Sharon Van Etten played NeilFest, covered Donovan (for tribute album with Hamilton Leithauser, Flaming Lips, more)

by Andrew Sacher

Sharon Van Etten at NeilFest – 9/14/15 (photo by U of Music)

Though Sharon Van Etten was billed for NYC’s Neil Young tribute show NeilFest, she didn’t show up on night 1. But fortunately for anyone who went last night (9/14), Sharon was there (along with Ryan Adams, Kim Gordon, Norah Jones and many more). There’s a picture above.

Sharon covered another folk legend recently too, and released that cover today. She takes on Donovan‘s “Teen Angel” for the upcoming tribute album Gazing With Tranquility: A Tribute to Donovan that Rock the Cause Records is releasing on October 16 (proceeds go to Huntington’s Hope). Sharon offers up a great take on the song, and she tells NPR: “I’ve admired Donovan’s voice and minimal psychedelic songs since I was a child. In the folk world he was still very ‘left’ and it stood out to me. Even though he was a trippy cat, he was still a romantic and I loved seeing both of those sides.”

Also on the album is The Flaming Lips, The Walkmen frontman Hamilton Leithauser, Ivan & Alyosa, Astronautalis, Lissie and more. Check out the full tracklist, and stream of Sharon and Hamilton’s covers, below.

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Tracklist:
1. Mixd Up Kids – “Atlantis”
2. Apollo Cobra – “Barabajagal (Love is Hot)”
3. Maudlin – “Epistle to Dippy”
4. Colony House – “Sunshine Superman”
5. “Hamilton Leithauser – “To Susan on the West Coast…”
6. Jillian Rae – “Superlungs My Supergirl”
7. Ivan & Aloysha – “Catch the Wind”
8. Sharon Van Etten – “Teen Angel”
9. Brett Dennan – “Colours”
10. Lissie – “Happiness Runs”
11. Little Man – “There is a Mountain”
12. Astronautalis – “Season of the Witch”
13. Savannah Smith – “Lalena”
14. Verskotzi – “Mellow Yellow”
15. The Flaming Lips – “Atlantis”