now"". Atwood Magazine. April 9, 2019. Retrieved June 28, 2023.
13. ^ "COVEY SHARES DEBUT ALBUM HAGGARTY VIA THE 405". NY live. 22 September 2017. Retrieved June 30, 2023.
14. ^ "An Interview With COVEY About Their Debut Collection, 'Haggarty' And More!". All Access Music. December 4, 2017. Archived from the original on July 6, 2023. Retrieved July 11, 2023.
15. ^ "An Interview With COVEY About Their Debut Collection, 'Haggarty' And More!". All Access Music. December 4, 2017. Archived from the original on June 29, 2023. Retrieved June 30, 2023.
16. ^ "Exclusive: Listen to Brooklyn Indie-Folk Outfit Covey's New Album, Some Cats Live, Some Cats Die". Paste. May 22, 2019. Retrieved July 18, 2023.
17. ^ "Meet Covey The British-Born Brooklyn-Based Folk Artist Releases His New Tour To "Nobody" Sessions". Front View Magazine. November 4, 2020. Retrieved June 30, 2023.
18. ^ "Covey releases "Tour to Nobody" live sessions". Substream Magazine. November 3, 2020. Retrieved June 28, 2023.
19. ^ "Brooklyn Indie-Folk Artist Covey Shares New Live Album Tour To Nobody". Paste Magazine. October 30, 2020. Retrieved July 17, 2023.
20. ^ "Meet Covey, the folk-punk artist building an audience (and a twisted fantasy world) on TikTok". AV Club. December 16, 2020. Retrieved July 11, 2023.
21. ^ "Covey: "If you're already evil, they probably won't have much use for you"". Dork. June 28, 2021. Retrieved July 6, 2023.
22. ^ "Insert from Cardinal Sins vinyl record release". Discogs. Retrieved July 7, 2023.
23. ^ "Covey – Class Of Cardinal Sins". Dork. 17 June 2021. Retrieved June 30, 2023.
24. ^ "Covey Walks Us Through His Oversharing Opus "Class of Cardinal Sin"". Flood Magazine. June 18, 2021. Retrieved July 5, 2023.
25. ^ "New indie type Covey has shared two new singles, 'Sam Jam' and 'Crooked Spine'". Dork. March 5, 2021. Retrieved July 7, 2023.
26. ^ "Meet Covey The British-Born Brooklyn-Based Folk Artist Releases His New Tour To "Nobody" Sessions". Front View Magazine. November 4, 2020. Retrieved July 17, 2023.
27. ^ "In Conversation with Tom Freeman of Covey". Backward Noise. March 15, 2022. Retrieved July 21, 2023.
28. ^ "Covey Instagram Profile". Instagram. May 24, 2023. Retrieved July 18, 2023.
29. ^ "Covey Instagram Profile". Instagram. June 17, 2023. Retrieved July 18, 2023.
30. ^ "Covey Instagram Profile". Instagram. August 18, 2023. Retrieved August 18, 2023.
31. ^ "Covey Spotify Profile". Spotify. Retrieved July 17, 2023.
32. ^ "Covey TikTok Profile". TikTok. Retrieved June 28, 2023.
33. ^ "An Interview With COVEY About Their Debut Collection, 'Haggarty' And More!". All Access Music. December 4, 2017. Archived from the original on June 29, 2023. Retrieved June 29, 2023.
34. ^ "COVEY SHARES DEBUT ALBUM HAGGARTY VIA THE 405". NY live. 22 September 2017. Retrieved June 30, 2023.
35. ^ "Premiere: Covey's Poignant Acoustic Lullabye "Stable Now"". Atwood Magazine. April 9, 2019. Retrieved July 10, 2023.
36. ^ "Covey Releases New Single And Video For "Cut On The Crease"; New Album "Class Of Cardinal Sin" Coming Soon". Front View Magazine. December 14, 2020. Retrieved June 30, 2023.
37. ^ "Covey – "1991"". Stereogum. April 15, 2021. Retrieved July 13, 2023.
38. ^ "Covey Walks Us Through His Oversharing Opus "Class of Cardinal Sin"". Flood Magazine. June 18, 2021. Retrieved July 10, 2023.
39. ^ "Covey - Same White Shoes (Official Music Video)". YouTube. 12 April 2018. Retrieved July 10, 2023.
40. ^ "COVEY -- GECKO [Official Music Video]". YouTube. 5 April 2019. Retrieved July 10, 2023.
41. ^ "Dog & Bone [Official Music Video]". YouTube. 10 November 2019. Retrieved July 10, 2023.
42. ^ "Covey - Cut On The Crease (Official Music Video)". YouTube. 10 December 2020. Retrieved July 10, 2023.
43. ^ "Covey - Sam Jam (Official Music Video)". YouTube. 4 March 2021. Retrieved July 10, 2023.
44. ^ "Covey - 1991 (Official Music Video)". YouTube. 15 April 2021. Retrieved July 16, 2023.
45. ^ "Covey - Point Mutation (Official Music Video)". YouTube. 15 June 2021. Retrieved July 10, 2023.
46. ^ "Meet Covey, the folk-punk artist building an audience (and a twisted fantasy world) on TikTok". AV Club. December 16, 2020. Retrieved July 10, 2023.
47. ^ "Robert Kolodny music videos". Robert Kolodny. Archived from the original on July 17, 2023. Retrieved July 16, 2023.
48. ^ "Sagiv Rosenstock Profile". SoundBetter. 18 December 2020. Retrieved June 29, 2023.
49. ^ "Dillon Rovere Profile". All Music. Retrieved June 29, 2023.
50. ^ "Dan Hemerlein About". Dan Hemerlein Site. Retrieved June 29, 2023.
51. ^ "An Interview With COVEY About Their Debut Collection, 'Haggarty' And More!". All Access Music. December 4, 2017. Archived from the original on July 6, 2023. Retrieved July 11, 2023.
52. ^ "Covey Spotify Profile". Spotify. Retrieved June 28, 2023.
53. ^ "Sincere Engineer & Covey announce solo co-headlining tour". Brooklyn Vegan. May 17, 2022. Retrieved July 10, 2023.

## External links

[edit]

* Official website