George Possley : "He Just Does It!"

I came across George quite a while ago and have been thinking about writing on him for a while now. Probably one of the most consistent and entertaining Youtube artists out there. I think what finally drove me to write about him was a discussion with fellow Youtube artist Danny McEvoy a couple days ago. Danny said the reason he loved George's videos was because he just "does it, you know?" And, honestly, I do know. He turns on that camera, and just runs through the song without showing off, or any self consciousness. And to see someone just do it, is truly inspiring. He might not be as polished as other artists, but he's definitely got a whole lot of love for what he does. And, a couple weeks ago, after he checked out my cover of "Pumped Up Kicks" (Foster The People), he went on to cover the track brilliantly. I say brilliantly, because you've got to have a lot of confidence and guts to cover a rather recent song when it's not in your field. I know the feeling myself, covering mostly 90's backwards. But anyways, check out this cover and listen to how George does it!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZM_gcui8yGo

Love it, and love the fact that he said it's "everybody's song". It truly is everybody's song and George is one of those people who makes it that. He takes the risk, despite his doubts and I respect him for that. Sure, someone might say "That wasn't as good as so and so's cover", but if you stand back and look at the amount of covers this guy's done and how much he insists, you've gotta give him some credit. Like Danny McEvoy, George has accumulated more than 1000 Youtube covers, and continued to upload daily (with the occasional "day off").

One of my favourite covers by George was actually uploaded about 3 weeks ago and is of "Flowers On The Wall" (Statler Brothers). I know the track from Tarantino's masterpiece film "Pulp Fiction", but George obviously knew it before that (not assuming here, he actually confirmed). Once again, he storms into the song and does it! I honestly wish I had his confidence, let alone some of his musical knowledge. Going through his covers has opened me up to a good deal of great tunes and I'm very thankful for that. But for now, check out this great little cover of "Flowers On The Wall".

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JnDZ3e1RzbI

Great tune, and as a side note, if you haven't checked out the soundtrack to "Pulp Fiction", please do so. Like George, Tarantino has got a lot of musical knowledge. So far, if these are the first videos you've seen by George you may or may not realise that he doesn't get very technical, and as Danny says "He just does it!" And although some may get edgy because of that, I actually dig it. I mean, if you listen to the Ramones' first album, how technical were they? A couple chords on Johnny's guitar and Joey yelling into a microphone, sided by Dee Dee's recognisable bass line gave birth to punk. So, here's to simplicity and here's to George Possley doing it!

Aside from his many, many covers, George has a bunch of catchy tunes of his own. One that caught my ear a couple weeks ago is entitled "Bellinger Street". Quite honestly, as with most artists, I like George's originals more than his covers. His whole style comes together with his tunes and "Bellinger Street" could easily be a doo woo, rock & roll or punk track in my mind. It's got that catchy, straightforward sound and is backed up by lyrics that are reminiscent of the kind of thing Chuck Berry would write. So, have a listen and don't forget to subscribe to George's channel. Here's to supporting hard working singer/songwriters! Check back tomorrow for another fantastic artist.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ZA06udycF0

Alex Hamel