Craig Wedren Covers Sparks' "Sherlock Holmes"

One of the more versatile songwriters of the past couple decades, Craig Wedren, first made his mark with the art-punk band, Shudder to Think, in the 80s and 90s. They were one of only a few bands to make the jump from Fugazi's legendary Dischord Records to a major label, Epic Records. Although they didn't receive the commercial success they deserved, Shudder won over critics with their progressive, yet catchy hooks and Craig's powerful, almost operatic, voice. Before Shudder to Think disbanded in 1998, they had also composed soundtracks for High Art, which consisted primarily of electronic ambient moods, and First Love, Last Rites, which featured songs from a wide variety of genres and eras - and boasted an impressive array of guest singers, including Liz Phair, Robin Zander, John Doe and Jeff Buckley in one of his last recordings.

Craig has gone on to write music for numerous television shows (including The State, Dawson's Creek, and The Whitest Kids You Know) and movies (Role Models, Reno 911, School of Rock, etc.). In 2004, he released an electronic dance album with his NYC-based band, Baby. He followed that with the 2005 release of his first solo album, the mellow, guitar-oriented Lapland. Recently, he released a collection of odd, darkly ambient recordings he made during the mid 90s, The Spanish Amnesian. (Indeed, Craig has come a long way since he sang in my high school new wave cover band, Freudian Slip.)

Currently, Craig is composing for HBO's hit show Hung and Showtime's Emmy-winning United States of Tara. But he recently took time out to have some fun covering Sparks' 1982 song, "Sherlock Holmes" (complete with a video). Unfortunately, the song is not available for purchase yet, but you can check it out here: