ABOUT US
From the beginning, Couch Covers has been an ambitious music collaboration project. Owned and operated by the band Another October, based out of Grand Rapids, Michigan, Couch Covers gathers musicians on an extensive assortment of couches at varying locations to cover popular music, in various genres, on a variety of instruments.
Couch Covers was conceived by Chen Flakes in late 2016. His band, Another October, later branched out their efforts and laid the foundation of what would become Couch Covers as we know it today. Unsure at first how to reach out to other musicians, he gradually realized there were hundreds of talented undiscovered musicians, and no straightforward way to connect them. Couch Covers became a creative outlet for musicians to express themselves, and a platform for exposure, collaboration, and to develop a portfolio. In Fall of 2018, Couch Covers transformed into a non-profit with the goal to help fund those who otherwise would not have the opportunity to work in the music industry.
At the start, no one quite understood the potential of Couch Covers. However, before long, Director Flakes had managed to rally several musicians, crew, and other talent behind him. Together, the ever-growing Couch Covers family hopes to advance and expand the Michigan music scene by recruiting talent across the state, promoting unity over competition, and providing real-world music industry experience to everyone involved.
At the start, no one quite understood the potential of Couch Covers. However, before long, Director Flakes had managed to rally several musicians, crew, and other talent behind him. Together, the ever-growing Couch Covers family hopes to advance and expand the Michigan music scene by recruiting talent across the state, promoting unity over competition, and providing real-world music industry experience to everyone involved.
Pursuant to this goal, Couch Covers endeavors to provide an immersive experience to both amateur and student musicians, facilitated by experienced, veteran artists. The overall aim is for Couch Covers to be the vehicle to propel our artists into the next phase of their musical career. Many artists have never experienced music video shoots, live performances, or even professional studio experiences before their first encounter with Couch Covers.
To maintain steady video production and release, Couch Covers shoots are organized into "Seasons." Each season, multiple videos are shot at once to be released weekly over the following months. Over the first several seasons of Couch Covers, between watching goals exceeded, expectations shattered, and the team increasing exponentially in size and scope, founder Chen Flakes will never forget the very first shoot. That day in Chen's basement, he and 37 of his friends were completely unaware just what would become as they embarked upon the inception of Couch Covers.
Today, Couch Covers is a culmination of what it means to be a modern musician. It encompasses high-energy performances, managing limited timeframes, teamwork, camaraderie, stagecraft, musicianship, adversity, and determination, all within a single video from concept to release. To us, it is constantly mesmerizing and inspiring to see so many talented artists under one roof come together to succeed in one shared goal: to spread phenomenal, heartfelt music to the masses.