Photo of Damien Jurado by Sarah Jurado, from The Seattle Times' press room concert

"Beacon Hill" by Jon Russell (from Damien Jurado's "Saint Bartlett" album)

This is how we're kicking off the series. Sarah Jurado furnished four covers of songs by her husband Damien, and I'm happy to premiere them on my blog. Damien Jurado of course is Seattle's folk-boom godfather, local pioneer of indie rock mixed with folk music. His excellent 12th album "Maraqopa" comes out Feb 21 on Secretly Canadian Records. Ballard neo-folk act The Head and the Heart is one of many bands influenced by him, and rose in the past year from open mics at Conor Byrne Pub to marquee status at KeyArena. One can hear front-man Jon Russell's take on Jurado's "Beacon Hill" (2010) as a way of saying thanks for paving the way.

Produced by Jon Russell and Steven Aguilar
Engineered and Mixed by Steven Aguilar at Bearhead Studio
Mastered by Ed Brooks at RFI
Jon Russell: vocals, guitars, dobro
Brenna Carlson: vocals