$5 Cover - Teaser
What happens when MTV takes a handful of real-life musicians from Memphis, throws a buncha fake drama into their lives, and instructs them to act like the world is coming to an end? $5 Cover, the network's latest stab at its favorite genre. Though unlike The Hills or The City or Bully Beatdown or The Real World, MTV isn't suggesting what goes down here is really you know, real. At least the network isn't screaming it out.
The show, which premiered last friday, "stars the hottest up-and-coming Memphis artists playing themselves as they fight for love, inspiration and money to pay the rent." In other words, what we have here is musicians with very little acting experience, acting and playing music. If you've ever seen civilians on a screen trying to act, you know it doesn't work. If I were a network exec and you took that premise to me, I'd shove you out the door before you stepped in. Then again, if you were stepping in with this premise, you'd be Craig Brewer, writer-director of Hustle & Flow and Black Snake Moan, and in that case, I'd be kinda enchanted with the idea of letting you document the scene down there in Graceland. Not only that, but the musicians followed here are actually pretty good. MTV wrangled up anthemic house party rockers Lucero, prolific underground rapper Al Kapone (the genius behind "Whoop that Trick"), and a handful of other Memphis musical minds you've probably never heard of.
Check after the jump for Lucero's $5 Cover performance of "San Francisco," as well as the full track listing to the soundtrack now available online. And check out full episodes online right here.
Lucero - "San Francisco"
$5 Cover Soundtrack - Tracklisting
1. Killing Him - Amy LaVere
2. Gettin’ Mine - Al Kapone (previously unreleased)
3. Too Much Love - Harlan T. Bobo
4. The Icky Muck - Muck Sticky
5. Ain’t Got No Money - Jack Oblivian
6. Carrie Rodgers - Two Way Radio (previously unreleased)
7. This N’ That - Muck Sticky
8. Nothing I Can Do - Snowglobe (previously unreleased)
9. San Francisco - Lucero
10. We On Deck - Al Kapone (previously unreleased)
11. Run Away - Two Way Radio (previously unreleased)
12. I’m Your Negative - River City Tanlines (previously unreleased)
13. The No Draws Blues - Valerie June (previously unreleased)
14. A Dangerous Thing - Lucero
15. Ms. June - Snowglobe (previously unreleased)
