t’s always fun to see what musicians do when they get bored. It’s even more fun to see them put their stamp on songs we love (and maybe a few we probably shouldn’t love, but secretly do). Now a group of local musicians has brought out the multi-track recorders and done just that: Each promises to record and post a cover song per day this month on his or her MySpace page. Imagine “Smoke on the Water” recorded in crackling low-fi over a drum loop, Lady Gaga’s “Bad Romance” sung over a sparse banjo background, or an obscure Beach Boys cover dripping with extra reverb. I don’t want to ruin any more surprises so I’ll just stop there.

Amelia Emmet of Mr. Sister came up with the idea. Mike Fiore of Faces on Film jumped on board (that's Fiore and Emmet in the picture), and so have a few of their friends. Emmet’s choices are humorous, but also brilliant. (This could be the first time I’ve ever been able to dissect the lyrics of a Lady Gaga song). Fiore’s covers come off as the most serious of the bunch, almost as if they’re from the playbook he uses to craft his own material (Guided By Voices, Dylan, John Cale). His cleansing voice carries each song through its new world of bare bones and unassuming sounds. His take on “Strangers” by the Kinks shows the early garage legends’ softer side—the side that influenced many indie pioneers. Fiore also brings the Rolling Stones’ rev-up, “2000 Man,” out of the barroom, slowing it down so much it works in a smoky, dimly lit bedroom instead.

I talked about the project with Fiore, who also backs Emmet in Mr. Sister. He works at the Middle East, too (not bad if you’re a musician). At the Delta Spirit show he was the guy in flannel checking IDs at the door. I couldn’t imagine being bored on that job.

Why did you pick this month?

“It was Amelia’s idea. She came up with the idea because a bunch of us had been feeling a bit stagnant. She wanted to start doing some more recording. So I thought it was a cool idea so I started do it too, and then a few of our friends joined in.”

How many covers have you recorded so far?

“I’ve been trying to do two a day and put some away, but right now I am just about even with the pace of the month.”

I saw that you asked for suggestions on Twitter.

“I was half serious about that. But I guess I should now because I’ve kind of run a bit dry. At the beginning of the month there were like five or six I wanted to do immediately. It’s weird for me because this is not the way I usually think about songs. When I hear a song I won’t usually say, ‘Oh I’d like to put this kind of spin on that,’ or reinvent it in a certain way. When I like a song I usually like it the way it is and don’t really think about playing it. But it’s been fun to learn a few that I wouldn’t normally learn or sing stuff that I wouldn’t be normally singing.”

Can we expect you to cover anything out of the ordinary? Britney Spears, perhaps?

[Laughs] “I don’t know. The only stuff I have in mind right now wouldn’t be that far gone. But you never know. Maybe I should pull something real whacky out. That’s not a bad idea.”

Any of the covers stand out more for you? Were any more difficult to touch than others?

“No I don’t think so. If there were something I didn’t want to touch I would have stayed away from it. I really like the Beach Boys, so I enjoyed covering that one [‘Heroes and Villains’].”

When can we expect you to record more original material?

“There are a few things that I have some ideas for. But there are no immediate plans to start recording again.”

Can you learn anything from recording a cover per day and take it into your own material?

“I hope so. In terms of sounds I like, I am learning how to get more of those in now, and maybe some new songs could come from a sound, rather than having a song first and then trying to shape the sound to that.”

How would you describe your sound?

“I’m not really sure. There’s some kind of informal punch-drunk thing that I’m attracted to. I don’t know if that comes across, but at least in the terms of the approach there’s a looseness I like. In term of intentions it would be something like that.”

For your listening pleasure, check out each artist’s Myspace page:

Faces on Film

Mr. Sister

Tony the Bookie

St. Claire